The UCLA Football team take on Texas A&M at 4:30 p.m. Sunday night at the Rose Bowl. The game will be televised on FOX. Here’s what should be expected from the Aggies when they travel to Los Angeles.
The UCLA Football team kicked off last season against Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station. The first game in a home-and-home series had a less than ideal outcome for the Bruins, who are hoping a rematch at the Rose Bowl will redeem the 31-24 overtime loss they suffered.
RELATED: The Go Joe Bruin 2017 UCLA Football Season Preview
The usually high-octane UCLA offense was stifled for three quarters, before exploding to 14 fourth quarter points, highlighted by a 62-yard touchdown pass from Josh Rosen to Kenneth Walker.
The two-point conversion pass to Austin Roberts led to an unexpected overtime. In the extra frame, Texas A&M regained control, scoring on a Trevor Knight touchdown run, before forcing the Bruins to turn the ball over on downs the next series.
"Did You Know… Texas A&M last played UCLA in Los Angeles in 1955, losing 21-0 to the Bruins."
A year later, despite changes for both rosters, the game is expected to be another nail-bitter. Here’s what should be expected from the Aggies when they take the field in Los Angeles.
Texas A&M Offense
Knight was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, but Texas A&M has already become accustom to playing without him. Knight suffered a shoulder injury against Mississippi State last season, giving Jake Hubenak valuable time at the helm of the Aggies’ offense.
Hubenak finished 2016 with 884 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions, and is currently in a battle with redshirt freshman Nick Starkel, and true freshman Kellen Mond for the starting role. Although Hubernak is the only quarterback of there three to have played in a collegiate game, Starkel’s arm and Mond’s athleticism are giving head coach Kevin Sumlin a tough decision as to who will line up under center against UCLA.
While the quarterback position is a question mark, the Aggies return their two stellar running backs, Keith Ford and Trayveon Williams. Both runners found success last season running through the middle, where Ford used his 5’11” and 215 pounds to overpower tacklers, while Williams evaded contact with a mix of speed and good footwork. Against the Bruins last year, Ford scored the game’s first touchdown on a 7-yard run, while Williams led everyone in rushing yards with 94.
The biggest roster change for Texas A&M’s offense comes at the receiver position. This is fortunate for UCLA, as they have seen big changes at defensive back. The Aggies lost their leading receiver in Josh Reynolds, as well as, serviceable pass catchers in Ricky Seal-Jones and Speedy Noil.
Currently, only two receivers have college experience on the Aggies’ depth chart: Christian Kirkland, who will be looked to as the team’s star receiver after scoring nine touchdowns a year ago, and the rarely used Damion Ratley. Four-star receivers Hezekiah Jones and Jhamon Ausbon will most likely be forced to make contributions despite being true freshmen.
Last but certainly not least, is Texas A&M’s offensive line, which will be without last season’s starting tackles Avery Gennesy and Jermaine Eluemunor. Even without these two, the backfield is in good hands as the current rendition of the offensive line has tons of experience. The Aggies allowed 21 sacks last year, only three fewer than the 24 sacks UCLA allowed, so the Bruins should have opportunities to get to the quarterback.
Texas A&M Defense
Josh Rosen struggled mightily against the Aggies defense in last year’s matchup, and unfortunately, there has been little change to the stout Texas A&M secondary which picked Rosen off three times.
RELATED: GJB’s Q&A with Gig’em Gazette about Texas A&M
One significant blow that has been dealt to the Aggies’ defensive backs is the potential loss of cornerback Nick Harvey to a knee injury. He was pivotal in defeating UCLA, leading all players with 11 tackles. Although he only had one interception in 2016, Harvey served as the secondary’s enforcer, coming in first on the team in passes defended with 10, and third in overall tackles with 66.
Texas A&M’s other top cornerback, Priest Willis, has been deemed questionable for the season opener against UCLA as well, due to an undisclosed injury. Willis was responsible for one of the three Rosen interceptions, and finished the season with eight defended passes.
Those thinking that passing the ball will become easier with Harvey and potentially Willis sidelined are mistaken. Justin Evans and Armani Watts will ensure any yards through the air are hard fought. Evans collected two interceptions against UCLA, and finished the season with four. Watts made life difficult for the Bruins all game, sacking Rosen once and notching seven tackles in total.
The key to causing turnovers begins with the front seven, where much of Texas A&M’s roster turnover has occurred. Rosen can breathe a sigh of relief, as defensive end Myles Garrett went first overall in NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns. Along with Garrett, linebacker Shaan Washington leaves after leading the team in tackles with 104. Defensive lineman Daeshon Hall has also departed after a season that ended with 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.
To play to the strengths of the returning front seven, the Aggies are planning to switch to a 3-4 defensive scheme. This will allow for defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, who finished last season with four sacks, to thrive in his role as a pass rusher. Linebacker Otaro Alaka will be tasked with taking down any ball carrier, an area in which he found great success, coming in fourth on Texas A&M with 65 tackles. Defensive lineman Zaycoven Henderson will need to disrupt plays in the backfield as he did a year ago when he collected 10 tackles for a loss.
"Did You Know… Texas A&M was the featured football team in the 1982 musical, ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’. They have their own dance number and quite the memorable hook."
Final Word
This has all the making of a ground game. Texas A&M’s rushing attack scored three touchdown on the Bruins, although two of those came from Knight, and put up 203 yards. Meanwhile, the majority of the secondary set to take the field in 2017 made life miserable in Rosen in 2016.
Next: The Go Joe Bruin 2017 season preview
Bruins’ running back Bolu Olorunfunmi is poised for a breakout season, and can go a long way in helping his cause by bowling over the Aggies’ new front seven. It will be a tight battle, but if Jim Mora and Rosen can figure out how to effectively move the ball through the air, and UCLA’s defensive line can force one of Texas A&M’s three new quarterbacks to beat the Bruins with the pass, UCLA should be able to avenge last year’s loss.
Predicition
UCLA 27 – Texas A&M 24