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Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs Stanford Cardinal

By Michael Chavez

Sep 17, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal team prepares to enter the field prior to a NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal team prepares to enter the field prior to a NCAA football game against the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Last week the UCLA Football squad demonstrated their growth on both sides of the ball as they traveled to Provo, Utah and knocked off the BYU Cougars. This week the Bruins are at home but face their biggest test of the season when the Stanford Cardinal come calling.

The 2015 match up between these two teams was unkind to the Bruins to say the least. The UCLA Football team was beaten 35-56 and it wasn’t even that close. It was another loss to a Cardinal team that has beaten the Bruins nine times in the past eight years. It goes without saying Jim Mora has been unable to knock off the Cardinal during his tenure in Westwood. That’s something that has not gone unnoticed by the Bruin faithful.

The Bruins were able to keep last season’s game close only through the first quarter before surrendering 21 points in both the second and third quarter. Not combined in those two quarters but in each one. The Bruins could only muster 20 points through three quarters. The silver lining to that game was the Stanford offense was silenced in the fourth and the Bruins scored 15 points to end the game. However that’s not much to get excited about. What was good to see was the fight that UCLA QB Josh Rosen showed by continuing to sling the ball despite the grim situation.

Next: UCLA Football: What's Bruin Show Episode 105-UCLA Football and The Pesky Stanford Cardinal

On Saturday the Bruins open their PAC-12 schedule in dramatic fashion by trying to knock off the team that has plagued them for almost a decade.

The Cardinal are coming off a strong win over the Trojans last week where star running back Christian McCaffrey went over 200 all purpose yards like clock work. Stanford has only had two games this season while the Bruins just wrapped up game three.

UCLA is hoping to make game number four, victory number three. To do that, they’ll need to know all they can about their opponent.