Bruins end up totally crushed
Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. — In the space of 46 seconds, as long as it took UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft to throw two of his three interceptions, have one returned 100 yards for a touchdown, another returned 45 yards for a touchdown, the chance for a win went away.
Instead of maybe tying the score in the fourth quarter, UCLA was blown away, 34-9, by Arizona State on Friday night at Sun Devil Stadium.
There is always the desperate desire to win the big rivalry game and UCLA fans and players will stick out their collective chests and point to a 13-9 Bruins win over USC two years ago that kept the Trojans out of a national championship game as proof that anything can happen.
But what can't happen this season is for UCLA to be one of the 68 teams invited to a post-season bowl game.
UCLA (4-7, 3-5) was guaranteed a losing year with this loss to Arizona State (5-6, 4-4).
UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel said he felt badly for the UCLA defense, which gave up only 122 yards, lowest by an opponent since the 1989 Cotton Bowl against Arkansas.
Craft's three interceptions didn't help. The whole Bruins offense didn't help, said tailback Khalil Bell.
"It's disgusting," Bell said. "We keep talking all this rah-rah stuff. It's going to be an embarrassing game next week if we don't get better."
Just when UCLA seemed poised for a surprising comeback road win, Craft had a pass intercepted by safety Troy Nolan in the end zone. Nolan returned the pass that had been intended for Marcus Everett 100 yards for a touchdown with 9 minutes 50 seconds left to put Arizona State ahead, 24-9.
Less than a minute later, Craft had a pass intercepted for the third time, this one by Mike Nixon, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.
Nixon had signed a UCLA football letter of intent before deciding to go into the Dodgers farm system after high school. In 2005, Nixon gave up baseball and arrived at Arizona State for football, but such trivia didn't matter to the downcast Bruins.
"I thought our defensive play was great," Neuheisel said. He also made a point of saying he needed to be certain the defense wasn't discouraged by the offensive troubles. "We have to keep that divisiveness away."
UCLA scored first, a 53-yard Kai Forbath field goal on a drive where Craft completed, in one stretch, five straight passes.
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