UCLA Preview
By Editorial Staff
*Note: I’m Matt and I’m a new Golden Bear Lair writer. I will take over the game previews and post them in the middle of the week. Also, I will start writing a post with links to the the top Cal stories of the week during the middle of the week. Combined with Shaan’s weekend coverage and my weekday coverage=FULL COVERAGE, ALL WEEK, BABY!
UCLA Preview
The UCLA Bruins are one of the hottest teams in the nation, coming off wins against #23 Houston, a 34-12 whooping of the #7 Texas Longhorns, and a 42-28 win over Pac 10 foe Washington State. The Bruins feature a rushing offense that is ranked 10th in the country, featuring Johnathan Franklin who rushed for 216 yards last week. UCLA’s passing game needs work, though. They average only 91 yards a game throwing the ball, compared to Cal’s 219 yards a game. Look for Cal to pass the ball and UCLA to run it. Cal will definitely need to use top receiver Marvin Jones, who already has 25 receptions and 369 yards through 4 games. This game will set the tone for the rest of the year in the Pac 10. Cal desperately needs a win to avoid becoming 0-2 in the Pac 10.
Things to Watch For: UCLA is tied for 9th in sacks in the country, Cal makes 43% of their 3rd downs, UCLA is 8th in the nation with 348 penalty yards, UCLA has the 3rd LEAST passing yards in the FBS, Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks is tied for 1st in the Pac 10 with 4 sacks a game, Shane Vereen has a Pac 10 leading 8 touchdowns rushing
My Predictions:
Cal gets a much needed win and cools down the red hot Bruins, 24-14,
Kevin Riley will have a monster game against the UCLA defense, and he will have 300+ yards and 1 TD pass
Shane Vereen will score 2 TDs and add to his total for the year.