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UCLA vs Stanford: Keys to Victory

By Jake Merrifield

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UCLA vs Stanford at the Rose Bowl; 12:30PM ABC

Here are the keys for a Bruin victory this Saturday against the Stanford Cardinal. A win sends UCLA to the Pac-12 Title Game for the 3 time in 4 years.

An old nemesis (the Cardinal) is all that stands in the way of … another old nemesis (the Ducks). Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

1)No Bad Drives – Stanford will try and slow the game down and limit the number of total possessions. Fewer overall possessions makes each drive more important and magnifies any negative drives. Stanford’s offense has struggled all year, and they will have trouble moving the ball against the Bruins as long as the offense doesn’t serve the ball up on a plate. Against Utah, Oregon, Cal and Colorado the Bruins O put the Bruin D in a bad position 27 times out of 55 total drives;  in the last 3 games the Bruin Offense has done a much better job not stranding the defense.

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    • 2) Survive the Stanford pressure – The Cardinal has a very quick and aggressive front 7. At times this year, the Bruin offensive line has struggled against strong blitzes through the interior gaps and delayed blitzes and stunts. Recently, the Bruin line has played much better (since giving up 10 sacks to Utah, the Bruins are the least sacked team in the Pac-12), but they need to be at the top of their game if they want to withstand the Cardinal attack.

    3) No Big Plays – Stanford’s Offense has been one of the worst in the Pac-12 all year long. Against USC, the UCLA Defense gave up only 1 play the entire game over 20 yards. If the Bruins can avoid giving up the big momentum plays (even on special teams), Stanford has not shown the ability to consistently drive down the field. As long as the Bruins aren’t spotting them yards and points, the Cardinal Offense should slowly suffocate over the course of the game.

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    4) Get Perkins Going (and secure the Pac-12 Rushing Title in the process) –  All those flashy plays against USC last week (the TD to Duarte, Hundley’s TD run, etc) were set up by Paul Perkins and the running game. UCLA is at its most dangerous when they are balanced on Offense, and part of that balance comes from Paul Perkins getting it done on the ground… and why not get him the rushing title in the process.