Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. Arizona 2017

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Arizona’s Offense (cont.)

It’s no secret at this point that UCLA’s defense is weak against the run. They easily lead the Pac-12 in rushing yards allowed per game with 284. Against dual-threat quarterbacks, however, they have yet to be burned too badly. Kellen Mond, of Texas A&M, and Steven Montez, of Colorado, both have over 150 passing attempts, and exactly 65 rushing attempts.

Each had a crack at UCLA’s defense, and the Bruins held both to a combined average of 135 passing yards and 0.5 touchdowns, along with 81 rushing yards and no touchdowns in these games. Most importantly, UCLA walked away with two wins.

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Outside of Dawkins and Tate, Arizona doesn’t have a huge threat at running back, but boasts great depth at the position. J.J. Taylor and Nick Wilson are the third and fourth leading rushers in terms of yards with 258 and 213 respectively. Nathan Tilford is second amongst all rushers in yards per attempt with nine, but has only carried the ball 12 times for 116 yards.

When it comes to short-yardage and goal line situations, the 5’10” 229 pound Zach Green can pick up tough yards. Two of his three touchdowns have come on 1-yard runs, so the Bruins can’t afford to let the Wildcats get too close to the endzone.

UCLA is fortunate that Arizona’s pass offense is the weakest in the conference. The Wildcats average 175 yards per game on just 25 passing attempts per game. The Bruins secondary has been sturdy, but not always spectacular this season, as they’ve allowed the third most passing touchdowns per game in the Pac-12 with two. To UCLA’s credit, opposing quarterbacks only complete an average of 52% of their passes against them, second lowest in the conference.

Arizona’s leading receiver, Tony Ellison, averages 16 yards per reception and has two touchdowns on the year, so it will be an interesting test to see if the Bruins can shut down his big play ability.