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EDGE: Sun Devils should keep South lead

FAVORED: ASU junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict reaches for Colorado senior tight end Ryan Deehan during the Sun Devils’ 48-14 win on Saturday. Despite equal Pac-12 records, ASU holds a significant advantage against UCLA. (Photo by Elijah Grasser)
FAVORED: ASU junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict reaches for Colorado senior tight end Ryan Deehan during the Sun Devils’ 48-14 win on Saturday. Despite equal Pac-12 records, ASU holds a significant advantage against UCLA. (Photo by Elijah Grasser)

Check out photos from Saturday's game against the CU Buffaloes in this slideshow.

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Didn't catch the Homecoming parade? See photos from the parade and the game in this slideshow.

Quarterback

 

EDGE: ASU

 

Junior Brock Osweiler acknowledged last week that he’s still learning and improving as the ASU’s starting quarterback. After all, the junior is still in his first season as the full-time starter. But the 6-foot-8 Montana native has been solid and then some through eight games.

He took the Sun Devils’ loss at Illinois as a learning experience and has been sharp ever since. Osweiler has thrown for 2,275 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 284.4 yards per game.

He threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns in last Saturday’s 48-14 win over Colorado. It was the fourth 300-yard passing performance of his career.

The quarterback position has been an area of struggle for UCLA in recent seasons. But the Bruins have seen Kevin Prince elevate his play in recent weeks.

The redshirt junior scrambled for 163 yards and threw for 92 yards to reach the 3,000-career yard mark in UCLA’s win over California. Prince has amassed 635 passing yards this year with four interceptions and three touchdowns.

 

Running Back

 

EDGE: ASU

 

Junior running back Cameron Marshall changes the landscape of the Sun Devil offense when he steps onto the field.

Marshall returned from the bye week at full strength and it showed against the Buffaloes. He tallied 114 yards and three touchdowns to extend his season touchdown total to 12. He’s also run for 632 yards on the year.

UCLA boasts the third best rushing offense in the conference with 1,498 yards.

Redshirt junior tailback Johnathan Franklin is No. 8 in the Pac-12 with 70.62 yards per game. He’s collected nine 100-yard rushing games in his career. Franklin is also No. 12 on the school’s all-time rushing list with 2,258 career yards.

Senior Derrick Coleman added three touchdowns of his own against Cal, and has nine touchdowns.

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

 

EDGE: ASU

 

The ASU wide receivers have adopted an unselfish attitude when it comes to who gets the ball from Osweiler.

The Sun Devils undoubtedly possess a plethora of skilled wide outs, and all of them have had an influence in ASU’s offensive success this season. The Sun Devils have seven players who average 10 1/2 yards per catch or more this season, which is third most in the nation.

Senior wide receiver Gerell Robinson leads the unit with 36 catches for 612 yards. He was ASU’s top receiver last week when he hauled in four receptions for 89 yards.

Then there’s senior Aaron Pflugrad, who’s racked up 446 yards in the air this season. Junior wide out Jamal Miles leads the squad with five touchdown receptions.

The speedy Miles caught a 25-yard scoring pass from Osweiler early in last Saturday’s first quarter against Colorado for ASU’s first touchdown of the game.

For UCLA, senior Nelson Rosario serves as a dynamic playmaker at wide receiver. His 76.75 receiving yards per game ranks him No. 6 in the conference. Meanwhile, Rosario has climbed to No. 12 on the Bruins’ all-time receptions and receiving yards lists.

Senior Taylor Embree is expected to play this week after being suspended by the Pac-12 a week ago. He occupies No. 8 on the program’s career receptions list.

 

Offensive Line

 

EDGE: ASU

 

Marshall and Osweiler have routinely praised the Sun Devil offensive line for its play throughout the 2011 campaign. Both offensive leaders stress that without the strong performances of the O-line, the ASU offense would not be able to have its success.

Sophomore tackle Evan Finkenberg is working his way back from a knee injury, and redshirt senior tackle Aderious Simmons is healthy again, which will be a significant boost to the line.

A pair of experienced redshirt seniors anchors UCLA’s offensive line. Tackle Mike Harris leads the Bruins with 36 career starts. Center Kai Maiava was named to the Rimington Award watch list after missing last season due to injury.

 

Defensive Line

 

EDGE: ASU

 

The loss of sophomore defensive end Junior Onyeali earlier this season was a devastating one for the Sun Devil defensive line, but he returned to action on Saturday and is expected to continue playing and improving.

He was fresh off a debut collegiate season in which he earned Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. Onyeali has 13 1/2 sacks for loss and 7 1/2 sacks in his young career.

UCLA’s defense relies on the play of junior defensive end Datone Jones. Last week, he grabbed six tackles to tie his career high. His 4 1/2 tackles for loss and three sacks leads the Bruins.

Another junior defensive end, Damien Holmes, owns 6 1/2 career tackles for loss.

 

Linebackers

 

EDGE: ASU

 

If Prince hopes to have another 100-plus yard game on the ground this week, he’ll have to face the likes of junior linebacker Vontaze Burfict dead on.

Burfict and his 15 1/2 career tackles for loss are part of a solid linebacker’s unit with seniors Colin Parker and Shelly Lyons.

After transitioning into the starting lineup in 2010, senior Sean Westgate finished second on the squad with 90 tackles while leading all Bruins with 11 tackles for loss. Westgate reeled in 11 tackles and forced a fumble in last season’s contest against Texas to earn Conference Player of the Week recognition.

Additionally, junior Patrick Larimore leads UCLA with 49 tackles.

 

Secondary

 

EDGE: Even

 

ASU leads the Pac-12 with 13 interceptions this season, and a lot of this defensive success is owed to the secondary. Sophomore cornerback Alden Darby is currently tied for second in the conference with three picks in seven games.

However, senior cornerback Deveron Carr is currently sidelined with a concussion.

The Bruins are fourth in the conference in pass defense and limited Cal’s Zach Maynard to just 199 passing yards and no touchdowns.

Cornerback Aaron Hester has recorded 43 tackles this year, second most on the team. The redshirt junior grabbed five tackles and an interception against the Golden Bears.

 

Special Teams:

 

EDGE: Even

 

Redshirt freshman kicker Alex Garoutte has made nine of 12 attempts, including his longest field goal of 49 yards. Garoutte nailed kicks of 38 and 46 yards against CU.

Miles remains a potent scoring threat not only on offense, but special teams as well. He’s already bolted for a kickoff return for a touchdown and punt return to the end zone this year.

Meanwhile, Bruins senior Josh Smith sits at eighth in the conference in kickoff return average at 23.03. He’s also snared 61 kickoff returns in his career, fourth all-time at UCLA.

Redshirt junior punter Jeff Locke maintains a 44.74 punting average. He drilled seven kicks for an average of 44.3 yards last week. Locke’s 45.84 average led the Pac-12 a season ago and was fourth best in the country.

 

Overall EDGE: ASU

 

The Sun Devils are in a prime position to extend their lead in the Pac-12 South to two games. While CU was a less than challenging opponent, ASU looks to continue its offensive success against a Bruins defense that’s seen mixed results.  The Sun Devils’ balanced attack that features plenty of passing and running should aid them in Pasadena. If the ASU defense can continue to force turnovers — 24 in the past six games — the Sun Devils should be in good shape. ASU’s newfound ability to compete on the road also gives it the edge this Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

 

 

Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu

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