UCLA vs. Oregon Complete Game Preview

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 11; 3:30 p.m. ET 

WHERE: Rose Bowl Stadium; Pasadena, California

TV: Fox

One of the most highly anticipated Pac-12 Conference tilts before the season has taken on a decidedly different look after a wild Week 6. 

Oregon and UCLA were the media's preseason picks to win the North and South divisions—still an attainable goal for both. 

However, the Ducks and Bruins face more of a must-win scenario coming into Saturday's affair after both suffered losses at home. 

UCLA only lead in a 30-28 defeat against Utah came on quarterback Brett Hundley's touchdown pass to wide receiver Eldridge Massington late in the fourth quarter.

Otherwise, UCLA followed the script of Week 6 upheaval to the letter. The Bruins' loss capped a weekend filled with chaos around college football, which fittingly started with UCLA's Week 7 opponent. 

The Ducks are trying to rebound from a 31-24 loss at home to Arizona last Thursday, the first of the week's many upsets. 

Another conference loss for either makes reaching December's Pac-12 Championship Game considerably more difficult. Expect both preseason favorites to come out with renewed urgency in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. 

UCLA Keys to Victory

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Give Brett Hundley Time to Throw

The UCLA offense is at its best when the run and pass are working in fluid tandem. That simply wasn’t the case Saturday night.

The Bruins rushed 50 times officially, albeit 10 of those carries as scored in the stat sheet were Utah sacks. Nevertheless, the run-pass differential was still more than double, as quarterback Brett Hundley attempted just 21 passes.

Utah’s consistent pressure kept Hundley from getting the ball out, which rendered the Bruins offense one-dimensional. Running back Paul Perkins scored a touchdown and came one yard shy of his third consecutive 100-plus-yard game despite being limited with sickness, head coach Jim Mora said in the postgame press conference, via UCLABruins.com.

Running back Jordon James added another 50 yards rushing. But otherwise, UCLA’s run game was held in check because the Utes did not have to worry too much about the pass.

Hundley’s adept at getting the ball out quickly when pressure isn’t bearing down on him repeatedly. Whether it’s better performance from the line or more packages making use of fullback Nate Iese’s pass-blocking ability, UCLA must give Hundley a more stable pocket in which to operate.

The Bruins need to keep Oregon’s defense off-balance with a mix of effective run and pass plays. The run game set up the run by drawing in the Ducks front seven, and Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon took advantage by spreading the ball around the field with the pass in the second half.

Hundley’s one of the conference’s best at operating in this manner, but only when he’s not left scrambling repeatedly.

Let Defense Dictate the Tone 

Oregon was not without its opportunities against Arizona. The Wildcats scored just three first-half points, but the Ducks' inability to mount a consistent attack early on gave them ample room to strike in the second half.

With the inconsistency plaguing the UCLA offense much of this season, the Bruins cannot allow Oregon to turn Saturday’s affair into a track meet early on.

Expect defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to unleash an aggressive pass rush initially and challenge the Ducks’ injury-plagued offensive line. By containing Oregon’s quick-strike attack through the first half, the UCLA offense will be able to operate with more breathing room—and breathing room’s been a rare commodity for the Bruins offense much of the season.

Oregon Keys to Victory

STEVE DYKES/Associated Press

Start Fast

Oregon has routinely came out of the gate slowly this season. Going scoreless in the first quarter against an opponent such as Wyoming is of little consequence. Against Arizona, however, starting sluggishly cost the Ducks dearly.

Oregon simply cannot rely on playing catch up in the third quarter against UCLA, as was the case against Michigan State. The Bruins are better equipped to match the Ducks' pace over the duration than the more methodical Spartans, in much the same way Arizona’s uptempo style kept Oregon from erupting for its customary third-quarter explosion. 

A fast start from the Oregon offense is reliant on establishing the multidimensional backfield immediately. Running backs Thomas Tyner and Royce Freeman never quite got going last week, as both averaged fewer than five yards per carry, while Byron Marshall was used sparingly in the run game.

Offensive coordinator Scott Frost must employ a variety of the three early to test the UCLA front seven, then set up quarterback Marcus Mariota for play-action passes.  

Protect Mariota 

Mariota’s pocket each of the last two games has been virtually nonexistent. Washington State got to Mariota for seven sacks in Week 5, while Arizona brought the quarterback down for five sacks last Thursday.

The Oregon offensive line is almost held together with duct tape at this point, losing Tyler Johnstone before the season; Andre Yruretagoyena in Week 2; and Jake Fisher in Week 3. Certainly there’s reason for Oregon’s struggles protecting its quarterback, but the remaining Ducks linemen must find a way to keep him upright—especially this week, given UCLA employs one of the more aggressive pass rushes in the conference.

UCLA Players to Watch

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OFFENSE

The Line

Coming off a rather impressive performance in the Bruins' win at Arizona State, the UCLA offensive line seemingly turned a corner. However, the absence of Alex Redmond against Arizona State proved detrimental and Utah exploited the Bruins’ woes to the tune of 10 sacks.

Mora has been steadfast in his assertion that UCLA’s blocking woes are a reflection of the entire offense, not just the offensive line. Still, missed assignments on blitzes and simply getting beat up front have contributed to Hundley’s ever-shrinking pocket.

RB Paul Perkins

Perkins was UCLA’s breakout offensive star through the first four games, and he continued his progress Saturday with a touchdown against Utah.

