The writers of Go Joe Bruin once again get together to discuss the UCLA Football team’s next contest which comes against the Stanford Cardinal.
The UCLA Football team is already having a roller coaster season after a 2-game high followed by a defeat to Memphis low. It doesn’t get any easier as the Bruins step into Pac-12 play with their first conference matchhp coming against the Stanford Cardinal.
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Though both teams enter this game unranked, it will still be a wild contest. Here is what GJB has to say about UCLA vs. Stanford:
Keir Chapman, Stanford 41 – UCLA 31
UCLA hasn’t been able to stop the run all season, allowing opponents to average 5.8 yards per carry and two touchdowns per game. Stanford RB Bryce Love has been unstoppable, and the Bruins don’t have the personnel to change that, especially with Jaelan Phillips questionable with an ankle injury. Josh Rosen will have a bounce back game however, as Stanford’s pass defense has allowed has allowed a 65% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks. They do average an interception a game, but two of those came against Sam Darnold, who has thrown six INTs in three games.
Although Rosen and the running game will face defenders in the backfield all game, UCLA’s offense will find themselves in scoring position enough to keep the game close. At the end of the day, Love will allow the Cardinal to open up their offense, wear down the Bruins defense, and eventually take the win on their home field.
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Michael Chavez, Stanford 28 – UCLA 21
Pains me to say but the improvements and good signs we saw in the run defense against Memphis were one thing but this is Stanford. The Bruins struggle to stop Love but I think they get creative up front with personnel. The Bruins are able to have success moving the ball against the Cardinal but get bogged down in the red zone and Mora wants to send a message by only looking for touchdowns.
Nathan Eberhardt, Stanford 35 – UCLA 31
Stanford’s corners limit Rosen’s receiving options, and their rebuilding front seven welcomes the chance to take a step forward against the UCLA pass protection. The Bruins struggle to get anything going on the ground, leaving Rosen to try to hit his tight ends or Darren Andrews out of the slot on every possession. The Bruin defense fails to bounce back as Bryce Love makes people forget all about Christian McCaffrey with a monster day.
David Goldman, Stanford 31 – UCLA 28
UCLA just cant stop the run… The offense plays better against Shaw’s defense than in years past but this time its the injury plagued defense that can’t hold its own. Love rushes for at least 150 and 1 touchdown and Keller Chryst makes some timely throws on third down. I really hope I’m wrong.
Andrew Goodman, UCLA 23 – Stanford 20
College football is so unpredictable. I don’t think this will be a high scoring game because Stanford loves to chew out the clock. Bryce Love will have a good game, but UCLA’s pass defense will prevail. Josh Rosen will finally be the QB to beat the Stanford Cardinal.
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Michael Hanna, Stanford 31 – UCLA 17
This isn’t a reflection of who I think should win or who matches up better with whom. The bottom line is this: when it comes to UCLA facing Stanford moreso than any other team it faces, the Bruins are Charlie Brown and Stanford is Lucy pulling away the football at the last second. Even though Stanford is at as low a point as it has been since Mora got to UCLA and this seems like an ideal time for the Bruins to break the Stanford Hex, UCLA always seems to find a way to shoot itself in the foot repeatedly against the Cardinal and basically carry Stanford over the line even when the Tree doesn’t even play well itself. So I’m just counting on that happening again because I’ve seen this movie before. Expecting the worst, hoping for the best.
Muna Osisioma, Stanford 27 – UCLA 21
This is UCLA’s best bet to end the streak. Stanford is clearly having a down year and UCLA has a tremendous passing game. However, Stanford does the one thing that UCLA has struggled to handle thus far and that’s run the ball. On the other hand, UCLA has yet to use the run as a consistent weapon and has been one dimensional. That makes the Bruins predictable and plays into Stanford’s hands. Advantage: Stanford. Although I would not be surprised if the game went the other way.
Mike Regalado, UCLA 38 – Stanford 32
I have a weird feeling about this game. Part of it has to do with Pac-12 After Dark. The offensive and defensive matchups are going to be very interesting to watch. I do not know what will cause more calamity, UCLA’s high-scoring offense against Stanford’s solid secondary and weakened offensive line or UCLA’s injury plagued defense against Stanford’s horrible passing game and otherworldly run game. I just know that this is a game both teams need to and want to win. The key factor for me… Rosen and his receivers. They will pull UCLA out of this nine-game funk against the Cardinal.
David Rosenthal, UCLA 24 – Stanford 20
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After dismantling Rice in Australia more than a month and a half ago, Stanford has yet to get a victory on American soil. Offensively the Cardinal has struggled, scoring just 41 combined points in their past two games, both loses. QB Keller Chryst hasn’t been spectacular. In three games he’s thrown 4 TDs and a total of 425 yards in the air. On the ground, Bryce Love has looked good averaging over 12 yards per carry. He will give the Bruins the most trouble as UCLA refuses to stop anyone running the ball.
A big problem with Stanford is their ability to score. If UCLA gets a few injured players back on defense, they could pack the box attempting to slow down Stanford’s run game and force Chryst to beat them. UCLA will stick with Bolu Olorunfunmi in the backfield and he’ll prove he’s the #1 RB by gaining at least 80 yards. This will open up the passing game letting Josh Rosen hit Darren Andrews, Jordan Lasley, and Theo Howard all day. Rosen solidifies himself as “The Chosen One” by breaking UCLA’s losing streak against Stanford.
Matt Wagner, Stanford 24 – UCLA 21
The Bruins come into their annual game against Stanford looking to right the ship after a close loss to Memphis, but on the surface it doesn’t look like that will happen.
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One of the Bruins big issues so far this season is their difficulty in stopping the run game. Granted, Stanford hasn’t looked that great this year with two losses, but unless UCLA can vastly improve their run defense a loss might be coming on Saturday.
GJB Total win predictions:
Stanford 7 – UCLA 3