Arizona vs. UCLA Complete Game Preview

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 1; 10:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: The Rose Bowl; Pasadena, California

TV: ESPN

No. 25 UCLA survived a Week 9 scare at Colorado to remain alive in the Pac-12 South race, which makes Saturday's contest with No. 14 Arizona a game of monumental importance.

The Bruins can move ahead of one of the three divisional rivals at which they currently look up. Arizona is tied with Arizona State and Utah atop the division, one game up on UCLA in the loss column.

UCLA head coach Jim Mora debuted in the Pac-12 in the same season, 2012, as Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez. Mora is 2-0 against Rodriguez in that time, including a 66-10 drubbing of the Wildcats the last time they visited the Rose Bowl.

Both of Mora’s wins over Arizona came in November, a month in which UCLA is 7-2 in regular season games over the last two years. Another strong, final month starting with a win over Arizona is vital if the Bruins are to have any shot at winning the Pac-12 title.

Keys to Victory for UCLA

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Ball Control

Turnovers continued to plague the UCLA offense at Colorado. This past week, Brett Hundley fumbled in Bruins territory just before halftime. The Buffs committed their own blunder and failed to convert the opportunity into points, but UCLA has not always been so fortunate.  

Opponents have garnered takeaways on UCLA’s side of the 50 repeatedly this season; Cal gained two such turnovers in Week 8, and Oregon began its offensive onslaught in Week 7 after a fumble set it up at the Bruins 10-yard line.

Arizona is coming off a 59-37 rout of Washington State—not as close as the final score would indicate—in which it converted two Cougars turnovers into a pair of touchdowns.

Play a Clean Game

Strides UCLA made to improve upon its penalty yardage evaporated Saturday at Colorado. The Bruins were flagged 14 times for 121 yards. Both were season highs set in Week 1.

Penalties were as much a factor the last time the Bruins were at home in their 42-30 loss to Oregon. UCLA was hit with half the number of penalties, seven, but they totaled 81 yards.

The Bruins cannot afford to surrender free yardage to Arizona’s quick-strike offense. On the opposite side of the ball, penalties put Hundley in the unfortunate position of facing obvious passing situations on third down.

Keys to Victory for Arizona

STEVE DYKES/Associated Press

Come Out Firing

In its sole loss—a 28-26 Week 7 decision against USC—Arizona did not score its first touchdown until the third quarter. Likewise, the Wildcats needed an incredible 36 points in the fourth quarter to beat Cal on the last play of Week 4.

Again, Arizona did not get into the end zone until the second half.

Even in its marquee upset of Oregon, Arizona went without a first-half touchdown. It’s no coincide that the Wildcats have been embroiled in single-possession decisions in five of their first seven games—and that one of the two lopsided outcomes was last week at Washington State.

The Wildcats rolled up 31 points by halftime in the 59-37 win.

While slow starts have not been too detrimental for the Wildcats, this week Arizona is paired with an opponent just as prone to coming out sluggish. UCLA was averaging just over four points in first quarters prior to its 17-point output in the opening frame last week at Colorado.

Arizona must jump on UCLA early and apply pressure. In each of their losses, the Bruins got down by double digits in the first half.

Mix It Up

Unpredictability is Arizona’s friend. Few teams in the Pac-12, if not the country, play with a style quite as unorthodox as Rodriguez’s 2014 squad, and that’s by design.

The Wildcats flourish when quarterback Anu Solomon is making freelance plays in and out of the pocket. Arizona also benefits from a healthy mix of ball-carriers.

The running-back tandem of Terris Jones-Grigsby and Nick Wilson have combined for 170 carries and a shade below 1,000 rushing yards. Rodriguez’s ability to interchange the two keeps each fresh while offering new looks to opposing defenses.

Unpredictability is also the name of the game with the Arizona defense. The odd 3-3-5 stack is just that. The scheme’s reliance on quick, athletic playmakers is designed to counter spread offenses such as UCLA’s, matching speed with speed and bringing blitzes from unexpected areas.

UCLA Players to Watch

Wily Low/Associated Press

OFFENSE

LB/RB Myles Jack

Myles Jack had already established himself as one of the nation’s premier freshmen playing linebacker when UCLA visited Arizona last November.

But Jack became a national sensation against the Wildcats, lining up at running back for the first time in his collegiate career and ripping the Arizona defense for 120 yards and a touchdown on just six carries.

Mora said before the season that Jack’s repetitions at running back would be limited to certain situations, and that’s held true to form. Jack mainly appears on offense in short-yardage and goal-line packages.

He scored a touchdown in one such scenario last week.

But given Jack’s proficiency against the Wildcats a season ago, it could be awfully tempting to turn Jack loose in tandem with running back Paul Perkins. Whether that performance factors into Jack’s role this week is certainly a subplot to follow Saturday.

WR Mossi Johnson

Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said prior to last week’s Colorado game that getting freshman wide receiver Mossi Johnson more involved in the passing game was a priority.

Hundley targeted Johnson early and often against the Buffaloes, resulting in three receptions for 33 yards.

