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Thursday Night Preview

Thursday Night Game UCLA vs. ASU

Last Thursday Auburn traveled up to Kansas to take on K-State and the two teams treated the nation to a fantastic game. Darn Tigers! Now UCLA will be going to Tempe, AZ, to meet the Sun Devils. Will this game be as good as last Thursday? It has the potential!
It’ll be the story of four quarterbacks, two from Arizona State, and two from UCLA. First, the obvious;- star Sun Devil QB Taylor Kelly will not be playing. He injured his foot against Colorado. Mike Bercovici steps in. There shouldn’t be that much of a drop as he gave Kelly a run for the starting job in 2012. Bercovici is a Junior with a strong arm and he knows the offense. Heck, if Florida State can do it with their back-up, why not ASU?
033Now, for UCLA, who’s going to call the signals? Nobody knows. Will it be Brett Hundley? He injured his non-throwing elbow against Texas last week. The Bruins put in Jerry Neuheisel, son of a Uclan legacy, who had a great game, rallying the California school to victory. He was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates (and Jim Mora)!. That’s the way to make a statement. Even if Hundley is not full speed, he might do what he can to get back in the game. Let’s face it, he hasn’t exactly been stellar this season. Certainly not Heisman calibre.
Head Coach Jim Mora is not showing his hand either way. Maybe he’s not sure about Hundley’s arm, or maybe Neuheisel played better against the Horns?
Both teams are 3-0, although they’ve taken different paths to get there. UCLA faced Virginia and scored only one offensive touchdown. UVA turnovers spelled the difference. Thank the Lord for Cavalier turnovers. Wait, they’re from the left coast, thanking the Lord may not be allowed, but CigarSmokinFootball.com bets they did it anyway. Against Memphis they benefitted from poor clock management by the Tigers at the end. In the Texas game, Hundley’s injury may have turned out to be a blessing.
Arizona State took care of business against Weber State and New Mexico, tune-up games. Against Colorado, they were in control from the opening whistle, but those darn Buffalos just wouldn’t go away. The Buffs kept scoring and hanging around. Sun Devils had to rely on their backup QB as well. He didn’t get carried off on their shoulders, but he still played very well.
UCLA has not done well in the stats, they rank 32nd in passing, 73rd in rushing and 60th in allowing points. ASU ranks 67th in passing 12th in577 rushing….wait, is that true? 12th in rushing? Who do they think they are, a SEC member? The Sun Devils aren’t known for running the ball, but here they are. Junior D.J. Foster has 510 yards with 5 TD’s. Should the Devils of the Sun keep that production up, they’ll be a handful for the Bruins.
UCLA has relied on miracles, not sure that’s the best winning strategy. The Bears of Southern California, have problems on defense and have been unable to move the ball efficiently. If the defense doesn’t step up Thursday, it might not matter who’s at QB for UCLA. ASU has been a well-oiled machine, each piston firing precisely on time. Sun Devil defense has allowed more points than the fans would like, but they aren’t a colander full of leaks, either.
CSF is picking Arizona State. Relying on miracles is not a valid plan unless you’re the One performing them and only one person has ever been able to do that. UCLA praised Him in secret at Virginia.

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