The Sun Devils will invade the Rose Bowl to take on the Bruins in a Pac-12 Saturday night showdown with the winner taking sole possession of the South Division. Let’s analyze this matchup and get on the right side in our college football picks!
Saturday, October 2, 2021 – 10:30 PM EDT at Rose Bowl
Arizona State began the year by defeating a pair of early-season cupcakes in Southern Utah and UNLV but failed to do so in convincing enough fashion that would have satisfied those who backed them as 45- and 35-point favorites, respectively. But when they embarked on their first road game of the year against BYU, the wheels fell off the wagon and they wound up on the wrong end of a 27-17 decision as 3 ½ point road chalk.
However, ASU bounced back last week when they made short work of Colorado in a 35-13 win and covered the number for the time this season as 14-point home favorites. Junior quarterback, Jayden Daniels, went 18-of-25 for 236 yards and ran for two touchdowns while leading his team with 75 rushing yards. Daniels’ two interceptions in the loss to BYU from the week before must have still been stinging as he was mistake-free last week and continued to move the chains through the air by completing 72 percent of his passes.
"It was great the passing game got going," White said. "Everyone got in a rhythm. If they want to stack the box, then we trust the receivers. We did some key things this week to fix things up and Jayden led that group."
The Sun Devils are ranked 71st in average passing yards (227.8), 25th in rushing yards (210.0), 51st in points scored (32.5), and 20th in points allowed (16.0). And while the offense has sputtered at times, the defense has done as well as can be expected and is the foundation of their success thus far.
Unlike their opponents this week, the Bruins have fared well, not only in the standings but at the betting windows, entering this meeting with a 3-1 straight up and ATS record. After walking over Hawaii, 44-10, and then earning an impressive, 38-27, victory over SEC foe, LSU, as 1-point home dogs, the winning streak was snapped when Fresno State came to town and scored a 40-37 win as 10 ½ point road dogs over UCLA.
It was a difficult loss for the Bruins to swallow as a quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, had put his team ahead with a 15-yard pass to Kyle Philips with just 53 seconds remaining in the game. But the Bulldogs’ offense was unrelenting and took just 40 seconds to march down the field under the command of Jake Haener who engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive and concluded with an 18-yard touchdown pass.
Despite the bitter setback, UCLA came into last week’s game undaunted and scored an impressive, 35-24, road win over Stanford. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was a one-man wrecking crew with two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground. The senior signal-caller ended with 251 passing yards while tailback, Zach Charbonnet, led all rushers with 118 yards and a trip of his own inside the Cardinal end zone.
It is understandable why the public might be reluctant to back the Sun Devils after their 1-3 ATS start but they certainly looked crisp against the Buffaloes last week in covering the 14-point impost and their defense has been stout throughout, allowing only 16 points per game.
The college football odds at all of the best online sportsbooks are installing UCLA as 3 to 3 ½ point home chalk and much of that buzz is due to their electric quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who also goes by the name DTR. It always gives me cause for pause when someone manufactures a nickname for themselves that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
Needless to say, this should be a dandy of a game but the one thing that the Sun Devils possess that the Bruins seem to be without is a defense that can stymie a potent offense. I also like the fact that ASU’s quarterback, Jayden Daniels, has been surgical this season, in completing 72 percent of his passes versus only 56 percent for DTR (okay, I’m hooked).
Arizona State is averaging over 32 minutes in terms of the time of possession while UCLA averages 29:05. I see the Sun Devils controlling the clock and using their defense to contain the UCLA passing attack. Let’s grab north of a field goal with the highway hounds in this one.
Despite the bitter setback, UCLA came into last week’s game undaunted and scored an impressive, 35-24, road win over Stanford. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was a one-man wrecking crew with two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground. The senior signal-caller ended with 251 passing yards while tailback, Zach Charbonnet, led all rushers with 118 yards and a trip of his own inside the Cardinal end zone.
NCAAF Pick: Arizona State +3 ½ (-113) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
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