UCLA faces its first ranked opponent of the season Saturday, as No. 19 BYU comes to town. Both teams are 2-0 but took very different paths to get there. The Bruins blew out two heavy underdogs while the Cougars upset two favorites in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion.
As of Saturday afternoon, No. 10 UCLA is listed as a 17-point favorite over BYU. Here’s what Daily Bruin Sports predicts.
Matthew Joye, lead football beat reporter
UCLA 38, BYU 20
This game plays perfectly into UCLA’s hands: The Bruins’ offense loves to throw to receivers on the perimeter, and the Cougars’ main defensive weakness is at the cornerback position. If UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone sticks to his usual plan and gets his wide receivers out in space on bubble screens, the Bruins should have a big day offensively. More importantly, by sticking to the perimeter, the Bruins will be avoiding the strongest part of BYU’s defense: the defensive front.
As for UCLA’s defense, it should be able to handle BYU’s all-or-nothing passing attack. The Cougars love to throw the deep ball – particularly jump balls to their tall wide receivers – but the Bruins’ cornerbacks are battle tested and strong. I don’t expect the Bruins’ two physical starting cornerbacks – redshirt junior Marcus Rios and senior Fabian Moreau – to be overpowered on Saturday night. There may be a few big plays from BYU in the passing game, as there usually are, but there won’t be enough for the Cougars to pull off another upset.
Claire Fahy, sports editor
UCLA 36, BYU 24
The Bruins and the Cougars haven’t come face to face since 2008, when things didn’t end so well for UCLA. Both programs are vastly different from where they were seven years ago, which means this matchup will be a big test for both teams. For UCLA, it offers an opportunity to truly challenge how well its young quarterback can lead his veteran positions groups. Over in Utah, how BYU performs tonight could help the Cougars enter the College Football Playoff discussion, where those in Provo believe they belong. With so much to gain on both sides, this game should be intense from start to finish, especially considering BYU’s signature aggressive style of play and UCLA’s tendency to become emotional in-game. That said, the Bruins should be able to win by a comfortable margin, but the Cougars will in no way make it easy.
Tanner Walters, assistant editor
UCLA 37, BYU 17
The last time these two programs faced off, the Bruins slunk out of Provo, Utah, after a 59-0 demolition at the hands of the Cougars. Sure, that was seven years ago, but any BYU fan on Twitter is ready and waiting to remind the world of that pre-Jim Mora embarrassment.
Don’t worry UCLA fans, 2015 will be different. The Cougars’ last-minute magic should come to an end Saturday, as the Bruins try to distance themselves from the upstart visitors early. The undefeated teams certainly have a captivating narrative going into their showdown – two freshman quarterbacks, the powerhouse vs. the underdog and a top-25 matchup on national TV – but I don’t expect the game to be a shootout. As UCLA showed last weekend at UNLV, it can beat you just about anywhere on the field, and that should continue to be the case against BYU.
Matt Cummings, assistant editor
UCLA 34, BYU 17
They’re two top-25 teams with freshman quarterbacks, but that’s about as far as the similarities go. Whereas the Bruins enter with two dominant performances under their belt, the Cougars must prove their two Hail Mary-driven victories were more than just lucky. It won’t happen at the Rose Bowl, where UCLA should justify the point spread with its far superior talent pool. Expect the Cougars to connect on a deep bomb or two but their paltry running game will allow the Bruins’ loaded front seven to pressure BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum all day long. On the other side of the ball, Cougar junior safety Kai Nacua, fresh off a three-pick game last week, won’t be able to stop freshman quarterback Josh Rosen from turning in another impressive game. The key will be redshirt junior Paul Perkins, who will allow the Bruins to control the clock and ice the game before Mangum can work his late-game magic.
Korbin Placet, assistant editor
UCLA 35, BYU 14
BYU can get lucky once. They can even get lucky twice; but a third time? Not likely. The game won’t even be close enough for the Cougars to throw a game-winning Hail Mary this time. UCLA will have to be careful, however. BYU’s pass game poses the biggest threat as freshman QB Tanner Mangum likes to throw the ball, and he likes to throw it far with great success. If the Bruins’ secondary can step up and stop Mangum from completing the long ball, this game will be over by the end of the third quarter. BYU have little to no run offense to fall back, unlike UCLA. Perkins was there last to help pick up the slack, when Rosen wasn’t able to perform like he did in the opener. And if not Perkins stepping up,then freshmen running backs Bolu Olorunfunmi or Soso Jamabo. My bet, UCLA wins this easily and it helps push them further up the polls.