Pac-12 football is back.
UCLA (0-3) will begin its conference schedule with a visit to Colorado (3-0) on Friday night. The Bruins do not have a win this season, but Pac-12 play will offer them a chance at competing for a conference title.
And despite UCLA being the only winless team in the conference, freshman defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia said the team is still in the right mindset heading into Colorado.
“Just keep working hard; just try to get better,” Ogbonnia said. “We got an experienced Colorado team – experienced offensive line and really experienced (quarterback). So we’re just gonna go in there; we’re gonna tackle and play hard. That’s all we can do.”
The Buffaloes are one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the Pac-12, but they too are yet to play a conference opponent. Through three games this season, Colorado is scoring 41 points per game and outscoring its opponents by 22.7 points.
The Buffaloes’ offensive success has been spearheaded by quarterback Steven Montez, who currently owns a 73.4 completion percentage. He has thrown for 855 yards, eight touchdowns and only two interceptions this season.
Colorado is also averaging over 204 yards per game on the ground, despite recording only 44 rushing yards at Nebraska on Sept. 8.
Colorado’s only win against a Power Five team this season was a 33-28 victory over Nebraska in which the Buffaloes surrendered 565 total yards. The Cornhuskers, like the Bruins, are the only winless team remaining in their respective conferences.
UCLA has not announced a starting quarterback for Friday night’s game and graduate transfer Wilton Speight’s injury status remains a mystery. Speight participated in practice this week, but coach Chip Kelly did not offer much clarification when asked about the former Michigan signal caller’s health and his game time availability.
“I don’t know,” Kelly said. “I mean, that’s a question you can ask (Speight). I know he’s cleared for practice and is practicing.”
True freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson stepped in following Speight’s injury, but the offense has been stagnant, scoring just 17.3 points per game this season.
Part of the reason for UCLA’s struggles on offense can be attributed to its offensive line, which has given up 12 sacks in three games and is ranked 125th out of 129 FBS schools in sacks allowed per game.
While the Bruins’ offense line has been a problem, Kelly said the issues on the offensive should not be blamed on the protection alone.
“It starts with protection and it’s not one thing,” Kelly said. “If it was was one thing, it would be easy to say, ‘Hey, just switch this out.’ We’ve had some times where we’ve put the ball on receivers and they’ve dropped it, we’ve had some receivers open and we haven’t hit them.”
Tight end Caleb Wilson is one of the receivers who have seen their numbers drop off this season. The redshirt junior did not record a reception in UCLA’s 38-14 loss to Fresno State on Sept. 15.
Wilson – who has yet to record a touchdown catch this year – said he does not expect the Buffaloes to be any easier of a matchup for the Bruins.
“They’re very sound, they have a lot of talented players, they have a lot of speed,” Wilson said. “Guys matching me up can be pretty good.”
Kickoff on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Folsom Field. UCLA has won six of its last seven meetings with Colorado.