Oct. 23, 2004
By Nate Policar
ASU Sports Information
TEMPE, Ariz. - In a see-saw battle that saw four lead changes in the second half, the Arizona State Sun Devils pulled away from the UCLA Bruins in the final frame, scoring 17 unanswered points, to win their sixth game, 48-42, at Sun Devil Stadium. Highlighted by seven interceptions, the back-and-forth game clinched a winning season and a bowl appearance for the Devils, who made sure they appear in their third bowl in five years.
"It was emotionally draining. There are a lot of tired guys that gave everything they had down there in the locker room. I'm just so proud of our team hanging in there when we were down 11 points with seven minutes to go. There weren't many believers left when it got to that point and I'm so proud of our guys who believed," said ASU head coach Dirk Koetter. "We just didn't have a lot go right today. We had many chances to get out front and we didn't do it. Just to finish the way we did and never stop competing, that's the mark of a good football team. I'm real proud of our guys. What a great team win for the Sun Devils."
Wasting no time, the Sun Devils (6-1, 3-1) opened the game with an eight-play, 69-yard drive, which was highlighted by a 29-yard run by redshirt freshman Preston Jones and a three-yard touchdown pass from Walter to redshirt freshman Rudy Burgess for an early 7-0 lead.
Forcing a punt, the Sun Devils were looking to add to their lead when UCLA cornerback Matt Clark intercepted a pass from Walter on the UCLA 14-yard line. However after a 63-yard drive, the Bruins(4-3, 3-2) settled for three points as kicker Justin Medlock hit a 40-yard attempt to set the score at 7-3. Following the kickoff, Walter found junior Derek Hagan on the sideline just three plays later for a 79-yard touchdown completion that increased the Devils' lead to 14-3 as the first quarter ended. UCLA opened the second quarter with a 38-yard completion from quarterback Drew Olson to Tab Perry which set up a two-yard touchdown run by Maurice Drew. Looking to take the lead following an ASU punt, UCLA's drive short circuited on their own 39-yard line when senior linebacker Justin Burks intercepted his first career pass and returned it to the UCLA 11-yard line.
From there, Walter found Hagan on a 12-yard slant for their second TD hookup of the game. With 5:58 remaining in the first half, ASU increased its lead to 21-10. UCLA went to no-huddle offense and drove 84 yards in just 1:14, scoring a touchdown on a three-yard pass from Olson to Marcedes Lewis. With under a minute remaining in the half, UCLA cornerback Trey Brown intercepted a Walter pass on the ASU 48-yard line, setting up a 48-yard field goal that sent UCLA into the halftime break down by one, 21-20.
Regaining their momentum to start the third quarter, ASU forced UCLA into a quick punt and drove 80 yards downfield for a score as Walter found freshman tight end Zach Miller in the end zone on a 15-yard completion.
"It was the ugliest game followed by the prettiest game. I always use the analogy of the 1981 NFC Championship game where Montana threw those interceptions," said Walter. "Nobody remembers that, they just remember Montana throwing `The Catch' for a touchdown. All that matters in getting the win."
Following the kickoff, UCLA's Manuel White took the ball on a handoff and rushed 32 yards to the ASU 35-yard line when junior safety Maurice London knocked the ball loose. After White picked up his own fumble and dropped it again, White's teammate Perry picked up the ball and returned it 12 yards for an UCLA score, a play that spanned 67 yards. After a successful two-point conversion, the score was tied at 28-28.
The Sun Devils took over on offense following the kickoff and drove 61 yards, calling on sophomore kicker Jesse Ainsworth for a 36-yard field goal to regain the lead at 31-28. However, ASU led for less than a minute as UCLA's Chris Markey rushed 61 yards to set up a three-yard touchdown run by White, which gave the Bruins a 35-31 lead to take into the fourth quarter.
Another interception by Walter set up the Bruins at the ASU 38-yard line, where Olson was able to chew up 5:27 before finding Perry in the end zone on a nine-yard completion. With just 7:12 remaining, the Devils found themselves trailing by 11, 42-31. Walter took the field and immediately found Richardson on a 37-yard completion. Two plays later, Walter found Hagan again on the sideline for a 46-yard touchdown pass. After a failed fake PAT, the Devils trailed 42-37.
The Sun Devil defense forced a quick three-and-out, holding the Bruins to -7 yards on the drive. Taking over on the ASU 27-yard line after a punt, Walter led another air attack, hooking up with Richardson for a 65-yard touchdown pass to take the lead back for the Sun Devils at 45-42. With 4:51 remaining in the game, junior linebacker Dale Robinson stepped in front of a pass from Olson on the UCLA 28-yard line to give the Sun Devils their fourth takeaway of the day and help set up a 26-yard field goal from Ainsworth. Leading by six, the Devils defense took the field again and sealed the victory at 48-42, forcing the Bruins to turn over the ball on downs and enabling the Devils to run out the clock.
"I wasn't even supposed to be on that side of the field. On the play I was supposed to be on the other side, but I saw Olson roll out and try to make the throw to Mercedes Lewis. I followed him and just tried to make a play on the ball," said Robinson. "We were feeling good about ourselves even though we gave up a lot of points in the fourth quarter. It was a big step for us to comeback and get some stops toward the end."