Washington (2-3, 1-1) vs. UCLA (4-2, 2-1)
Saturday, October 16th @ 5:30 p.m. PT
Husky Stadium (Seattle, Washington)
Line: Washington -1.5
TV: FOX
Radio: Seattle Sports Radio 950 KJR
The Washington Huskies will face off against UCLA Bruins at Husky Stadium, as the Dawgs are seeking a much-needed victory to get back to .500 for the season.
During their last game, the Huskies mounted a comeback towards the end of the game but fell just short. It resulted in a disappointing 27-24 road loss against the Oregon State Beavers, at Reser Stadium.
This week, the Huskies are facing an opponent who has recently won three games in a row and sports the top offense in the conference. So far this season, UCLA is 4-2, on the season, after a lackluster 34-16 road victory versus Arizona last weekend.
Defensively, the Huskies will have to find a way to stop the run and not allow the Bruins to control the tempo of the game on offense.
Offensively, the Bruins will look to control the game with their ground attack, while also throwing the ball downfield as well.
Something has to give, in this contest between the sense of urgency Huskies and the rugged offense engineered by Chip Kelly.
KEY PLAYERS: WASHINGTON
QB – Dylan Morris
ILB – Edefuan Ulofoshio
WR – Jalen McMillan
KEY PLAYERS: UCLA
RB – Brittain Brown
OLB – Bo Calvert
ESPN MATCHUP PREDICTOR
GAME NOTES
– UCLA enjoys a eight-game edge in the series, with 40 wins, 32 losses and two ties in 74 all-time games against Washington
– Washington hasn’t allowed an opponent to score more than 35 points in a game since a 44-30 loss at UCLA in 2014. That’s a streak of 79 games in a row that the Huskies’ opponent has failed to score more than 35
– Race Porter is currently No. 2 the Pac-12 (10th in NCAA) with his 47.1-yard punt average, which is 1.5 yards ahead of pace for the UW single-season school record (45.6)
– The Bruins have taken the lead relatively recently head-to-head against the Huskies, having won 13 of the last 18, with many recent games having been comebacks.
– UCLA rushed for 329 yards in the win at Arizona last week. That was the most by a Chip Kelly-coached Bruin team (previous best was 313 vs. USC in 2018) and the most by a UCLA team since it rushed for 345 yards in the 2013 season-opener against Nevada.
– Fast starts by the Bruins include a 55-15 scoring edge in the first-quarter of 2021 games.
PREDICTION
Jeff Wright (4-1)
While conventional wisdom points to UCLA pulling this game out at Husky Stadium, in the words of Lee Corso…”Not so fast my friend”. There are some positive aspects going into this game that point in the Huskies favor. Coming off the bye week, the Huskies should be well-rested both mentally and physically! With an extra week to recharge the batteries and fix some glaring issues, I fully expect the Huskies to put a near-complete performance together. Typically, teams play very well coming off the bye week and I don’t see any reason the Huskies won’t either. Coach Lake eluded to the fact that his team should be almost fully healthy for this game which makes a huge difference. Wearing the 1991 National Championship throwback jerseys should also inspire the team to perform at a high level in front of the Husky Faithful at Husky Stadium. The last motivating factor…CHIP KELLY! I call this one for the Dawgs in a tight squeaker!
Washington 24 – UCLA 21
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