Brett Hundley’s skills leave UCLA’s defensive issues an open question

UCLA’s football opponents should brace themselves. That ugly device on quarterback Brett Hundley’s left arm may have looked as if it were acquired from a RoboCop wardrobe sale, but it had no effect on his catch-me-if-you-can style of play.

Hundley, who has been known to wear a Superman shirt, was able to leap an Arizona State defender in a single bound during a key Pac-12 Conference South Division victory Thursday night. All that was missing was the flowing cape as he accounted for five touchdowns in a 62-27 rout.

Ah, but UCLA’s fans might brace themselves as well. There were superhero moments by the Bruins, but mild-mannered was an apt description of their overall performance.

Arizona State acquired real estate so fast Donald Trump would swoon. The Bruins countered by forcing four turnovers, which were turned into 17 points.

That may be the secret to success this season: The defense giveth (yards) and the defense taketh away (from the other team). Oregon has fared pretty well playing that way for the last decade.

The other scenario to consider comes from 1998, when a shoddy defense finally caught up with UCLA in Miami.

UCLA’s offense looked just fine against the Sun Devils. Hundley, who suffered an elbow injury against Texas on Sept. 13, passed for 355 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for another 72 yards and another touchdown, displaying moves that might prompt a “Dancing With the Stars” producer to sit up and take note.

When Hundley hurdled linebacker Laiu Moeakiola on a second-quarter scramble, Arizona State’s defense was done. It was Hundley’s legs, not his elbow, that defined the game.

Still, UCLA did sweat a little — and not entirely from the desert heat. Had Arizona State’s starting quarterback, Taylor Kelly, been healthy, 62 points might not have been enough.

UCLA allowed 626 yards. Mike Bercovici, Arizona State’s backup quarterback, passed for 488 yards and three touchdowns. Bercovici was also responsible for three of the turnovers — two intercepted passes and one fumble.

Can UCLA live with that kind of give and take (away) all season? What happens when the Bruins run into an equally efficient offensive machine? Oregon comes to the Rose Bowl on Oct. 11.

UCLA’s defense has Edward Snowden-sized leaks at the moment. Memphis rolled up 469 yards and scored 35 points in the second game of the season. There have been holes in secondary — opponents have completed 67% of their passes — and a need for a consistent pass rush.

Yet, the Bruins have a record of 4-0, and more than Hundley is responsible for the success.

The defense has been bent, even appeared mangled at times, but it also has provided watershed moments.

The defense returned three turnovers for touchdowns in a 28-20 victory over Virginia. And the Bruins smothered Texas for a three-and-out to get the ball back trailing, 17-13, and then limited the Longhorns to a four-and-out after taking the lead.

There was more of the same against Arizona State.

The Bruins limited D.J. Foster, who entered the game among the nation’s leading rushers, to 30 yards. And against a team that had one turnover in its first three games, UCLA forced four — including one that changed the complexion of the game.

UCLA’s Ishmael Adams intercepted a pass and raced 95 yards for a touchdown with two seconds left in the first half. Instead of trailing at halftime, the Bruins were up, 27-17.

Hundley made that moment sting more when he threw an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half. That was among several quick strikes for long gains. Five of UCLA’s touchdowns ran a total of 3 minutes 49 seconds off the clock, putting the defense back on the field.

Arizona State ran 105 plays and had plenty of yardage to show for it.

How much the UCLA defense was responsible for that is open to debate. An argument can be made that in the age of the spread offense, what constitutes good defense has yet to be defined.