ASU Football: Reaction to UCLA Loss
By Mike Slifer
In assessing the ASU loss to UCLA last night, there are two immediate observations: First, this was a team loss. Secondly, the Sun Devils were not prepared to play.
It was a team loss because all units of this football team contributed significantly to the loss. The offense committed four turnovers. Additionally, the offense couldn’t run the ball. The defense couldn’t get any pressure on UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. That same defense had several busted coverages leaving Bruin receivers wide open. The tackling was poor, or in coach Graham’s own words “our tackling was atrocious”. The kickoff team allowed one return to the 50 yard line and another go 101 yards for a touchdown.
As for preparation (or lack of it), there were several snafus. First, there’s the timeouts called in the first half. Coach Graham burned a timeout on UCLA’s second play from scrimmage. There may never be an explanation for that, but upon film review, ASU had eleven players on the field and appeared to be lined up just fine. About seven minutes later, coach Graham called a timeout while UCLA was lining up for a game tying field goal.
That’s two timeouts burned in the first quarter for apparent routine situations. This is an indication that there was miscommunication or lack of attention to what is happening on the field. No doubt, coach Graham would be the first to admit how unacceptable that is.
Another preparation point: There were several plays throughout the game where the defensive front was mixed up. They had to flip sides to accommodate the strength of the offensive formation. Same thing goes with the coverages by the secondary. “Busted” coverages or mistakes/miscommunications by the Sun Devil defensive backs led to several big plays and touchdowns.
Last preparation point: The defense looked tired. They only played 58 snaps and they looked winded and a step behind. Poor tackling is a symptom of fatigue. Conditioning is a part of preparing your team. For this game, the defense was not ready.
Devils in Detail will break down more from this game in the coming days. But all ASU fans are certainly disappointed that with almost two weeks to prepare for a familiar opponent, their football team couldn’t put out a better effort.