Sun Devils Football: Four Things to Watch vs. UCLA
Only hours remain until the Arizona State Sun Devils play their biggest game of the season thus far, a road trip to the Rose Bowl to take on the UCLA Bruins.
With both teams currently sitting at 3-1, the winner of Saturday night's game would move to 4-1 on the year and effectively put themselves in full control of their destiny in the Pac-12 South. Arizona State and UCLA were both favorites to potentially have a seat in the conference championship game later this year, and the first week of October looks to play a large role in deciding who represents the South division.
The Sun Devils stroll into Pasadena as three-point underdogs, the first time they haven't been favored all season.
So, what should you be watching for when Arizona State takes the field on Saturday night?
Sun Devils Football: Four Things to Watch vs. UCLA
Under pressure: Arizona State is currently tied for the Pac-12 lead in sacks, reaching the quarterback 12 times through four games.
That constant pressure will be needed once again as the Sun Devils defense prepares for quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is capable of doing damage through the air and on the ground.
While sacks are great, Arizona State can truly impact the Bruins offense by putting DTR under duress and forcing misguided passes from the pocket.
ASU's backfield: The presence of Chip Trayanum will be greatly welcomed for a Sun Devils team that hasn't seen Trayanum carry the ball since exiting Week 1 due to injury.
Fellow running back Rachaad White has carried the load, with help from Daniyel Ngata along the way. Both have performed well in Trayanum's absence, although the team clearly missed Trayanum in short-yardage scenarios where ASU failed to pick up valuable but tough yards.
White's role as an agile pass-catcher looks to remain unaffected for the most part with Trayanum's return. Yet it will be interesting to see if the Sun Devils slowly work Trayanum back into action, or if they instead choose to throw him back into the fire instantly.
Arm talent: With two fairly stout defenses, it appears this meeting will come down to which quarterback can make the most amount of plays with his arm talent and athleticism.
Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels has all the key pieces to winning. Mobility, arm strength, protection and a good group of pass-catchers that offers various skillsets.
The one thing we've yet to see? Daniels forced to win a game by throwing the ball. That may very well be the case when Saturday night rolls around, so we'll see if Daniels can step up to the plate and deliver if or when his team needs him the most.
Special teams: Often forgotten about, special teams always seems to play a crucial part in games, especially close matchups with small margins of error on either side.
The battle of field position is something the Sun Devils believe they can win on Saturday night, thanks to fantastic punting by Eddie Czaplicki and phenomenal return duties by D.J. Taylor.
On its last road trip, Arizona State saw the special teams unit put the team behind early on the opening kickoff, which was fumbled and quickly led to a 7-0 deficit at BYU.
This time around, the Sun Devils special teams in all phases will look to aid both sides of the ball by setting the offense up in terrific field position, while also pinning UCLA deep and forcing long drives against ASU's defense.
For more news, analysis, insight and more on the Arizona State Sun Devils, follow AllSunDevils on Twitter @AllSunDevils and Donnie Druin on Twitter @DonnieDruin.