Stanford vs. UCLA: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More
Owners of a five-game winning streak, the only thing that can stop the UCLA Bruins from playing in the Pac-12 title game is a 6-5 Stanford Cardinal team.
It is not as easy as it sounds.
The Cardinal have taken down the Bruins three times over the course of the past two seasons. The gritty defense that has given Brett Hundley and Co. fits is alive and well. That said, the dual-threat quarterback has turned up his play in recent weeks.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
In a battle of opposite strengths to close the season, Stanford wants nothing more than to play the spoiler. UCLA has its eyes on bigger things. One of Friday's marquee showdowns is of the can't-miss variety.
Tempo Talk
Hundley and the Bruins are at their best when they can jump out to an early lead and never look back.
In fact, the Bruins have losses to Utah and Oregon this season. They were down 7-0 after one frame against the former and 8-0 against the latter. For one reason or another, the Bruins are at their best when playing with the lead.
That just so happens to be the perfect counter to Stanford. Out of necessity more than anything this year, David Shaw's team is at its best with the lead. It simply cannot fall behind and play catch-up—especially without its best offensive weapon come Friday, as NFL.com's Bryan Fischer points out:
Ty Montgomery is the team's leading receiver with 61 grabs for 604 yards and three scores. The next closest has 28 catches. As a result, the Cardinal rank 89th in scoring this season.
Stanford has certainly had the recipe to shut down the Bruins in recent years, though. It is something Bruins coach Jim Mora is quite aware of, in fact.
''We just have to play better,'' Mora said, per The Associated Press, via FoxSports.com. ''If that's the common thread, yeah, we have to play better. We have to protect the ball. We have to take care of our quarterback.''
If Mora's team can strike first in the face of the nation's seventh-ranked defense, it puts itself in a great position to avoid the upset and see title hopes realized.
The task falls on one man.
The Focal Point
Of course, that man is Hundley.
For Hundley, this is rather simple—foot to the pedal and never look back. He has completed 72.0 percent of his passes this season for 2,873 yards and 20 touchdowns to five interceptions. As one of the nation's premier dual-threat players, he also has 566 yards and eight scores on the ground.
Stanford has given Hundley serious issues in the past, but it is critical to point out that he should be in great form considering Friday may be his last home game before he jumps to the pro level, as noted by College GameDay:
Where Hundley lands in the pros is a debate for another day, but he surely feels like he has something left to accomplish when it comes to facing the Cardinal. Last season alone in a loss, Hundley tossed two picks and was sacked four times.
The UCLA offense simply will not move against Stanford without a great performance from Hundley. Few better options exist for him as a going-out party than blowing away the Cardinal, but there is a big difference between talking about it and doing it.
When: Friday, November 28, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Television: ABC
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 50
- Spread: UCLA (-4.5)
Team Injury Reports
| Brandon Fanaika | OL | 08/31/2014 | is expected to miss the entire season | Out | undisclosed |
| Ty Montgomery | WR | 11/24/2014 | is doubtful for Friday's game against UCLA | Doubtful | shoulder |
| Ikenna Nwafor | DL | 08/23/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | undisclosed |
| Thomas Oser | C | 08/31/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | undisclosed |
| Aziz Shittu | DE | 10/17/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | undisclosed |
| Patrick Skov | FB | 11/23/2014 | is questionable for Friday's game against UCLA | Questionable | undisclosed |
| Lane Veach | LB | 08/31/2014 | is expected to miss the entire season | Out | undisclosed |
| Ishmael Adams | CB | 11/24/2014 | is questionable for Friday's game against Stanford | Questionable | ankle |
| Randall Goforth | CB | 09/22/2014 | will miss the remainder of the season | Out | shoulder |
| Simon Goines | T | 08/28/2014 | is out indefinitely | Out | ankle |
| Sam Handler | WR | 08/22/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Nate Iese | FB | 11/23/2014 | is questionable for Friday's game against Stanford | Questionable | shoulder |
| 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 |
| Austin Roberts | WR | 08/15/2014 | will miss the entire season | Out | knee |
| Priest Willis | CB | 11/24/2014 | is questionable for Friday's game against Stanford | Questionable | head |
Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
It is hard to see how Stanford goes on the road without its best offensive player and pulls off this upset.
Hundley is simply too hot right now for the Cardinal to completely contain. Over the course of his last two outings alone, he has thrown for five scores with one pick and added another three scores on the ground.
UCLA is fully in stride with the Pac-12 title game in sight while Stanford is just happy to be bowl-eligible. That says it all in regard to how this one will play out on a short week.
Look for Hundley to come out firing and not let the Cardinal get close to taking back the lead.
Prediction: UCLA 23, Stanford 14
Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
