Commentary: Five things we learned about UCLA in its win over Arizona State

UCLA steamrolled Arizona State on Thursday night, 62-27. Here are five things we learned about the team’s win:

1. If Brett Hundley plays like he did Thursday, UCLA can win the Pac-12

The redshirt junior quarterback had one of the best games of his career wearing what looked like a robotic arm, almost like something an evil villain in Iron Man would strap on. It was huge and bulky, layered and wrapped, taped and tightened. It kept his elbow safe and endured big hits, but it was not natural.

Coach Jim Mora said that he could tell Hundley was nervous before the game just by looking at him. The team, and Hundley, knew the quarterback was going to play regardless of what they said during the week, but he was nervous.

Nervous because he needed this game. He knew it and UCLA knew it. This team has flaws, like any other, but if Hundley can consistently deliver the way he did on Thursday, there are very few teams in the nation that can keep up.

Discounting the touchdown run that came in garbage time, and discounting the question of why on Earth he was still in the game at that point, Hundley still ran for 72 yards on five attempts. He took as many sacks, one, as Sun Devil defenders he leapt over.

Through the air, he completed 18 of 23 passes, a 78% completion rate, for 355 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged almost 20 yards a completion. Sure, the Arizona State defenders were worse at tackling than your average high school team. But you pop in a video game and try to average almost 20 yards a completion at a 78% success rate.

Again, this was with a layering system around his arm more complicated than wrapping paper on Christmas. It affected his balance, he said, and his throwing motion. He didn’t feel normally, physically, and yet he still flat-out dominated.

Forget that multiple teammates said they were inspired just by watching him play. Forget how this game catapults him back into the Heisman talk. Forget about his elbow.

If this is Brett Hundley, the man who we all thought he was, this UCLA football team is going to be playing in January.

2. Jordan Payton is growing into a legitimate No. 1 receiver

Again, Arizona State defenders could not tackle. At points, it looked like they were not trying to bring Bruins to the ground. It was more about trying to make the biggest hit than actually stopping the ball carrier.

And yet, Jordan Payton stands out. Not necessarily because of his statistical performance -- five catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns -- although that certainly helps. It’s also because of his role in this offense. If Hundley needs a completion, he looks to Payton.

When Kenneth Walker III dropped his second pass of the night, Hundley went to Payton and picked up a big first down. When Hundley wanted to make a big play coming out of the half, he looked to Payton, who was being held at the line of scrimmage and still got open enough to finish the 80-yard touchdown. When the Bruins needed just one more score to finally put the game to rest, Payton was in the corner of the end zone.

He’s got the capability to make big plays, but he also has the capability to be the go-to, the safety valve, the security blanket. UCLA needs big-play threats such as Ishmael Adams and Eldridge Massington, but they’re going to need Payton’s role even more.

3. This team likes playing angry

When Adams was asked after the game why teams continue to kick to him, he needed a couple of seconds to think of a politically correct answer. Adams is one of the fastest players in the conference, but through four games, teams keep kicking to him. On Thursday, he scored twice, on an 80-yard interception return and a 100-yard kickoff return.

“I don’t know what to say,” Adams said with a laugh and a shrug. “I’m not surprised, but ... it’s up to them. I just believe in the guys in front of me, so if they want to keep kicking it to me, I can make something happen.”

This is a team that, as a whole, seemed to feast off perceived disrespect on Thursday.

After the game, offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch tweeted out a picture of the box score with the caption, “When disrespect meets violence.” Hundley pointed to his injured elbow after scoring a touchdown and said after the game that “there was a lot of talking, a lot of talking.” Thomas Duarte is a pretty straightforward guy, and said he got an immense amount of pleasure from watching the Arizona State staff cover up the “UCLA” that someone carved into the logo at midfield during warmups.

So, maybe the ups and downs of the first three games of the season weren’t a bad thing. Maybe those close wins were what this team needed to get back to where they wanted to be.

4. UCLA’s defense isn’t as bad as the statistics make it seem

Well, the defensive performance certainly wasn’t good, which is a remarkable thing to say considering the unit forced four turnovers. Arizona State passed for 488 yards and totaled 626 offensive yards. Defensive back Priest Willis was taken to task by Sun Devil receiver Jaelen Strong, who caught 12 passes for 146 yards. Cornerback Fabian Moreau continues to get beat over the top on deeper passes. There are issues.

But, the numbers aren’t as bad as they look. Arizona State ran an astounding 105 offensive plays, and quarterback Mike Bercovici attempted 68 passes. For the majority of the second half, Bruin safeties were playing more of a prevent than an aggressive defense, which opened up a lot of shorter passes.

It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t all bad.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said after the game that he thinks his defense still has a lot left in the tank, that there’s still more potential to tap into. It might be coach-speak, but Ulbrich is absolutely right. If this defense looks the same in December as it did on Thursday, something went wrong.

5. Ulbrich is still hesitant to blitz

There are two schools of thought here.

1. If UCLA had better cornerbacks, the team would trust their coverage enough to blitz more.

2. Maybe UCLA’s cornerbacks would be better if the team blitzed more, giving the quarterback less time to make decisions.

Whatever the case, Ulbrich still isn’t dialing up many blitzes. His mantra is that pressure is more important than sacks, but still, when a quarterback attempts 68 passes and is sacked once, that is not good for anyone.

The team has tons of talent among the front seven: Kenny Clark, Myles Jack, Eddie Vanderdoes, etc. It’s not a lack of guys who can make plays in the backfield. It’s about sending the right ones, and maybe being a bit more aggressive.

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook