By the Numbers: Sun Devils Upset Ranked Bruins
PASADENA -- The Arizona State Sun Devils, against seemingly all odds (and oddsmakers) traveled to California and took down the No. 20-ranked UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.
ASU (three-point underdogs) defeated the Bruins at home for the first time since 2015, walking away with a 42-23 victory.
The game, largely successful thanks to the throwing arm of Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels, comes only a day after Daniels' grandfather had passed, he revealed in the post-game press conference.
"I gave him a hug in the locker room and told him (Daniels) his grandfather's spirits was here in the stadium," said head coach Herm Edwards following the win.
Daniels played perhaps his best game of the season, and that's where we'll start when looking at ASU's numbers in an undoubtedly big win for the program.
By the Numbers: Arizona State's Victory Over UCLA
Daniels' Special Night: It was a special night for the Sun Devils quarterback, who was able to return to his home state of California and get a huge victory for himself and fellow teammates, especially given the circumstances surrounding his personal life.
Daniels completed 13 of 18 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night, passing for the most yards in his career since his 2019 freshman season vs. Sacramento State. Daniels also passed for multiple touchdowns with no interceptions for the first time this season. He has finished three consecutive games with a completion percentage of over 70.
Daniels also finished with 45 yards rushing, making it four of five in 2021 where he finished with 40 or more yards on the ground.
Pearsall Does All: Receiver Ricky Pearsall reeled in four passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA, marking his first time for both having over 100 yards receiving and scoring twice in one game.
Pearsall's previous career highs were 44 yards receiving (2021 vs. BYU) and he scored only one other time in his career a 2020 70-7 victory over Arizona.
Trayanum's return: Questions surrounded running back Chip Trayanum and his usage following his first taste of action since exiting the Week 1win over Southern Utah.
Upon his return to the team, he paced the Sun Devils backfield with 15 rushing attempts, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and finding the end zone once.
The team dearly missed Trayanum, who clearly impacted the game in a positive way for Arizona State, allowing them to churn a big chunk of clock down the stretch thanks to his physical style of play.
Fellow running back Rachaad White had more rushing yards than Trayanum (69 to 62) and found the end zone twice. White also added three catches for 38 yards as a receiver.
Second-half shutout: Arizona State's defense pitched a shutout in the second half after seeing UCLA score 23 points in the first two quarters. The Bruins touched the field just five times after possessing the ball eight times in the first half, with none resulting in points.
After punting on their first possession, the Bruins missed a field-goal attempt in the third quarter that would have brought them to within six points. Their final three possessions resulted in turnover on downs, despite two drives lasting seven plays or more.
After initially starting 2-for-2 on fourth-down plays, the Sun Devils defense stepped up and didn't allow another conversion for the rest of the night. ASU's defense also held UCLA to converting 9 of 20 third-down plays.
ASU sacked UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson four times for a loss of 20 yards while also adding seven tackles for loss that totaled 26 yards.
After an impressive performance, the Sun Devils prepare on a short week for a red-hot Stanford team that will be coming in Tempe high off of an upset over the Oregon Ducks Saturday.
ASU hosts Stanford Friday, Oct. 8 at Sun Devil Stadium.