Here are three things to watch in tonightโs Arizona-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN), plus a score prediction and some pertinent preview links:
1. RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS
Arizonaโs running back situation isnโt pretty. Starter Nick Wilson is questionable because of an ankle injury. Does questionable mean 50/50? In reality, itโs probably something less. Wilson missed most of the Hawaii game and all of the Washington game. It wasnโt a crippling loss while J.J. Taylor was doing his Darren Sproles impersonation. With Taylor out, though, the Wildcats really need Wilson to not only play but last four quarters. The alternatives all have limitations. Zach Green is serviceable but isnโt an explosive open-field runner (as Taylor and Wilson are when healthy). Tyrell Johnson is the fastest player on the team but ill-suited to a workhorse running role. The coaches are high on Branden Leon, but heโs an unproven walk-on. Samajie Grant just started taking reps at tailback this week. Can the Wildcats beat the Bruins with a makeshift running back corps? It wonโt be easy.
2. BRINGING BACK THE BLITZ
Donโt be surprised if Marcel Yates is more aggressive this week than last. Arizona did not blitz as much against Washington as it had in previous games. Some of the numbers โ the Wildcats sacked Jake Browning four times and limited him to 160 passing yards โ suggest that strategy more or less worked. But if you actually watched the game (which I did โฆ twice!) youโd know that Arizona didnโt consistently make Browning feel uncomfortable. Thatโs a must against Josh Rosen. The question isnโt so much how to do that but whoโs capable of it. It appears that Tellas Jones (ankle; probable) is going to return this week โ heโs one of the UAโs captains for the game โ but we thought heโd play last week as well and he couldnโt go. Jonesโ return would help immensely; heโs one of Arizonaโs best pass rushers (and playmakers in general). John Kenny made some plays at the โStudโ position normally occupied by DeAndreโ Miller (ankle; out) but isnโt a dynamic pass rusher. Personally, I like MLB Cody Ippolito in that role. If he can get in Rosenโs face regularly, the quarterback could struggle to find a rhythm.
3. CREATING DOUBT
Arizona hasnโt been competitive in its past two trips to the Rose Bowl, scoring just 17 points in a pair of one-sided losses. How can the Wildcats change their fortunes? A strong start is imperative. โArizonaโs got to find a way to create doubt early in the game so UCLA doesnโt feel like theyโre hitting on all cylinders,โ Fox Sports college football analyst Petros Papadakis told me. Itโs a great point. As Pac-12 guru Jon Wilner observed, UCLA could experience something of a hangover effect after coming oh-so-close to upsetting Stanford last week. The Wildcats could deflate the Bruins โ and the crowd โ by starting the way they did against the Huskies. (The UA was within 2 yards of going up 14-0 over a team that destroyed Stanford on Friday night. Yeah, college football is weird.) Interestingly, Arizona had a 7-0 lead the last time it visited Pasadena, in 2014. The Wildcats didnโt score again, losing 17-7. UCLA scored the first 28 points (in less than 19 minutes) en route to a 66-10 mauling in 2012.
FINAL SCORE: UCLA 30, Arizona 23
PREVIEW LINKS:
Arizonaโs goal vs. UCLA: Keep Rosen from rising
UA-UCLA Hot Sheet: On QB Dawkins' confidence, Twitter's impact, the new RBs