But Perkins was a scratch for much of the second half due to illness, taking away one of the key components to offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone’s game plan.

UCLA is up against an Oregon defense that allowed Arizona running backs Nick Wilson and Terris Jones-Grigsby to rush for a combined 207 yards. The Bruins’ combination of Perkins and Jones can operate similarly, but UCLA needs Perkins at full strength.

DEFENSE

LB Myles Jack 

Utah's multifaceted run game caused UCLA problems last week. In particular, the use of Kendal Thompson at quarterback gave offensive coordinator Dave Christensen more flexibility in his rushing calls, and the end result was a 242-yard night for the Utes. 

Oregon comes into the Rose Bowl employing a similar style. And unlike last week, when Utah started a new quarterback for the first time, Bruins defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has more preparation time for the zone-read offense.

Linebacker Myles Jack’s versatility is key to slowing down the multidimensional Ducks offensive attack. Counterpart Eric Kendricks is tasked as UCLA’s primary run-stopper, and it’s a role he mans brilliantly. But Jack’s ability to both blitz and drop back into pass coverage with equal acumen can be an equalizer for the many variations of Oregon’s offense.

NT Kenny Clark

With the problems the Oregon offensive line has had protecting Mariota, UCLA’s man in the middle on the defensive front, Kenny Clark, has to be wide-eyed.

Clark is having a monster season with 27 tackles, third most on the team and a remarkable total for a nose tackle. That Clark is able to get to ball-carriers as effectively as he commands blocks gives the UCLA defense more options for its blitz packages—and those blitzes will play a critical role Saturday.

Oregon Players to Watch

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OFFENSE

QB Marcus Mariota

Oregon's erstwhile Heisman Trophy front-runner dropped on plenty of pundits' boards following the Arizona loss.

"

New Heisman odds: Gurley the fav at 7/4. Prescott from 15/1 to 9/5. Mariota dropped from 3/2 to 15/2 via @ToddFuhrman http://t.co/FeZJ5a3HB3

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) October 6, 2014"

A predictable result, given Mariota was among the nation's best players in the previous two seasons yet has zero invites to New York to his name. 

Mariota can remind the nation why he once led the Heisman conversation with a standout performance Saturday in the Rose Bowl. 

Mariota is mobile out of the pistol formation, something that Utah's Thompson effectively exploited against the UCLA defense. Add that Mariota is a far superior passer, and he has the ability to completely alter the dynamic of a game in just a few plays. 

DEFENSE

DT DeForest Buckner

Previous UCLA opponents Virginia and Utah thrived with tenacious pass rush against the Bruins, particularly up the middle.

For Oregon to establish a similar such presence, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner must lead the way—particularly with defensive line counterpart Arik Armstead out with injury. 

Buckner is among the more athletic linemen UCLA will see this season. His speed, size and versatility could give the Bruins headaches up front. 

LB Tony Washington 

Oregon's talented drop-end linebacker Tony Washington was involved in the most publicized play of the Ducks' loss, a questionable unsportsmanlike penalty in the fourth quarter that extended an Arizona drive, resulting in the game-winning touchdown. 

But before Washington's midfield bowl drew a penalty from the flag-happy officials, he brought down Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon for a sack. 

Washington was among the Pac-12's most effective pass-rushers in 2013, ending the campaign with 7.5 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Last year against UCLA, Washington stripped Hundley for a key fumble.  

What They're Saying

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

UCLA

Mora on the Bruins giving up 10 sacks to Utah, extending their season-long total of sacks surrendered to 22, via UCLABruins.com: 

"

I’ll say it again and until the day that I die or get out of football. Sacks are a component of all 11 [players]. Sometimes it’s a rush, sometimes you get beat, and sometimes the quarterback holds it for too long. It’s a function of all of those things. 

"

Hundley on giving up sacks, via Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News: 

"

I take a lot on myself...Obviously being the quarterback, I can help my linemen in that and I have to get the ball out of my hands... Linemen, they played their hearts out and when we needed the plays, they made them and they gave me the time.

"

Oregon 

Head coach Mark Helfrich on problems vs. Arizona, via GoDucks.com: 

"

There’s obviously things in every phase that need to be rectified. For some reason, we had a bunch of assignment busts on the perimeter, which we haven’t had ever. Part of that was a communication issue. We missed a couple of signs in the first half, which has never happened. And those just came up at opportune times. We didn’t play cleanly tonight in any phase.

"

"We left a lot of points and plays on the board, but that’s football. The locker room is positive. We’re ready to move on, get back together and get it going," - Mariota on moving forward from the loss, via GoDucks.com. 

Prediction

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Two teams harboring realistic championship aspirations find themselves at a crossroad in Week 7. Back-to-back Pac-12 losses would not necessarily disqualify either from winning the conference championship—but it would certainly make the outlook much more bleak. 

Injuries up front have taken their toll on both offenses, though the good news for both UCLA and Oregon is that neither is necessarily at a decided disadvantage in that regard this week. 

The team that can more effectively seize on the other's misfortunes along the offensive line will win Saturday. The Bruins are more adequately prepared to do so than the Ducks. 

UCLA's talented front seven must set the tone and pressure Mariota early, particularly with Hundley facing similar pressure early as well. 

UCLA is well positioned to hand Oregon its first back-to-back losses since the 2011 BCS Championship Game vs. Auburn and 2011 season opener against LSU.  

Prediction: UCLA 34, Oregon 30 

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted.