Oregon vs. UCLA: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
No. 12 Oregon and No. 18 UCLA head into a decisive Pac-12 showdown Saturday as two of the major programs stunned in upsets last week.
Brett Hundley and the Bruins lost by two points to an unranked Utah team, while a few days earlier, Marcus Mariota and the Ducks were upended by an unranked Arizona team for the second year in a row.
While this matchup may have lost a bit of its preseason shine as a result, both offenses figure to put on a show in Pasadena that fans will want to catch. With backs against the wall in terms of College Football Playoff aspirations, not to mention conference implications, both teams will leave it all on the field in a clash they seemed to focus on last week while overlooking inferior opposition.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
There is nothing to overlook this week. This is the season for both teams summed up in 60 minutes.
Behind Faltering Lines
Both Mariota and Hundley returned to school this year rather than jumping to the pros in order to contend for a Heisman and a shot in the inaugural CFP.
Neither has been perfect, but much of the blame can fall on miserable offensive lines. Despite a wealth of issues in the offensive trenches for both teams, as NFL.com's Bryan Fischer points out, both signal-callers have transcended the deficiencies for some eye-popping numbers:
Viewed together, both players are on fire this year:
| Marcus Mariota | 91 | 128 | 71.1 | 1411 | 15 | 0 | 42 | 215 | 3 |
| Brett Hundley | 91 | 125 | 72.8 | 1310 | 9 | 2 | 53 | 122 | 2 |
Again, the numbers are quite impressive considering, according to SportsOnEarth.com's Matt Brown, that Mariota has been sacked 15 times over the course of five games, with Hundley sacked 22 times.
While these two are no stranger to games beneath the spotlight, this one may very well dictate the outcome of their legacies at the collegiate level. While Hundley is at home, his wobbly line and inability to get the ball out on time against an Oregon defense that averages 3.2 sacks per game may put him at a disadvantage.
Then again, as Brown mentions, the coaching staff in Eugene has admitted that Mariota is not fully healthy. Thanks to a wealth of injuries that has crippled the effectiveness of his line, the Ducks signal-caller may be in for his roughest game yet.
History Looms…
…For the visitors.
While UCLA has been somewhat unexpectedly up-and-down all season, this latest batch of rough water for the Ducks has the program in a bit of a notable historical bind.
Oregon has not lost back-to-back games in nearly seven years, and while impressive, the streak has perhaps never been in so much jeopardy. This time, Mark Helfrich's team must overcome a top program on the road.
"Execution, discipline, a bunch of things that we control were not good enough," coach Mark Helfrich said, per STATS LLC, via ESPN.com. "It was not good enough to play the schedule we play. We need to play more cleanly in every phase."
Recent history says Oregon has an advantage considering the Ducks held Hundley to a 13-of-19 mark for 64 yards in a 42-14 win last year. That, and the fact the Ducks have won five straight and 10 of 12 in the series.
But anything can happen on the field, and especially when two prolific offenses with leaky offensive lines get together for a track meet.
When: Saturday, October 11, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Television: Fox
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 69.5
- Spread: Oregon (-3)
Team Injury Reports
| Bralon Addison | WR | 08/05/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | knee |
| Arik Armstead | DL | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against UCLA | Questionable | ankle |
| Jake Fisher | OL | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against UCLA | Questionable | knee |
| Tyler Johnstone | T | 08/11/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Andre Yruretagoyena | T | 09/08/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | leg |
| Randall Goforth | CB | 09/22/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Simon Goines | T | 08/08/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | ankle |
| John Johnson | DB | 08/03/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | shoulder |
| Steven Manfro | RB | 09/03/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Kenny Orjioke | LB | 10/01/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | knee |
| Alex Redmond | G | 10/05/2014 | is questionable for Saturday's game against Oregon | Questionable | ankle |
| Austin Roberts | WR | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
Injury reports per Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
A two-pronged Bruins attack is going to give the Ducks defense some trouble.
Hundley can do it all on his own, as seen above, but he is also flanked by sophomore Paul Perkins, who has 540 yards and three scores this season on a 5.7 per-carry average. Both get a shot at an Oregon defense that struggles mightily against the run and ranks outside the top 50 in terms of points allowed per game (23.2).
The only problem in going all-in with UCLA is that a game such as this predictably comes down to quarterback play. Hundley can be sloppy at times with the football and take costly sacks, whereas Mariota excels in terms of turnovers and pocket awareness.
It will come down to the waning moments, but Mariota gets the nod over Hundley.
Prediction: Ducks 33, Bruins 30
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
