INSIDE SLANT

Pick a quarterback, any quarterback.

ASU coach Dennis Erickson potentially has three from which to choose, although some of that will depend on what kind of report he gets from the trainers.

Senior Danny Sullivan, who started the first nine games, did not play in last week’s game at Oregon because of a biceps injury. His replacement, true freshman Brock Osweiler, was largely ineffective and left the game in the second quarterback with a left shoulder injury.

As of early in the week, both figure to be available, if not 100 percent.

Sophomore Samson Szakacsy, whose elbow injury gave Osweiler the open door to be the backup from the start of the season, came in last week and went 13 of 22 for 113 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He is, clearly, the best runner of the three.

“He just made some plays with his legs,” Erickson said. “That’s how he is; he scrambles out of there. He has good vision and he has a good feel for what goes on. He’s always had that.”

Any of the three could start, and any of the three could play this week at UCLA as Arizona State clings to bowl hopes. The Sun Devils, riding a four-game losing streak, are 4-6 overall and 2-5 in the Pac-10. They could get to 6-6 with wins at UCLA and over Arizona on Nov. 28, but that wouldn’t guarantee a bowl spot.

Erickson says that Szakacsy’s arm strength isn’t all the way back, but “the thing about him is that he’s very accurate.”

Szakacsy’s elbow should be 100 percent by spring. No matter what happens in the final two games, it appears that it will be an interesting spring for the Sun Devils, who will a trio of options—including Michigan transfer Steven Threet—for their “quarterback of the future.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• This week’s matchup at UCLA marks the 250th game as a head coach for Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson. He has a 167-81-1 record in his 21st season of coaching.

• Coach Dennis Erickson had 11 career matchups against Dick Tomey at various schools, holding a 6-5 edge. Erickson’s Miami teams went 2-1 against Tomey’s Arizona teams in the early 1990s, with the loss coming in a 1993 Fiesta Bowl shutout to the Desert Swarm-era Wildcats. Tomey announced his retirement Monday at the end of San Jose State’s season. “He’s been so great for college football,” Erickson said of Tomey, 71. “He’s just a great person, great for the game. I’m going to miss him.”

Series History:   UCLA leads Arizona State 15-9-1 (last meeting, 2008, 34-9 ASU).

Scouting The Offense:   Coach Dennis Erickson said it won’t change things much in terms of play-calling if Samson Szakacsy is at quarterback for ASU, although the sophomore is a running threat and does give ASU something of a different look. It hasn’t helped the quarterback play that the ground game is pedestrian at best—90th nationally with 122.7 yards per game—and the Sun Devils might have a tough time pushing on a UCLA line that includes all-star DT Brian Price.

Scouting The Defense:   Arizona State has given up huge rushing games to Stanford and Oregon, but, safe to say, UCLA is not Stanford or Oregon when it comes to running the ball. The Sun Devils’ defense is still 15th in the country in yards allowed (301.4 per game) and figures to have the advantage up front against a young Bruins line.

Quote To Note:   “Honestly, I completely blacked out on my first series. I couldn’t even tell you what happened. I was just kind of excited getting out there. It definitely broke me in a little bit.”—QB Samson Szakacsy, on getting his first extensive playing time of the season last week at Oregon.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: Arizona State at UCLA, Nov. 21—ASU’s backs are against the wall, needing to win this game and the regular-season finale to get to six victories with a chance at a bowl. The Bruins are in a similar situation, needing one more victory to get to a bowl-possible six wins.

Keys To The Game:   ASU’s defensive front has to assert itself. This is where the Sun Devils have their biggest advantage, going against a young line, a stagnant running game and a redshirt freshman quarter. ASU needs to turn this into a low-scoring slugfest for its best chance to win.

Players To Watch:  

DE Dexter Davis—The senior has 48 consecutive starts, the most by ever by a Sun Devil. Davis has five tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks, this season. He figures to have a good chance to add to that sack total considering UCLA is among the worst in the conference at protecting the quarterback.

PK Thomas Weber—It will be hard to find a game with two better kickers than ASU-UCLA. Weber, the 2007 Lou Groza Award winner, has 50 career field goals, which ranks third in school history. UCLA’s Kai Forbath is 23 of 25 this season, with both misses coming from more than 50 yards.

LB Vontaze Burfict—The touted freshman will soon show up on Freshman All-American teams, and he already has a reputation for being a devastating hitter. He has 57 tackles (second on the team), including six for loss and two sacks. He also has broken up five passes and forced two fumbles.

Roster Report:  

• Arizona State lists 14 players as being out for the season because of injuries, the latest additions being OL Matt Hustad (knee), TE Dan Knapp (knee) and LB Gerald Munns (elbow).

• Starting CB Terell Carr was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules last week, when it also was announced that he had been arrested on suspicion of three misdemeanors—disorderly conduct for fighting, assault and driving with a suspended license. Carr has made 28 tackles and has broken up six passes this season.

• Redshirt freshman CB Deveron Carr has been starting due to injuries (Omar Bolden) and suspension (Terell Carr, no relation). “Deveron is getting better and better all the time,” coach Dennis Erickson said.