Offense: Junior WR Nelson Spruce (No. 22)
One glance at a stat sheet is enough to see the impact Spruce has made for Colorado this year. Leading the nation in receptions and receiving touchdowns, Spruce has given defenses trouble all season.
“(He’s a) great route runner. Great feel for coverage,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “He’s one of those guys that just finds that little soft spot and when he gets there and the ball’s delivered. … He’s got great hands.”
In a two-game stretch against Hawai’i and Cal, Spruce had a combined 32 receptions, 351 yards and four touchdowns – about as prolific a stat line a receiver could accumulate in two games.
In the Buffaloes’ two games since then, however, Pac-12 defenses seemed to have figured out how to limit Spruce. Against Oregon State and USC, Spruce had a combined 15 catches, 104 yards and one touchdown.
So what can UCLA’s defense do to be more like USC and Oregon State and less like Cal and Hawai’i?
“Obviously you can tweak your coverages, because he’s an exceptional receiver and you gotta account for him,” Ulbrich said. “You can get the matchups you want from a personnel standpoint … (but) at the end of the day he’s gonna be a great challenge no matter what we do.”
Defense: Sophomore DB Tedric Thompson (No. 9)
For UCLA, this week brings another opposing defense that has struggled enough, to a point where it’s a challenge to single out its top player. While Colorado’s pass defense leaves quite a bit to be desired – the Buffaloes rank No. 98 in the nation with 259.1 passing yards allowed per game – its biggest defensive impact player is in the secondary.
“I think their back end guys – their safeties and their corners – they’re a bit older kids, playing well,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
Though only a sophomore, Thompson leads his team with three interceptions and is the Buffaloes’ second-leading tackler, averaging 7.6 tackles per game.
But even with Thompson roaming deep in the secondary, coach Jim Mora said he wouldn’t be surprised if Colorado dropped an eighth man into coverage to try to slow down UCLA’s passing attack. Given how well Hundley threw the ball last week against Cal, that still might not be enough to limit UCLA’s offense.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.