Keller Well Versed In Glamour Associated With Playing At Rose Bowl
By NATE POLICAR
ASU Sports Information
With quarterback Andrew Walter leaving the game due to an ankle injury early in the second quarter, the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4, 1-3) were forced to compete without their offensive centerpiece for the remainder of the contest. Failing to put on a repeat performance of their fourth quarter comeback the week before in North Carolina, the Sun Devils fell to the UCLA Bruins (6-2, 4-0) 20-13 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
UCLA started off fast on its first drive of the game, as quarterback Matt Moore's first pass of the game to Craig Bragg stretched 52 yards, bringing the ball down to the ASU 11-yard line. However, the Sun Devil defense set the tone early and made a red-zone stand, aided by a sack from junior Ishmael Thrower for a nine-yard loss. Faced with a fourth-and-23, the Bruins had no choice but to settle for three, calling on kicker Justin Medlock for a 41-yard field goal.
The two teams would trade punts four times over the next six minutes until ASU finally broke the standoff with a 35-yard return by junior receiver Loren Wade. On the nine-yard line, the Devils called on true freshman kicker Jesse Ainsworth to deliver on a 27-yard field goal attempt, tying the game at 3-3.
The tie did not sit well with the Bruins as their very next drive took them 85 yards in just over four minutes. Moore found receiver Manuel White on a 26-yard completion and then two plays later connected with Marcedes Lewis on a 16-yard reception. Down to the ASU 25-yard line, Moore flipped a pass to Bragg that went the distance for the score, giving UCLA the lead back at 10-3.
The Devils opened up the second quarter of play with a 22-yard pass from Walter to senior receiver Skyler Fulton, bringing the ball across midfield. ASU looked poised to strike at the Bruin defense, but at third-and-three, the Sun Devils' worst nightmare came true: Walter was sacked for an eight-yard loss and hobbled to the sideline favoring his ankle. He did not to return to the game.
"I tried my best. I gave it a shot at halftime," Walter said after the game. "Last year I played with three cracked vertebrae. I tried, but I couldn't get back in. It just wasn't happening."
True freshman Sam Keller entered the game as Walter's replacement and on the next drive connected with Fulton for seven yards. On the next play, Wade took the handoff from Keller and ran the ball 61 yards into the end zone for the Sun Devil touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.
"(Sam Keller) did more than I could have done as a true freshman," Walter said of his understudy. "The next time he goes out there, he will have Pac-10 experience. As a true freshman, you couldn't ask for more."
UCLA attempted to answer the Sun Devils and took to the air. Moore found Bragg for a 37-yard completion to bring the ball to the ASU 29-yard line, but Moore's next pass was intercepted by senior safety Brett Hudson and returned 24 yards to the ASU 41-yard line. With 3:09 left in the half, Keller found sophomore Hakim Hill on an 11-yard reception, and then Hill carried for another 16 yards. With 13 seconds left in the second quarter, Ainsworth was called upon again, hitting a 33-yard field goal to give the Devils a 13-10 halftime lead.
The two teams traded punts to begin the third quarter, but UCLA got the upper hand when tailback Maurice Drew broke through the ASU defenders and ran the ball 83 yards for a touchdown. UCLA took the lead 17-13 and did not relinquish it the rest of the way.
ASU's next drive was marred by penalties, as the team was whistled for penalties on three consecutive plays, turning a second and short to a second and long and eventually forcing the punt. After holding off the Bruin offense, Keller found Hagan open for an 18-yard reception on the next drive. However, the Devils came away with nothing when Ainsworth's 49-yard field goal attempt fell short. Appearing to have shifted momentum back in the Devils' favor, junior Loren Wade fumbled inside the 20-yard line to give the ball and momentum back to UCLA.
With the final quarter of play underway, UCLA looked to pad its lead. Drew rushed 41 yards for the Bruins during a six-play drive, which set up a 44-yard field goal attempt for Medlock. The ball split the uprights and gave UCLA a 20-13 lead with 8:09 remaining in the game.
The Sun Devils were unable to advance the ball past their own 20-yard line for the remainder of the game. ASU's next drive consisted of three plays for -4 yards and gave the ball back to the Bruins at midfield. After the defense stood tall, UCLA punter Chris Kluwe trapped the Sun Devils on their own 10-yard line with a 39-yard punt. The Sun Devils were unable to recreate the magic of their comeback the previous week in Chapel Hill and gave the ball back to the Bruins on a three-and-out. With 3:04 left in the game, Bruins' tailback Maurice Drew ran the ball on the Sun Devils, burning their three timeouts and the clock, en route to a 20-13 victory for UCLA.
"We had our chances, but we didn't get it done," head coach Dirk Koetter said. "The defense started bluffing on their blitzes, and they did a good job of rattling Sam (Keller). It was a difficult situation for him against one of the best defenses in the nation."
SUN DEVIL NOTES: Loren Wade 61-yard touchdown run was the longest run for the Sun Devils since Loren Wade is the first Sun Devil to gain 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games since Delvon Flowers did it in three straight games in 2001. (107 at Oregon, 137 vs. Washington State, 138 vs. Arizona)... Wade has scored one rushing touchdown in three of the last four games dating back to the USC game on October 4.