Herring Helps Arizona State Outlast UCLA

Keegan Herring rushed for 116 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown, and Rudy Carpenter threw for 200 yards and another score Saturday to lead No. 9 Arizona State to a 24-20 victory over UCLA.

The Sun Devils (9-1, 6-1 Pac-10) remained in the thick of the conference race and kept their hopes alive for a spot in a BCS bowl.

The injury-riddled Bruins (5-5, 4-3) lost for the fourth time in five games.

Herring and Carpenter gave Arizona State just enough to overcome the Bruins, who kept the game close despite using their fourth quarterback of the year and starting their third-string running back.

Carpenter went 16-of-31, including a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams. Chris McGaha had nine catches for 123 yards.

Osaar Rasshan, who had been converted to wide receiver then switched back to quarterback last month after injuries sidelined the Bruins' first two quarterbacks, went 14-of-27 for 181 yards, with one interception. He also ran for 41 yards on 13 carries.

The Sun Devils fell behind 10-0 early, trailed 13-10 at halftime, then went ahead to stay on Dimitri Nance's 11-yard touchdown run five minutes into the third quarter.

The teams traded touchdowns during a 13-second span of the third quarter. Herring reeled off his long scoring run to put Arizona State up 24-13, but Matthew Slater returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards to cut the deficit to four points.

That ended the scoring.

The Sun Devils were coming off their lone loss, a 35-23 defeat by No. 3 Oregon in Eugene. The Bruins' recent losses include a 20-6 defeat by Notre Dame, still the Irish's only win of the year.

Both long scoring runs by the Sun Devils and Bruins were spectacular. Herring seemed trapped behind the line when he darted around right end, cut to the center, then sprinted down the left sideline.

On Slater's UCLA-record setting third kickoff return for a score this season, the Bruins' blockers sealed off the center of the field and he broke up through untouched, headed for the right side and outraced the final defender.

Down by six after Kai Forbath kicked a 42-yard field goal 23 seconds before halftime, the Sun Devils narrowed the gap to 13-10 by turning a mistake by UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis into a 53-yard field goal by Thomas Weber.

Carpenter threw a pass from his own 49-yard line that was knocked down in the end zone as time ran out in the second quarter. But Davis was called for roughing the passer, the penalty moved the ball to the UCLA 36, and ASU given an automatic first down with no time on the clock.

Weber, a redshirt freshman, then kicked his career-long 53 yarder. He has made 19 of 20 this season.

Forbath kicked his second field goal of the afternoon after a Bruins' drive stalled at the ASU 25, seemingly sending UCLA into halftime with a 13-7 lead. But Carpenter completed a 12-yard pass to McGaha to the 49, then two plays later, Davis drew the costly penalty.

After Forbath kicked a 28-yarder to cap a 51-yard drive on the Bruins' second possession, the Bruins held the Sun Devils to a three-and-out, and Terrence Austin returned Thomas Weber's 38-yard punt 68 yards to the ASU 1.

Chane Moline was stopped for a 1-yard loss on first down, but Craig Sheppard bulled over from the 2 on second down to give UCLA a 10-0 lead. Moline, the third-stringer who started at tailback, carried six times for 7 yards. Sheppard, a walk-on, gained 56 on 12 carries.

Defenses dominated the first half, with Arizona State held to 88 yards, just 12 rushing, and UCLA held to 114 yards, only 29 through the air.

The Sun Devils finished with 352 yards, and the Bruins had 300.

Slater's kickoff return was his third for a touchdown this year, setting both a season and career record for UCLA. The three in a season also tied the Pac-10 record set by Southern California's Anthony Davis in 1974.