Bruins will mostly try to be spoilers
With its bowl-game aspirations reliant on an unlikely divisional title, UCLA closes the 2018 season in the role of spoiler — and that journey begins on Saturday at Arizona State.
The Sun Devils (5-4, 3-3 Pac-12 Conference) moved into control of the Pac-12 South with an upset of Utah last week. Arizona State will reach its first conference championship game since 2013 if it wins its final three games.
Of course, the concept of controlling one’s destiny in the South division is wholly fluid. USC controlled its destiny until an Oct. 20 loss at Utah; Utah controlled its destiny before playing Arizona State.
Even UCLA (2-7, 2-4) controlled its path to the Pac-12 Championship Game just two weeks ago. Despite technically being eliminated from bowl contention with last week’s 42-21 loss in coach Chip Kelly’s return to Oregon — where he lost seven games in the entirety of his four seasons from 2009 through 2012 — the Bruins are not eliminated from contention in the South.
Just one game in the loss-column separates last-place teams UCLA and Colorado from the foursome in first. The Bruins advancing to Levi’s Stadium for the championship game may not be likely — they would need to win out and get a variety of favorable breaks — but it isn’t impossible, either.
A win at Sun Devil Stadium moves UCLA in that direction, but the Bruins face a bevy of uncertainty, coming off back-to-back losses to Utah and at Oregon. The continued quarterback situation is the most noteworthy of the question marks.
Freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Bruins’ starter from Week 2 into Week 8, sustained a shoulder injury on Oct. 20 that sidelined him the following contest. He returned to the lineup last week at Oregon, but went 9-of-23 passing with an interception before returning to the sideline.
“I haven’t viewed it as a challenge. I take the approach of being the starter every week,” quarterback Wilton Speight said in the postgame press conference. “I know I’m one play away.”
Speight went 13-of-25 for 147 yards with a touchdown after spelling Thompson-Robinson.
UCLA has also endured a variety of injuries on defense, just in time to face an Arizona State offense that has come alive in recent weeks.
The Sun Devils scored 38 points each in wins over USC and Utah, with standout wide receiver N’Keal Harry posting 256 yards and four touchdown receptions combined.