Redshirt junior defensive end Carl Bradford celebrates his touchdown with senior linebacker Chris Young. ASU defeated the Bruins 38-33 and clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship. (Photo by Dominic Valente.)PASADENA, Calif.– The feeling was all too familiar for ASU senior linebacker Chris Young.
UCLA and redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to snatch the Pac-12 South title from the Sun Devils’ grasp.
Except this isn’t last year anymore.
Young and the No. 17 Sun Devils (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12) stopped Hundley and the No. 14 Bruins (8-3, 5-3) late, staving off a furious comeback to win 38-33 and clinch the program’s first-ever Pac-12 South title.
“It was almost like déjà vu,” Young said. “I was like ‘ah no it’s happening again.’ This is a different team this year and we train harder and tougher from last year and that showed up in the end.”
Unlike last year’s 45-43 loss, this year’s game wasn’t even close at halftime.
The Sun Devils led 35-13 and sucked all the life out of the Rose Bowl.
Two quick Bruins’ touchdowns in the third quarter made the game close again, riling up the crowd again while testing the composure of the Sun Devils’ defense.
The Bruins added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the third consecutive scoring drive it had in the second half.
With 9:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hundley and the Bruins got the ball back, down five.
And the Bruins started driving once more.
In five plays, the Bruins moved from their own 17-yard line to the Sun Devils’ 11-yard line.
Two plays later, the Bruins were forced into a third-and-six from the Sun Devils’ 7-yard line.
Unlike last year, the Sun Devils survived.
Young sacked Hundley for 13 yards and Bruins sophomore placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed the ensuing 37-yard field goal.
Young said he could feel the momentum change at that point.
“Coming down to the end, every play is important,” Young said. “Obviously, that sack snowballed into everyone else making their plays as well.”
Hundley and the Bruins had one more chance to win, but Young and the defense wanted no part of it.
Hundley’s fourth-and-35 pass to sophomore receiver Jordan Payton fell 19 yards short of the first down marker, giving Young and the Sun Devils a signature win over the team that’s caused them nightmares recently.
“That game was draining,” Young said. “Emotionally, physically, you name it. Just being able to come out with a win was a great feeling.”
Coach Todd Graham said Young, who led the team with 13 tackles and three sacks, said the defense did a great job to avoid a replay of last year’s loss.
“Last year, we had some regrets in the last minute of that game and we talked as a team about those regrets,” Graham said. “We had some regrets last year that we defended instead of attacked, so we sent it every play on that last drive and even on the last play because we came to win.”
Young admitted the final few minutes tested his nerves, but the team’s will pushed him through.
“It was nerve wreaking,” Young said. “We knew that we had to make a big stop and obviously we came together as brothers and was able to take that challenge on.”
Graham beamed with confidence postgame, saying he never had a doubt about his team’s composure.
“We talked about staying composed and if you see us down there we’re pretty intense and that’s the way we operate,” Graham said. “But are we composed and poised? You’re darn right we are. Tough people come out of tough times and we were a tough football team tonight.”
Graham and the Sun Devils finally hurdled the challenge of UCLA and a return to the Rose Bowl is now just one win away.
“We expected nothing less than the Pac-12 South and to have this opportunity to play in the championship,” Graham said. “It feels great, it feels awesome.”
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @DsShapi
