Column: UCLA’s alarm clock doesn’t go off in time against Arizona State

A UCLA campaign to get tailgaters to their seats sooner started with a bang literally.

Twenty-five minutes before kickoff Saturday, a cannon fired outside the Rose Bowl in hopes of rousing fans to greet the nation’s No. 7 team as it ran out the tunnel.

“Paul Perkins or more pinot?” is often the question asked before entering an alcohol-free event.

Unfortunately, UCLA gave its fans no incentive to get there earlier next time. It was the Bruins who arrived late, slept through three quarters and didn’t wake up in time.

They wasted a great chance to inch closer to playoff position because, on a day of major upsets, they became one of them.

Arizona State wrecked UCLA playoff dreams (for now, but check back next month) with a 38-23 upset win before a late-arriving crowd of 80,113 fans.

“We made it difficult on ourselves,” UCLA Coach Jim Mora said. “So, we have to own it, which we will.”

The Bruins have been fairly focused in three-plus years under Mora, with notable exceptions.

In 2012, they suffered an inexplicable, 43-17 loss at lowly Cal. Last year, UCLA needed to beat Stanford to win the Pac 12 South. Stanford won by 21.

UCLA added to its reputation of not being able to embrace the spotlight.

No win, or defeat, in early October is going settle any season, but what a time for Arizona State to show up.

The Sun Devils, picked by some to contend for a playoff spot this year, entered the game 2-2 coming off a 42-14 home loss to USC.

Arizona State, though, finally played a complete game.

They became “Stun” Devils.

Arizona State shot to 29-10 lead and then held off a late rally to race home with victory.

The Pac-12 South is what we thought it would be — a cutthroat division in which no team is likely to make it through undefeated.

Attrition is going to be a factor, and UCLA is already showing signs of strain after losing three starters on defense.

The Bruins also played Saturday without cornerback Marcus Rios, who spent three nights in the hospital this week because of an illness. They were also missing Jayon Brown, the linebacker taking over for the injured Myles Jack.

“We’re a few men down,” Mora said.

Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici, who passed for 488 yards in last year’s loss to UCLA in Tempe, hurt the Bruins this year with his legs.

His 34-yard touchdown run, through a freight-train sized hole, put the Sun Devils up 22-10 in the third quarter.

UCLA was missing on most cylinders. Bercovici’s touchdown run came after the Bruins dropped a third-down pass on their previous drive.

UCLA rallied late to cut the lead to 29-23, and got the ball back at its own one with 5:06 left.

But a dropped pass on first down by Thomas Duarte killed the drive and forced UCLA into intentionally taking a safety.

The Bruins started sputtering right after the national anthem. Maybe they were blinded by the light after having to squint into the afternoon sun from the sidelines?

Why does UCLA allow the visiting team the shade? Is it just because the Bruins are nice?

The first quarter alone featured three UCLA punts and a free kick after a safety, giving fans reason to duck back to the parking lot for more tailgating.

Josh Rosen looked an 18-year-old freshman again, producing only three more passing yards (18) than minutes in the opening quarter.

Rosen played better as the game wore on and finished with 280 yards, two touchdowns and his fifth interception.

It was a classic UCLA letdown on a lazy, sunny afternoon in which the Bruins could have emboldened their national stature.

UCLA, with a win, might have cracked the top four.

Ohio State sure didn’t look like No. 1 after barely surviving a road win at Indiana.

No. 2 Michigan State got a stiff test from Purdue, which was not supposed to happen, and third-ranked Mississippi got routed at Florida.

No. 6 Notre Dame, another team fighting injuries at key positions, lost at Clemson.

And No. 8 Georgia, the team directly behind UCLA in the AP poll, collapsed at home, 38-10, to Alabama.

UCLA and Georgia have a lot in common as high-profile programs that can’t seem to seize, when presented, precious opportunities.

UCLA has had plenty of fine teams in recent history but hasn’t been able to connect all the dots.

It never made a BCS championship game appearance despite being the first No. 1 in the history of the BCS standings.

Georgia has averaged 10 wins under Mark Richt but has only one SEC title to show for it. In 2012, the Bulldogs came a few feet short of defeating Alabama in the SEC title game and advancing to the national title game.

The good news for UCLA is that Saturday’s loss didn’t knock the Bruins out of anything. It was, though, another painful reminder that what you did last week, against Arizona, doesn’t count.

The irony Saturday was UCLA wanting its fans to get to their seats earlier. In fact, it was Jim Mora’s team that arrived late to the party.

Follow Chris Dufresne on Twitter @DufesneLATimes