Bruins rock the Rose Bowl
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Derrick Coleman scored the go-ahead touchdown for UCLA on a 1-yard run with 49 seconds to play, and Alex Garoutte missed a 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the Bruins' 29-28 victory over No. 20 Arizona State on Saturday night.
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Coleman's dive capped a perilous 79-yard drive featuring a fumble by Coleman, an offensive pass-interference penalty and a third-and-29 conversion by the Bruins (5-4, 4-2 Pac-12), who improbably moved into first place in the Pac-12 South by winning consecutive games for the first time since early last season.
Brock Osweiler passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns, while rallying the Sun Devils from a nine-point deficit in the second half. He capped a 93-yard drive with a go-ahead TD dive with 7:48 left, and he moved the Sun Devils 47 yards in 38 seconds during the final minute with major help from a pass-interference penalty to set up Garoutte's final attempt.
The freshman pushed it wide right - his third miss of the night, and his second in the final 6 minutes.
After alternating wins and losses every week this season, UCLA sits on top of the division standings with three games to play after the Bruins' biggest conference victory in four seasons under Rick Neuheisel, who undeniably boosted his hopes of keeping his job.
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The loss was another head-scratcher for Arizona State, which has been a model of inconsistency during coach Dennis Erickson's tenure. The Sun Devils outgained UCLA by 49 yards and didn't commit a turnover, but they've lost the tiebreaker advantage in the Pac-12 South standings.
Cameron Marshall rushed for a season-high 168 yards and a touchdown for the Sun Devils, who fell behind 23-14 on Kevin Prince's 76-yard TD pass to Nelson Rosario on the second play after halftime. Arizona State rallied with TDs from Jamal Miles and Osweiler, but the Bruins mounted a dramatic drive - and then barely avoided giving up a last-minute field goal.
Coleman rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and Johnathan Franklin also rushed for an early TD for the Bruins. Prince had his second straight impressive game, going 11 of 17 for 196 yards passing along with 61 yards rushing.
Osweiler lit up the Bruins for 380 yards and four TDs in Arizona State's blowout victory over UCLA last season, overcoming an early 17-point deficit along the way. The 6-foot-8 passer nearly did it again, but Garoutte pushed his long attempt wide after a 36-yard miss with 5:49 to play.
UCLA led 16-14 at halftime after Coleman's sixth TD in four games, even with Arizona State outgaining them by 91 yards.
On the second play of the second half, Prince's pump-fake and a mix-up in coverage left Rosario alone 20 yards behind Arizona State's secondary, allowing him to jog in with his first touchdown of the season on UCLA's longest TD pass in Neuheisel's four seasons.
But Miles caught a short pass and shrugged off both UCLA backup safeties' halfhearted tackles for a 9-yard score moments later. Arizona State got the ball back at its 7 early in the fourth quarter, and Osweiler marched the Sun Devils in 10 plays for his short go-ahead score.
Coleman's 41-yard run put the Bruins in scoring position, but UCLA fumbled and committed pass interference to drop back to third-and-29 - but Prince found Rosario with a 33-yard pass to the Arizona State 6.
Coleman scored moments later, but Prince threw an incomplete pass on UCLA's 2-point attempt.
Arizona State moved to the 44 with 21 seconds left after a lengthy video review of an illegal forward pass, and UCLA's Aaron Hester was called for pass interference on the next play.