Depth at wide receiver is a strength of the UCLA offense—six Bruins have at least 18 receptions. By adding Johnson to that mix, opposing defenses have even more to prepare for against the pass.

DEFENSE

LB Eric Kendricks

Countering Arizona’s spread attack is contingent on making plays in the open field. No UCLA defender is more active in space than linebacker Eric Kendricks, whose 93 tackles lead the Pac-12.

Kendricks’ speed and anticipation make him the ideal foil to the Wildcats’ play out on the perimeter, which is one of the primary weapons in Rodriguez’s spread arsenal.

Kendricks should see a fair amount of work against Arizona’s fleet of quick receivers who operate on short and intermediate routes.   

CB Marcus Rios

The unlikely hero of UCLA’s 36-34 win at Cal in Week 8, Marcus Rios’ encore at Colorado was his second interception in as many games.

Rios now matches cornerback Ishmael Adams and Kendricks with the most interceptions on the team at two. His emergence as a playmaker in the secondary should have an impact Saturday with the Bruins facing an Arizona offense that features seven receivers with at least 16 catches on the year.  

Arizona Players to Watch

Dean Hare/Associated Press

OFFENSE

WR DaVonte’ Neal

The focus on Arizona’s offense before the season was primarily on the wide receiving corps, which features as much talent as any unit in the country. Cayleb Jones and Austin Hill have emerged as the primary playmakers, with 2013 leader Nate Phillips remaining an active contributor at 23 catches.

But Notre Dame transfer DaVonte’ Neal is quickly establishing himself as a potential breakout player in this group, hauling in 10 of his 17 receptions in the last two weeks. He scored his first touchdown since Week 1 this past Saturday at Washington State and tacked on an additional score with a punt return.

Neal’s speed and elusiveness are well-suited to Rodriguez’s style, and the emergence of yet another weapon in the Arizona passing attack makes UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s already full plate just a little bit more so.

QB Anu Solomon

The freshman Solomon has proven to be a perfect fit for Rodriguez’s zone-read offense. He’s not the most explosive ball-carrier like past Rodriguez-coached quarterbacks Pat White and Denard Robinson, but he certainly gets the job done.

Solomon’s mobility is put to better use in evading tacklers than throwing on the move. This effectively draws in linebackers and nickelbacks who would otherwise be covering Arizona’s array of receivers, leaving them open for quick dump-offs that extend into big gains.

DEFENSE

S Jared Tevis

Defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel’s 3-3-5 stack formation utilizes Jared Tevis in a roving position that suits the junior well.

Tevis drops back into pass coverage effectively but is also a more-than-adequate run-stopper when used in that capacity.

His 64 tackles are second-most among all Wildcats, and while he has yet to cause a fumble this season, he has six for his career.

LB Scooby Wright

Sophomore Scooby Wright is quickly making a name around the Pac-12 has a difference-maker. He has forced five fumbles, three of which came just last week at Washington State, and one came from Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.

For his efforts at Washington State, Wright was named the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Week.

Given UCLA’s struggles with turnovers in conference play, keeping Wright away from Hundley is a must for the Bruins’ offensive line.

What They're Saying

USA TODAY Sports

UCLA 

Mora on UCLA falling shy of expectations, via Ryan Kartje of the Orange Country Register: 

"

Mora added again that he challenges anyone to find a better 2.5-year stretch that UCLA has had in football.

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) October 27, 2014"

Kendricks on allowing teams to rally from double-digit deficits, via CUBuffs.com:

"

We have to definitely put the pressure on especially when we are up 17-0 in the first quarter. We have to not be complacent and we have to put it on them. That’s on us and we are going to fix that so I’m not worried about it.

 

"

Arizona

Anu Solomon on the importance of starting fast, via ArizonaWildcats.com: 

"It's very beneficial. It is something that Coach Rodriguez wants us to do, especially with his offense. We’ve been lacking a fast start the last few games and thank God we started fast this week."

Prediction

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

After his team's 42-30 loss to Oregon on Oct. 11, Mora commended the crowd of 80,000-plus packed into the Rose Bowl and invited them to return. 

Those remarks opened his postgame press conference, which speaks to just how much emphasis UCLA is placing on maintaining such a home-field atmosphere. It also serves as a reminder that the Bruins are 0-2 in Pac-12 games played in the Rose Bowl. 

Snapping that skid against Arizona is a tall order. Rodriguez leads one of the Pac-12’s most surprising and most unpredictable teams, playing with the added motivation of a divisional championship.

The Wildcats control their own destiny in the crowded South, and maintaining that control is contingent on eliminating UCLA from the picture.

UCLA played one of its worst games of the season last week at Colorado. How it responds early against Arizona will shape not only this week’s contest but also the remainder of this campaign.

Given how this season has played out for both teams, it seems only obvious a photo finish is in store. The Bruins’ resilience will once again be tested, and it’s hard not to like a Mora-coached team’s chances in November.

Prediction: UCLA 38, Arizona 35 

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com.