Five Things: UCLA vs. Arizona State

UCLA football (3-2) has its first winning streak of the season after beating Arizona State (0-2) 25-18 on the road. After taking a 17-0 lead, the Bruins needed a late touchdown and a clutch defensive play to earn the victory. Here are five key takeaways from the Bruins’ win against the Sun Devils.

Defense comes up big again

Whether it was rust after three consecutive weeks off or it being just the second game, Arizona State could not get anything going in the first half.

Even though the Sun Devils were able to string together a few good drives in the third quarter, the Bruins held them to just two touchdowns on the night.

The play most will remember came in the dying seconds of the game. On fourth down, Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels – who had already been intercepted once that night – threw a Hail Mary which was broken up by redshirt junior defensive back Quentin Lake to effectively end the game.

Although UCLA could not extend its streak of not allowing any fourth-quarter touchdowns to five games, it still holds a 27-point advantage over its opponents in the final frame of contests this season.

Much of that is owed to the defense.

Over .500 in third season

Coach Chip Kelly was hired for his pedigree. Up until now, there were rumblings that he had lost his ways since his Oregon days.

He’s turned things around in Westwood this year, but the final verdict is still out. However, he finally reached an important milestone in the victory over Arizona State, as UCLA is now above .500 for the first time under Kelly.

Not everything is perfect though. His team had to make a comeback in a game it was leading 17-0 at one point. UCLA could have killed off the game, but Kelly’s play-calling in the third quarter left much to be desired.

Also, as mentioned last week, the Bruins continue to be outscored in the first and third quarters while wildly outscoring their opponents in the second and fourth. UCLA has beaten the opposition by a score of 75-41 in the second 15 minutes of its games and 36-9 in the last 15.

That falls on Kelly, who cannot have a bad first quarter against a USC team that looked dominant Sunday with four touchdowns in the first frame against Washington State.

Felton’s importance

He might not have started, but redshirt senior running back Demetric Felton finished off the game.

Felton was the best player in the first four games of the Bruins’ season, but during the last drive of the win over Arizona on Nov. 28, he limped off the field with what looked like an injury. During the next week, both Felton and Kelly said the Bruins’ leading rusher was fine, so it was surprising when Felton did not play on UCLA’s opening series of the night against Arizona State.

After not getting a touch until late in the first quarter, he had a quiet night by his standards – just a week before, he carried the ball 32 times for 206 rushing yards. Felton left Tempe with just 41 yards on 10 attempts.

On the game-winning drive, Kelly called Felton’s number often. The running back had 29 rushing yards, eight receiving yards and the touchdown that put UCLA ahead for good.

The Bruins go as Felton goes, so they will need him to help carry the load against the Trojans. If he has the same amount of touches as his last contest in the Rose Bowl, an upset could be brewing in Pasadena.

Need to shake off the rust

The Sun Devils were not the only ones hit by COVID-19.

Junior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was one of several Bruins who returned to the gridiron after sitting out the past two weeks because of contact tracing protocols. He took the starting spot under center from redshirt freshman quarterback Chase Griffin, who was solid if not spectacular in his two starts.

Thompson-Robinson did not light up the world, but he efficiently moved the ball on 18-of-24 passing, and, more importantly, did not turn over the ball after throwing it to the other team twice in his first two starts.

Yes, he did commit an intentional grounding penalty that led to a safety. And he had a couple of errant throws Arizona State should have picked off.

But after taking two weeks off, Thompson-Robinson kept drives alive and gave UCLA a chance to win the game in which it came in as the underdog on the road.

Special teams may decide the season

I thought redshirt freshman kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira was just being confident when he said he felt comfortable kicking any distance within 55 yards.

Turns out, it was probably an underestimation.

Barr-Mira nailed a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter against the Sun Devils for his third make in as many tries this year. With the distance and accuracy of the kick, he might have hit it even if pushed back another 15 yards.

The other kickers on the roster contributed as well. Freshman Luke Akers – who handles punting duties – pinned Arizona State inside its own 20-yard line twice, bringing his total to nine over five games.

Another freshman, kicker RJ Lopez, made arguably the play of the game. After kicking off with less than a minute left in the first half, Lopez tripped up the Sun Devil returner, which gave the returning team an extra 15 yards but prevented a possible touchdown. Even with the penalty, UCLA’s defense held Arizona State’s offense to just a field goal.

While Kelly was unhappy with the penalty, as he expressed in a press conference Monday morning, it prevented the home side from gaining momentum.

All three kickers will need to continue to contribute if UCLA wants a shot at taking down rival USC on Saturday.