UCLA Football: A game of numbers – comparing UCLA and Fresno State

THIRD DOWN CONVERSION PERCENTAGE

UCLA:36.67% (76th in nation)

Fresno State: 42.86 (39th)

One huge reason the Bruins have had trouble scoring is the offense can’t stay on the field. Converting just better than a third of their third downs, the Bruins have lost out on scoring chances (and tired out their defense in the process). For the Bruins to put more points on the board, the offense needs to extend their drives long enough to get into better scoring position.

Fresno State’s number for this stat is also a bit exaggerated due to their opening game but nevertheless, the Bulldogs converted on third down when they needed to. An extra third down conversion each quarter could give the Bulldogs four extra scoring chances. So in a game that is expected to be low scoring, one more scoring chance could be the difference between a victory and defeat.

ADVANTAGE: Fresno State has shown a better ability than UCLA to make a third down when needed. As mentioned before, an extra third down conversion could mean the difference between a punt or a touchdown. With a game that expected to be low scoring, that extra scoring chance could be the difference in the game.