When No. 15 Arizona State and No.11 UCLA take the field Thursday night, it will be the first time two ranked teams play a regular-season game at Sun Devil Stadium since 2007.
It also will be the second straight meeting between the teams in which both were ranked in the top 20. Both teams have questions at quarterback. And the outcome should have major Pac-12 South implications. In other words: There's plenty of intrigue in the matchup of undefeated teams.
Here's a closer look at what to expect:
Quarterback questions. Both teams enter this game with a precarious situation at quarterback. ASU is without three-year starter Taylor Kelly due to a foot injury suffered against Colorado. In his place is redshirt junior Mike Bercovici, who will make his first career start with just 24 pass attempts to his name. Bercovici has a better arm than Kelly but lacks the zone read experience that has made Kelly so effective. Bercovici also has less mobility than Kelly, who has been able to consistently hurt opponents with his legs. UCLA could be without starter Brett Hundley, a Heisman Trophy candidate entering the season, but ASU isn't planning on it and no one in L.A. is saying if Hundley will play. UCLA's offense is much more dangerous with Hundley than backup Jerry Neuheisel, but a Hundley may be somewhat limited. Usually a threat on his feet, Hundley may be hesitant to use his injured left (non-throwing) arm to fend off tacklers or break his falls.
Under pressure. ASU hasn't been able to produce the pressure on opposing quarterbacks it has wanted to yet this season, particularly from the defensive line. Of the team's 21 tackles for loss, only seven have come from defensive line positions. But against UCLA, there may be an opportunity to boost those numbers. UCLA's offensive line has struggled to protect Hundley, who has been sacked more than any other quarterback in the nation the past two-plus seasons. This year, the Bruins rank last in the FBS with 10.33 tackles for loss allowed per game. If ASU can get to Hundley often, it could stymie UCLA's offense and give the young defense a boost of confidence.
Run for it. ASU's run game currently ranks first in the Pac-12 and 11th in the nation with 304.3 yards per game. D.J. Foster leads the conference and ranks fifth nationally with 170.0 rushing yards per game. It's safe to say with an untested quarterback under center the Sun Devils will employ a heavy dose of run. With Foster and freshmen Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage, ASU should be able to get something going on the ground against UCLA's rushing defense, which ranks seventh in the Pac-12 (136.7 yards allowed per game).
Mike Bercovici, QB, ASU -- Bercovici (above) is such an unknown, and ASU's offense will probably go as he goes in this game. His big arm may allow them to take a few shots down the field, but how he handles everything else remains to be seen.
D.J. Foster, RB, ASU -- With Kelly out, the Sun Devils will surely give the ball to Foster early and often, hoping he can carry the load. So far, Foster has run all over lesser opponents, so UCLA will be his first big test.
Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA -- If he plays, Hundley is a constant big play threat. He can run and extend plays with his feet, and he can throw a pretty dangerous deep ball to a very capable receiving corps.
Eric Kendricks, LB, UCLA -- The senior linebacker leads the Bruins in tackles (37) and could be the biggest hindrance to ASU's efforts to run the ball.
-- UCLA coach Jim Mora and ASU coach Todd Graham took over their teams at the same time, amid an offseason that saw 28 new head coaches hired in the FBS ahead of the 2012 season. Since then, Mora has gone 22-8 and Graham has gone 21-9, ranking them third and fourth, respectively, among those 28 coache, behind Ohio State's Urban Meyer (26-3) and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin (24-6).
-- ASU remains the only team in the nation not to return a kickoff. In three games, ASU has received the ball on a kickoff 12 times, with going for a touchback.
-- Personnel notes: Viliami Latu is likely to get his first career start, taking over for freshman Tashon Smallwood at 3-technique defensive tackle. ... Tight end De'Marieya Nelson should see more time on defense, splitting reps with Antonio Longino at Devil-backer. ... Graham said he expects spur linebacker Laiu Moeakiola to play, but if he doesn't Christian Sam could become the fourth true freshman to start for ASU this season. ... Junior cornerback Kweishi Brown looks poised to make his first career start ahead of freshman Armand Perry.
Maybe the Pac-12 South. It's too early in the season to tell if this game will again produce the Pac-12 South champion, but both teams understand the road to a South title runs through the other. Both teams also profess national championship aspirations, and a loss could derail those hopes.
So much of this game hinges on how Bercovici performs and whether Hundley plays, with the latter perhaps being the greatest difference maker. If Hundley plays -- and ASU believes he will -- it could be tough for ASU's young defense to contain him, but it should be a close game either way, and it might come down to who has the ball last.
UCLA 31, ASU 24
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