The grumbling started when UCLA struggled to get past Brigham Young.
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It’s a battle of the unbeatens, a fight for control of the Pac-12 South division and a game that might ultimately be decided on the ground and not in the air. The Wildcats, if possible, could be flying under the radar in the Pac 12 with so many heavy hitters in the conference. The health of both starting QBs for this game are questions marks. Against Jim Mora’s UCLA, RichRod is 0-3. BYU was a broken-down team on Saturday, on its third Power Five road trip in four weeks (on top of a dramatic home win vs. Boise State), with three down-to-the-wire finishes leading it to the Big House. In the previous game, BYU kept the Bruins’ defense on the field for 40 minutes. After carefully studying the box score, I can’t find a single UCLA player that deserves recognition for an outstanding performance.
Josh Rosen threw two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 56-30 win at Arizona.
“It was real disappointing”, Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez. Arizona is putting up some major points and can hang with anyone. On the ensuing kickoff, a special teams’ fumble would lead to Cody Kessler’s fourth touchdown pass of the half for a 35-0 USC lead.
There is never a bad week in college football given how few chances there are to soak in the sport between the lines, but Saturday night offered one of the rare moments where the Pac-12 was the center of attention and the city of Tucson was the place to be. There’s a long season ahead, riddled with tough opposition who won’t go down as easily as tonight’s; the Bruins will need every bit of composure they have to make it through alive. The Bruins are #16 in points allowed nationally. UCLA’s freshman QB Josh Rosen will play in his first high-profile road test, in a hyped-up matchup in the Arizona heat. The Bruins are #34 or better in total and rushing offense. UCLA was one of them, and now the Bruins have made the case as the top option so far. They have jumped 8 spots in the rankings and both their offense and defenses are clicking. The Wildcats’ coach said he won’t do anything extra to get in Rosen’s head Saturday.
Solomon was 4 of 10 for 55 yards, with two lost fumbles, before he left the game. That is when the Wildcats made an adjustment on offense and UCLA stacked the box to stop Randall from creating any room for quarterback keepers. UCLA is 12/16 scoring in the red zone with 7 touchdowns and opponents are 7/8 with 3 touchdowns.
The biggest question about UCLA entering the season was at the quarterback position. In receiving, Jordan Payton had 59 yards and one touchdown in four receptions. And more concerning is the injury status of QB Kevin Hogan, who sprained his ankle in the USC game. The freshman quarterback found Thomas Duarte for a 35-yard touchdown to tie the game up. Nate Iese has 5 catches for 73 yards. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU: 99/153, 1,470 yards, 14 touchdowns, 3 interceptions 4.
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Already having lost junior defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes and senior cornerback Fabian Moreau, UCLA was dealt a massive blow with this week’s news that linebacker/running back Myles Jack will be out for the season (knee). A game-changing linebacker and a punishing running back in short-yardage situations, he was injured in a non-contact drill during Tuesday’s practice.
