UCLA sophomore place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn prepares to kick a field goal during a game against ASU. UCLA and ASU go head to head Saturday in Los Angeles. (Photo by State Press Staff)
If there’s one thing UCLA is really good at doing over the past few years, it’s winning the Pac-12 South.
With a win Saturday, the Bruins (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) are once again in a position to claim the Pac-12 South, in large part due to the evolution of redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley.
As a redshirt freshman last year, Hundley was sensational, throwing for 3,740 yards and 29 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, as well as rushing for another 355 yards with nine touchdowns.
With a year of starting experience under his belt, Hundley has only gotten better.
“I think last year the offense was a little basic for me as a redshirt freshman,” Hundley said. “This year it’s more dropping back, going through everything, reading defenses and really maturing as a quarterback and understanding the game plan and what we’re trying to do.”
His advanced comprehension of the offense is paying off. So far this year, he leads the Bruins in both passing (2,384 yards, 20 TDs) and rushing (502 yards, seven TDs).
Thanks to Hundley’s maturation, UCLA has the third-ranked scoring offense in the Pac-12 behind Oregon and ASU, averaging 37 points per game.
But Hundley isn’t the only one who has been coming into his own. Under the watch of coach Jim Mora, the team as a whole has come together and matured.
“We just had a lot of buy-in,” Mora said. “It sounds really simple, but I think it is really simple. You get good players, and they work hard, and they trust in what you’re telling them, and they try to be the best they can every day, and I think they have a chance to be a good football team. It’s not really as complicated as you might think. It’s just an attitude.”
With their new attitude and solid quarterback play, the Bruins will be looking to repeat their 45-43 victory they had over ASU in Tempe last year.Mora has also taken time to let the team know exactly what the importance of Saturday's game is.
“I addressed it but they also understand the significance of it,” Mora said in the Pac-12 coaches teleconference Tuesday. “We kind of started talking about having to get into playoff mode after we lost to Oregon, so I think we’ve been acutely aware each week of the significance of each game, and this game is the same.”
Reach the reporter at ejsmith7@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EricSmith_SP
