No. 8 Oregon at UCLA: Who has the edge?
No. 8 Oregon (3-0, 0-0) at UCLA (1-2, 0-1)
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/1150 AM
Line: Oregon by 25.5
Notable injuries
UCLA: OUT: DB Kanye Clark (undisclosed, season-ending); DL Keanu Williams (undisclosed, season-ending)
OREGON: OUT: WR Gary Bryant Jr. (undisclosed); DB Dakoda Fields (knee); DB Jahlil Florence (leg); DL My’Keil Gardner (foot); OL Dave Iuli (foot); DOUBTFUL: OL Matthew Bedford (knee); QUESTIONABLE: OL Fox Crader (undisclosed); LB Ashton Porter (personal); WR Jack Ressler (undisclosed);
What’s at stake? Both teams are looking for their first win in the Big Ten Conference. UCLA lost its first conference game 42-13 against Indiana. This will be the first Big Ten matchup for the Ducks coming off three consecutive nonconference wins.
Who’s better? Oregon has the advantage in the standings, but it wasn’t smooth sailing out of the gate against Idaho and Boise State. Oregon defeated Idaho 24-14 and trailed Boise State at halftime before completing a 37-34 comeback victory. The Ducks got back on track against in-state rival Oregon State two weeks ago before going on their bye week. UCLA’s offense looked improved last week against LSU, putting up its highest point total of the season in a 34-17 loss, but will likely need to score more points to keep up with Oregon’s prolific offense.
Matchup to watch: UCLA’s defense has been respectable against the run, allowing just 92 rushing yards per game. But the Bruins have struggled against quarterbacks, giving up 295.3 passing yards per game, ranked near the bottom in the nation. They will have their most difficult test yet against Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who leads all of college football with an 84% completion rate.
UCLA wins if: The defensive line puts pressure on Gabriel and makes him uncomfortable in the pocket. If Oregon offensive lineman Matthew Bedford ends up missing the game, it will give UCLA’s pass rush a much-needed edge. Inversely, UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers has been sacked eight times this season. Garbers can throw on the run, but would benefit from more time in the pocket to better pick apart Oregon’s secondary.
Prediction: Oregon 41, UCLA 24. The Bruins’ offense has gradually gotten better each game this season, but it’s still not explosive enough to match Oregon’s offense. The Ducks are also coming off a bye week, giving them an extra week to prepare while UCLA returned from Baton Rouge less than a week ago.