Thursday's matchup between No. 15 Arizona State and No. 11 UCLA isn't quite the high-stakes affair last season's meeting at the Rose Bowl was, it certainly has the feel of a must-win game for both teams.
The matchup produced the Pac-12 South champ each of the last two seasons, and both teams know the road to the Pac-12 title game runs through the other.
UCLA (3-0) survived close calls to start the season against three opponents few predicted would challenge the Bruins, who many pegged as a national championship contender. They had to win on defense against Virginia, hold off Memphis' late and then rally behind a backup quarterback to beat Texas.
For more context on the Bruins, we called on Orange County Register writer Ryan Kartje, who covers UCLA on a daily basis, to answer five questions. Here, Kartje provides a look into UCLA's season and what to expect this week. Follow Kartje on Twitter @Ryan_Kartje.
1. UCLA stayed unbeaten but through three games didn't look like the dominant force everyone expected. What's going on?
Kartje: I think it's fair to say the hype that preceded this season might've been a bit premature for a team that hadn't been in this position before. The run game struggled for two games, and without a legitimate threat in the backfield, getting this offense into rhythm is difficult. The offensive line hasn't really shown any of the improvement coaches were hyping up in spring practice, and without a step forward from that unit, it's tough to say how far the offense can go. But there's always Brett Hundley, and running back Paul Perkins has looked much improved over the past two weeks. Defensively, the secondary has been worse than expected, and a season-ending injury to Randall Goforth doesn't help in the slightest. A better pass rush would be ideal, too. All that being said, we're talking about a lot of talented youth in important positions, so there should be improvement week by week. The question now is if that progress will come in time.
2. Jim Mora and UCLA have been mum about whether QB Brett Hundley will play. But is there a sense among those who cover the team whether he'll play this week? If he doesn't play, how different is UCLA without him?
Kartje: Hundley is wearing a thick brace on his elbow and throwing this week, so I think we can assume they're really crossing their fingers he'll play. The secrecy in Westwood is at its utmost right now, though, so it's really tough to know what's real and what's not. But if I had to guess, I think we'll see him play. Even if the coaches wouldn't like to admit it, without Hundley, the game plan will undoubtedly be different. Jerry Neuheisel managed last week's win over Texas really well, but the truth is he doesn't have nearly the same skill set. UCLA would be without Hundley's improvisation and legs, which would be a huge loss. Also, Neuheisel doesn't have the arm strength Hundley does, so we'd probably see an offense similar to what UCLA ran against Texas, with a ton of short passes and screens meant to get the rhythm moving. Texas struggled to stop that, for some reason, but I think with a week to prepare Arizona State would be much more ready to stop that kind of attack.
3. UCLA's offensive line has been disappointing, and the Bruins are giving up the most tackles for loss per game in the nation. Has this been a surprise? What's to blame for this glaring issue?
Kartje: It has been a bit of a surprise, given how quickly coaches had already accepted the "look at how much the line has improved!" narrative. But as a media, we kind of fell for the ruse, too. The line looked pretty solid during the spring and fall, but what we've seen in the past three games shows that the unit hasn't even come close to approaching that kind of progress. Left tackle Malcolm Bunche hasn't provided the boost that we expected. Guard Scott Quessenberry has gotten better since the season's start, but needs to be better going forward. Center Jake Brendel and guard Alex Redmond are redeeming pieces, for sure. At this point, it's fair to question why nothing has really changed over the past three seasons, especially with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm getting steady salary increases over that span. Still, it's impossible to ignore that Brett Hundley has been sacked more than any quarterback in the nation over the past two seasons and change.
ASU vs. UCLA
When: 7 p.m.Thursday
Where: Sun Devil Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Tim Brando, Joel Klatt)
Radio: KTAR 620 AM (Tim Healey, Jeff Van Raaphorst)
4. UCLA's defense features some talented players but ranks one spot ahead of ASU nationally at No. 73 in total defense. How does that relate to the expectations that existed entering the season?
Kartje: It's probably a bit of a disappointment, all things considered. The pass rush is the biggest concern, given that it has only managed three sacks in three games. UCLA isn't used to performing without a pass rush -- Anthony Barr really helped over the past two seasons -- so it has had to adjust accordingly on the back end. I think the talent is still there for this to be a quality defense -- players like Myles Jack, Eric Kendricks, and Kenny Clark are future NFL starters -- but it's going to take some time for defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to find the unit's identity. Maybe that happens this week, given the extra prep time the bye week afforded. With Pac-12 season about to get into full swing, it better happen soon.
5. ASU is approaching this game as the most important of the season -- the game that will again produce the Pac-12 South champion. Is UCLA approaching the game similarly?
Kartje: UCLA was all about focusing on self-scouting last week -- there was very little talk of Arizona State -- but just because the narrative hasn't crept up yet doesn't mean it won't in the next few days. Last year's game definitely left a sour taste in their mouths, and they've said before how important it is to make the Pac-12 title game. But given how poorly the first three games went (even though they all ended in victory), UCLA has made a concerted effort the past week and a half to focus on its own issues -- of which there are plenty. I'm not sure how much pumping up the importance of beating Arizona State will help them, given those concerns. They've played it down thus far, at least. Something tells me, given last year's result and how it decided the Pac-12 south ... well, I don't think they'll be overlooking this one.
