It's not like Arizona State's defensive front awoke from a deep slumber last week even though it improved from no sacks against USC to a season-high five vs. UCLA.
The Sun Devils are fifth nationally and lead the Pac-12 in rushing defense, allowing just 89.3 yards per game. They had double-digit tackles for loss in two of their first three games and rank second in the conference (No. 26 nationally) in that category.
But to constantly pressure UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and even knock him out of the game twice in a 23-20 win after not getting to USC's Sam Darnold in a 41-20 loss felt like a breakthrough.