Redshirt senior cornerback Deveron Carr watches as UCLA redshirt senior tight end Joseph Fauria hauls in a touchdown pass during the Sun Devils’ 45-43 loss to the Bruins on Saturday. (Photo by Kyle Newman)Junior safety Alden Darby called ASU’s secondary the best in the country long before it was ranked No. 1 in pass defense.
The secondary has a nickname — the “no-fly zone.” While the U.N. Security Council will lift the no-fly zone over Libya this week, UCLA removed ASU’s no-fly zone on Saturday.
The Sun Devils (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) allowed 274 passing yards in their 45-43 loss to the Bruins (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12).
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley lit up the secondary, completing 19 of his 29 passes and throwing four touchdowns. He also added 48 rushing yards.
It’s an offense ASU should be accustomed to, but the defense looked lost at times. Noel Mazzone was the offensive coordinator under former coach Dennis Erickson and took the same gig at UCLA after Erickson was fired.
ASU trimmed the lead 21-20 early in the third quarter on a field goal. Eleven seconds later, the Sun Devils were down eight.
Hundley connected with redshirt junior wide receiver Damien Thigpen for a 65-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive.
“We made some critical errors on defense that we hadn’t been doing all year,” junior cornerback Osahon Irabor said. “It really cost us at the end. One or two big plays will catch up to you at the end of the game. Giving up the big plays and touchdowns that we hadn’t been giving up all year put us in that tough situation at the end of the game.”
The secondary had a chance to redeem itself on the final drive of the game. ASU came back down nine points with nine minutes left in the game to lead 43-42 with one minute and 33 seconds left.
Hundley went 4-for-7, including two spikes to stop the clock, for 52 yards to set up the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.
“We played good enough offensively today to win,” coach Todd Graham said. “But when we scored, I thought our offense put us in a position to win, and we didn’t get it done defensively. It came down to one drive and play, and we didn’t play very well. We missed a lot of tackles today.”
Hundley’s performance was the best against ASU’s defense this season. While he is one of the better quarterbacks in the Pac-12, whether this secondary is one of the best in the country remains to be seen. The Sun Devils played three backup quarterbacks against Illinois, Missouri, Utah and knocked out NAU’s starting quarterback during the game.
Oregon redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota only threw 12 times for 46 yards, but the Ducks didn’t exactly need to throw the ball considering how successfully they were running the football.
“(Hundley) played very well,” redshirt senior linebacker Brandon Magee said. “He was moving a lot in the pockets, but we just can’t allow him to scramble on the outside and step up and throw those extra yards and make plays with his feet. He was making some good plays out there, and I have to respect that.”
The Sun Devils are thin in the secondary, and they’ve played well given the circumstances up to this point. The secondary knows it needs to bounce back, because the schedule doesn’t get any easier.
“They were successful in getting off a couple passes off against us,” redshirt senior cornerback Deveron Carr said. “The only way to solve that is to get the troops rallied up. We need preparation, focus and discipline in the meeting room. We need to come out on Tuesday and practice hard.”
Reach the reporter at mtesfats@asu.edu
