Pac-12 Game Preview: UCLA vs. Arizona
After seeing Stanford take control of the Pac-12 North division on Thursday by upsetting Oregon, it is now up to the South’s top squads to make their move towards the Pac-12 title game and two of them take the field today in the high-profile match-up between the 19th-ranked UCLA Bruins (6-2, 3-2) and the Arizona Wildcats (6-2, 3-2).
Of course, UCLA has already lost to both Stanford and Oregon this year, but it would love to get another shot at whichever team takes the North and the only way to earn that title shot is to get past the high-powered Cats in the desert. However, sneaking by the Wildcats won’t be easy, especially since Arizona has won three straight at home in the series and has the nation’s leading rusher in Ka’Deem Carey.
Carey – who also led the nation in rushing yards last year – has already racked up 1,072 yards and 10 touchdowns on 188 carries this season. As a team, the Wildcats rank 12th nationally in rushing, while the Bruins rank just eighth in the conference in defending the run, surrendering 167.6 yards per game.
UCLA did manage to hold Carey to his lowest rushing output of last season (54 yards on 16 carries) in their previous meeting, but Bruins head coach Jim Mora knows doing so again will be a major challenge.
“I think they probably had to throw it more than they probably wanted to,” Mora said, according to ESPN.com. “You don’t necessarily bottle up Ka’Deem Carey. You try to limit his explosive plays against you. … You don’t just stop those guys. It’s going to be a great test for us.”
On the offensive side of the ball, UCLA will also look to duplicate last year’s success against the Cats, when it amassed 611 total yards and 36 first downs in a 66-10 rout at home. Quarterback Brett Hundley is coming off another impressive four-TD performance against Colorado, but enjoying the same type of production will be more difficult in Tuscon, where the Bruins haven’t won since 2003.
With both teams coming into this year’s contest averaging more than 35 points per game, we should expect a shootout and an extremely close duel in the desert today. However, considering the Bruins have had a hard time on the road this season and an even harder time defending the spread offense – especially against Oregon – the Wildcats seem to have the slight edge with their potent spread attack.
Look for Arizona to cover +1.5 points in the upset win today.
