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Keys to Victory: UCLA Football vs. UNLV Rebels

By James Puryear

Oct 31, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (center) waits on the sideline during the third quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. The UCLA Bruins won 35-31. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (center) waits on the sideline during the third quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. The UCLA Bruins won 35-31. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coming off a close loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, the UCLA Football team look to rebound against the UNLV Rebels at the Rose Bowl. Here are the Keys to victory for the Bruins.

The UCLA Football team looks to put behind their loss to the Aggies as they face the UNLV Rebels in their home opener this Saturday.

Related Story: UCLA Football: Bruins Drop in the AP-Poll

The Bruins open as heavy favorites against the Rebels, but if they want to avoid being the newest big upset, they’ll need to accomplish some key objectives.

1.  Executing on offense

For most of the game last Saturday, the UCLA offense struggled to execute. Whether it was dropped passes, lack of time in the pocket, inaccurate throws what have you. Most damningly, the Bruins failed to capitalize in the red zone until the 4th quarter.

It’s not uncommon for teams to struggle with execution the first game of the season. Remember that last year Stanford got off to an embarrassingly slow start by losing to Northwestern 16-6 before becoming one of the best offenses in the country.

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UCLA has a lot to like about its offense.  It has a quarterback in Josh Rosen who can make a legitimate run at a Heisman trophy.  Kenny Walker has become a reliable pass catcher and has an incredibly potential as a terrifying deep threat.

The Bruins have a great stable of running backs with Soso Jamabo, Bolu Olorunfunmi, and Nate Starks.  I truly believe the Bruins have the pieces in place to be a special offense.

However, UCLA isn’t there yet.  Going into UNLV the Bruins need to play to their potential and execute on the offensive side of the ball. If they do that, Rosen should be able to consistently lead his team into the end zone against the Rebels.

2. Stopping the run

UCLA gave up 203 yards to the Aggies last weekend in college station on an average of five yards per carry. On the flip side UNLV rushed for 280 yards on 6.4 yards a carry in their 63-13 win over Jackson State.

Jackson State is an FCS team that went 3-8 in the 2015 season, so the running yards by the Rebels should be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, stopping the run will be a key factor in limiting the Rebel offense.

Additionally, looking ahead, if UCLA can’t consistently stop the run this game, the defense is going to be in for a long day against teams like Stanford down the line.

3.  Keeping down UNLV’s athletes

UNLV has a couple of athletes that the Bruins will need to stay wary of, namely quarterback Johnny Stanton, and receiver Devonte Boyd.

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Stanton out of high school was a 4* QB that originally signed with Nebraska. After two years, and not much playing time Stanton went to JUCO then transferred back into D1. Now Stanton finds himself the the starting quarterback of the Rebels.

Some current UCLA players like Keisean Lucier-South, have described him as a good, dual threat quarterback. In his debut as a Rebel against UNLV, Stanton demonstrated to be an accurate quarterback, often hitting receivers in stride and going 10/12 for 223 yards.

As mentioned, he’s also a threat as a runner, rushing for 35 yards on 4 attempts.  UCLA will need to remain disciplined in the pass rush to keep him from scrambling for first downs.

Boyd is one of the best receivers in the Mountain West Conference, and is coming off a three touchdown 135 yard performance. According to defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, Boyd is one of the best receivers UCLA played against in 2015 (video below).

When you watch the tape of the UNLV-Jackson State game, Boyd immediately pops off the screen as a dynamic player with fantastic athletic ability.

Shutting down Boyd will go a long way in stifling the Rebels passing attack as he is their main go to guy in the air.  Their number 2 receiver

Darren Woods Jr

, only had 35 yards.

Next: Bruins open as heavy favorites over UNLV

Personally, I’m really looking forward to see how UCLA improves from its week 1 loss as it gears up to try to make a run at a PAC-12 championship.