Last season BYU gave the UCLA Football team a run for their money. This year, it could be a lot more difficult.
Things were looking very good for the UCLA Football team heading into the third game of the 2015 season against BYU. It appeared that the Bruins would roll heading into conference season behind the strong arm and hot play of the offense led by true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.
Related Story: UCLA Has Certain Positional Needs
Unfortunately, reality smacked the Bruins right in the face as this brutish team mauled UCLA for three quarters. They pressured and flustered Rosen, forcing three interceptions and had the lead for most of the game.
It wasn’t until the last five minutes that the Bruins asserted themselves and pulled out an epic come-from-behind victory over the Cougars. Not only was this an important game that showed the Bruins have grown up, but it was also the last time we saw Myles Jack in blue and gold. Special and unfortunate.
With UCLA capturing the lead late in the game, BYU had a final chance to win, but that was disrupted when Jack intercepted a Tanner Mangum pass in the final minute, solidifying the the win for UCLA.
I expect to see a similar game in 2016.
Related Story: UCLA Vs. Texas A&M Early Analysis
Related Story: UCLA Vs. UNLV Early Analysis
2015 Record and Recap
BYU Cougars 9-4 (Independent)
The Cougars had a brutal start to their 2015 campaign. Not only did they lose the very versatile and very dangerous starting QB Taysom Hill in Game 1, but they had to endure three tough road games to begin the year.
With back-up QB Tanner Mangum taking over in Game 1, he pulled off a well-timed Hail Mary on the road against Nebraska. The following week against Boise State, he did it again. It was looking like he would once again be the hero in Game 3 at UCLA with a final drive, but Myles Jack knew that script and stepped in front of a pass at the UCLA 39-yard line to seal the Bruin’s victory.
The next week at Michigan, the Wolverines slapped around BYU with a 31-0 demolishing. But that is where the tough times ended and things started looking up for the Cougars. Though BYU had a lighter schedule after four tough games to start the season, it couldn’t come at a better time as they won their next five and seven of their last nine.
Related Story: BYU: The Dirtiest Team in College Football
They would have won eight of those games, but a run-in with in-state rival Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl was too much for them to overcome. Though they had their ups and downs, we soon found out, like the Wu-Tang Clan, BYU ain’t nothing to mess with and this year we will see the full extent of that.
This year will be a change as BYU has moved one from the Bronco Mendenhall years and on to the Kilani Sitake era. Will Sitake have the same mentality or will he bring a fresh perspective? All questions about both teams should be answered by the time these two teams meet on September 17 at 7:15 p.m. PT.
Next: 3 Key Players and Stats
3 Key Players
QB Tanner Mangum (So.)/ Taysom Hill (Sr.)
We took two quarterbacks here, awkward, right? Here is the thing, the Cougars have a serious QB battle on their hands.
UCLA Bruins
Does new Offensive Coordinator Ty Detmer go with the consistently-named-#1-but-has-season-ending-injurys Hill or does he choose Tanner “Hail Mary” Mangum? Either way, what you should know is that BYU has two very good QBs at their disposal, so it does not matter who starts for the Cougars, because both are going to give the Bruins a hard time.
RB Jamaal Williams (Sr.)
Williams was on a roll in 2014 and could have done some real damage if it was not for the fact that a knee injury sidelined him after eight games. But then it got worse as he was suspended for the entire 2015 season. With drama out of the way and only 929 yards to the BYU all-time rushing record, Williams looks to properly have his head on his shoulders this season which gives BYU’s new power offense some punch.
S Kai Nacua (Sr.)
Nacua is deadly in the pass defense. He has good coverage, is agile and is not afraid to get dirty. Last year he totaled 6 interceptions which he ran back for a total of 137 yards. Last season he was 4th on BYU with 66 tackles and looks to improve on that this year.
Stats
- BYU was 21st in passing in the FBS last season with 296.5 ypg
- The Cougar’s game Vs. UCLA was the only one they scored more than 30 points and lost
- UCLA gave up 405 total yards to BYU, the first of 9 games the Bruins gave up over 400 yards.
- UCLA leads the all-time series, 8-3
- The last time UCLA went to Provo (2008), they lost to BYU, 59-0
Next: Offenses Vs. Defenses
UCLA Offense Vs. BYU Defense
BYU could be a clone of UCLA. Not only are they showing more power in the offense, but they are thickening up their defensive line as they adjust from a 3-4 to a 4-3 formation. If that helps them get better, then the BYU defense (which was 23rd in the nation in total defense) will give the Bruins a lot of trouble, but will they know exactly what to do with Josh Rosen and UCLA when they come to Provo?
Rosen will remember the three quarters of hell the Cougars gave him last year in Pasadena. He should also remember how he pulled it together at the end of the game and had help from Paul Perkins and Nate Starks to win the game. Though Perkins is gone, Starks, Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi should be able to continue to run over the BYU defense.
Related Story: The Dirtiest Team in College Football? BYU!
UCLA Defense Vs. BYU Offense
Ty Detmer (yes, that Heisman winning Ty Detmer) is back at his alma mater this season and looking to change things up. Last season, BYU went to a more power-based offense (similar to UCLA) with some success. Despite Detmer’s potential bias for the passing game, odds are that we could see more runs from the Cougars now that they have Williams back.
In 2015, BYU gave up 128.3 ypg (111th in FBS), but with the addition of Williams, they could probably get between 150-200 ypg in 2016. That would be a problem for UCLA if they do not fix their run defense that gave up 198.5 ypg.
After facing Texas A&M and UNLV, the Bruins should have a clue about where they stand said run defense. If it continues to be horrendous, BYU could run over the Bruins. If there is some improvement and UCLA forces BYU to go to the sky, the Bruins could have the advantage. Either way, the Bruins need to be on their toes every second of this game!
Next: Final Analysis and Prediction
Final Analysis
This is going to be a hard game to call all the way up to game day. The expectations for both teams to win are going to be high. That alone makes this a must-win game for each. For BYU, they will get national recognition for beating a Power 5 team. For UCLA, the chance to go 3-0 against a strong Cougar team and an SEC team (pending the Bruins beat the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 1) should put them in good position in the Top 25 polls.
Related Story: Did you know BYU is the dirtiest team in College Football?
Either way, this is going to be a tough game to play and probably a tough game to watch. Last year it was a back and forth battle of defensive stops sprinkled in with a few key offensive plays. It should not differ this season. In all honesty, I would not be surprised if this game is a carbon copy of 2015’s game.
The interesting thing to watch for is how all the veteran players on both teams respond to the pressure of this early season game. With the BYU players, on average, being older than the UCLA players, I would not be surprised is BYU is favored in this game by six points, especially with it being in Provo.
But this is the second go-round with Rosen and I expect him and the Bruins to put up a fight.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
Next: Bovada Gives UCLA Best Odds to Win the South
Prediction
UCLA 28 – BYU 27
Go Bruins!