Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. Arizona 2017

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The UCLA Football team takes to the road to play the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson. The game takes place Saturday, October 14 at 9 p.m., and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Here’s what to expect from the Wildcats.

The UCLA Football team rode into their bye week with a close 27-23 win against a tough Colorado defense. With an extra week of practice, they now travel to Tucson looking to build upon the momentum their last victory created.

The Bruins currently hold a five-game winning streak against Arizona. The past, however, has no bearing on what will happen on Saturday.

No Pac-12 matchup is a cakewalk, and the Wildcats have the tools to exploit Bruins’ run defense. UCLA v. Arizona should be an exciting game of two 3-2 teams. One will break into the upper-echelon of the Pac-12 South, while the other will fall further into the basement.

Arizona’s Offense

Arizona started the season with Brandon Dawkins under center. He is a dual-threat quarterback, who makes efficient passes allowing him to maintain a 62.3 completion percentage. When he needs to run, his strength, field vision, and shiftiness make it hard to bring him down on the first hit. Tacklers trying to take him dow with poor form are usually unsuccessful.

In Arizona’s 63-16 UTEP, Dawkins went 18-21 for 155 yards and three touchdowns, while gaining 133 yards and scoring three times on the ground. Due to an injury sustained during the Wildcats’ match with Colorado, however, Dawkins may miss the UCLA game, but the Bruins won’t be able to rest on their laurels when it comes to preparing for backup quarterback Khalil Tate.

There is an entire article dedicated to the work Tate put in when taking over for Dawkins against Colorado. He has the speed of an elite running back, easily getting to the edge on outside runs. Once in the open field, his breakaway speed makes him very hard to catch. He also sees holes at the line of scrimmage when running up the middle, and hits them fast to quickly break into the secondary. Tate went 11-12 for 142 yards and a passing touchdown against Colorado, adding 327 yards and four touchdowns with his legs.