Hagan Close to Setting a Record

Arizona State receiver Derek Hagan shredded UCLA’s secondary last season with 160 yards and three touchdowns in the Sun Devils’ 48-42 victory.

Hagan, a former standout at Palmdale High, will be a marked man Saturday as he moves closer to the Pacific 10 Conference career reception record. Hagan needs seven catches to reach 248 and break the mark set by Stanford’s Troy Walters from 1996 to ’99.

“He’s one of the best receivers that I’ve seen,” UCLA safety Jarrad Page said. “He has real good leaping ability and great hands. He finds a way to get open and adjusts to the ball. He knows how to go get it.”

Since Hagan has been at Arizona State, it has had one of the best passing attacks in the Pac-10 with quarterbacks Andrew Walter, Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter. This season, Arizona State is averaging a league-high 381.6 passing yards per game.

Hagan told the Arizona Republic that he wouldn’t mind breaking the record Saturday. “It’d be nice to break it at home, at Sun Devil Stadium,” he said. “But if it’s in the Rose Bowl, it’ll be the same thing, just me running out there and trying to make plays.”

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UCLA will be without senior middle linebacker Justin London, sidelined for the second consecutive week because of an ankle injury. Freshman John Hale will start.

With sophomore Fred Holmes out because of a groin injury, sophomore Christian Taylor and freshman Kyle Bosworth will back up Hale.

For defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, who also coaches linebackers, filling the hole in the middle of the defense is nothing new because UCLA has been without a healthy London for most of the last two seasons.

Senior Kyle Morgan, who started most of last season at end, is expected to get more minutes against Arizona State, splitting time with sophomore William Snead.

“We know that we hit a new low last week, but it’s now an opportunity to show what we’re going to do about it,” Kerr said.

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Arizona State is 0-9 on the road against the Pac-10’s California teams under Coach Dirk Koetter. The Sun Devils are expected to have three starters back from injury -- defensive end Quincy Darley, center Grayling Love and offensive guard Stephen Bing.