Texas hosts UCLA in a Critical Game for Both
The Pac-12 is expected to be one of the top conferences this season in NCAA football and one of the teams expected to battle for the conference title is the UCLA Bruins.
The Bruins head to the Lone Star State on Saturday to take on the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The No. 12 ranked Bruins are 2-0 to start the season, but have fallen five spots in the rankings in just two weeks. The voters in the rankings seem unimpressed by UCLA’s lackluster efforts over the Virginia Cavaliers and the Memphis Tigers.
The problems plaguing the Bruins are on both sides of the ball. The defense for UCLA scored three touchdowns in week one against Virginia to help a subpar effort by Brett Hundley the dual threat quarterback and the Bruins offense.
Against Memphis, the offense picked up the slack just enough to outscore the Tigers 42-35.
In that game, the defense allowed 469 yards of offense. The Bruins’ highly regarded front 7 finally recorded the first sack of the season, but gave up over 4 yards per carry on the ground.
The play thus far on both sides of the ball will not bode well once UCLA starts its Pac-12 games with game versus offensive juggernauts like Arizona State, Oregon and Utah that begin after the Texas game on Saturday.
The Bruins defense will be challenged by Tyrone Swoopes a dual-threat at quarterback who is 6-foot-4 and over 245 pounds. Myles Jack the talented linebacker for UCLA must be able to contain Swoopes and be able to get back in coverage if the Longhorns pass.
Jack played against Swoopes in a high school all star game and knows he is talented.
Swoopes has replaced starter David Ash who is still suffering from concussion symptoms that started after the Longhorns 38-7 win to open the season against North Texas.
Swoopes hit 20 of his 31 passes with one touchdown last week in his debut. He had an interception as well in Texas’ 41-7 loss to BYU.
The Longhorns could be without Jaxon Shipley a top wide receiver who has a head injury.
Two of Texas’ offensive tackles will not play due to being suspended and two other starters at wide receiver and safety will not see action.
Texas had troubles containing the dual threat quarterback Taysom Hill for BYU and now must contend with the likes Hundley.
Hundley has only run for 65 yards this season, but last week had 396 yards through the air on 3 touchdowns against Memphis.
In the six meetings between the two schools, each team is 3-3 with the last meeting in 2011 won by Texas 49-20 at UCLA.
The game should be close unless the UCLA defense finds it way and can shut down the Texas offense.
I like UCLA to do just that in a lopsided win 45-12.
