By James Romo for DieHardDevil.com

The good news going into this week’s match-up with UCLA is that the Sun Devils are still in control of their proverbial destiny as it pertains to the taking of a wide-open Pac-12 South Division. That’s the good news. The tougher news is that ASU will most likely be without the one game-changing player on defense that they could not afford to lose. It’ll be a welcoming back of some familiar faces on the UCLA coaching staff, and I’m sure some pleasantries will be exchanged pre-game. But knowing the character of the 2012 Sun Devils, that’s exactly where the pleasantries will end.

ASU Defense vs UCLA Offense

ASU witnessed firsthand last week what a dynamic offensive backfield can do to a missed assignment, so the ASU defense will have to shore up contain and gap responsibility this week against Bruin running back Jonathan Franklin and QB Brett Hundley. ASU will most likely be without star D-Lineman Will Sutton and his uncanny ability to get into the offensive backfield, disrupt plays and pressure the quarterback. Another series of moving and inserting players on an already thin front seven for ASU will be in order this weekend. Hundley, a first-year starter has been extremely impressive with both his running ability (both designed runs and broken plays) and his arm. He currently sits second in the conference with 308 yards of total offense/game. As much as UCLA wants to establish the run with Franklin and his 125.4 yards/game rushing (6.8 yards/carry), this wouldn’t be a (former ASU Offensive Coordinator) Noel Mazzone offense if the Bruins weren’t slinging the ball around all over the field. It’s pretty clear that ASU will have their collective hands full attempting to slow down the UCLA offense, but they may end up having to put a premium on stopping the run, as ASU is ranked 8th in the conference in rushing defense. UCLA sports a #2 ranking in rushing offense (216.6 yards/game), putting the pressure on the ASU front seven. ASU still maintains their top ranking as the #1 passing defense (130.43 yards) in the nation, and top ranking in passing efficiency defense, sacks (4/game), tackles for loss (9.43/game), and total defense (298.6 yards/game) in the conference. UCLA presents another “pick your poison” predicament for the Sun Devils with their high-powered and balanced offense. As impressive as Hundley has been, the Cal defense forced him into throwing four interceptions two weeks ago in a loss, possibly providing a blueprint to getting him off of his game.

UCLA obviously isn’t without weapons at the receiver position. Junior Shaq Evans has been Hundley’s primary receiver with 28 catches for 413 total yards, 14.8 yards/catch, and two touchdowns. UCLA also uses the tight end with great success (and a bit of surprise). Joseph Fauria presents a mismatch nightmare with his 6-foot-7 frame and great hands. He leads the Bruins with five touchdown grabs and commands special attention in red zone situations. They also use their short-passing game, a staple of Mazzone’s offense, with tosses to Steven Manfro out of the slot position for 23 receptions, a 9.6 yards/catch average, and a touchdown. One facet of the Bruin offense that would have played into a Sutton-led ASU defense is their propensity to allow defenders to penetrate their backfield and give up negative yardage plays. Only time will tell whether Sutton will be able to go on Saturday (not likely), or if another defender can reasonably duplicate his success at disrupting plays before they get going. But make no mistake, their O-line has performed well enough to put together an impressive offensive resume’ at the midpoint of the season.

ASU Offense vs UCLA Defense

Defensively, UCLA operates out of a 3-4 front seven who have been solid to good, but not great. They are anchored by a true, and hard to find, defensive tackle in 323-pound Seali’i Epenesa. He does as well as anyone in the conference at occupying interior lineman allowing his linebacker core to make plays in the run game. He also has a formidable tandem in defensive tackles Cassius Marsh and Datone Jones. Jones has four sacks and has done a good job creating pressure in the opposition’s backfield. UCLA ranks 4th in the Pac-12 in rushing defense only allowing 116.2 yards/game. Much of that success is due to a prototypical 3-4 linebacker core that is extremely athletic, but has probably under-performed in terms of their raw talent and depth. Inside LB Eric Kendricks has been a force in the middle, and fundamentally sound in his run-stopping responsibilities. He is at his best coming forward in attacking the run, but lacks in his drops into pass coverage. This should open up passing lanes for the ASU slot receivers and tight ends. The Bruin secondary is stacked with talent, but still gives up 286 yards in the air and rank 9th in the conference. Cornerback Sheldon Price has four interceptions and safety Andrew Abbott has 2 picks of his own.

Like any balanced team, ASU will look to establish the run early to open up passing lanes behind the linebacker core. The combination of the struggling ASU receiving core and talented UCLA cornerbacks should result in few vertical big plays for ASU. But the strength of the ASU passing game has been in the short to intermediate routes to the tight end and slot receivers and forcing defenders into mismatches and making plays in space. Chris Coyle and whoever ASU plays in the slot should find plenty of space to work with as long as the outside receivers do their part in running the safeties off. Taylor Kelly had trouble with the Oregon defense disguising coverages last week, and I expect that UCLA will attempt to duplicate the Oregon success, at least to some degree. UCLA has blitz packages that have yielded more big plays against them than resulting in success. I expect to see UCLA drop more players to take away Kelly’s go-to receivers and play-makers forcing ASU to beat them with their run game.

With two teams very much still in the hunt for the Pac-12 South crown, this should be a tough and physical match-up on Saturday with plenty at stake. As with most teams with new coaching staffs, both teams are still in the process of finding their identity. This game will go a long way in starting to separate who is truly a contender for top spots in the Pac-12 South.  It’s a rare noon kick off time on Homecoming Weekend at Sun Devil Stadium and DieHard Devils will be there in full force.  The performance by ASU this weekend will say a lot about where this program is currently at, and where it is headed for the rest of the 2012 season.