Here are three things to watch in tonightβs 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
Arizonaβs running back situation isnβt pretty. Starter Nick Wilson is questionable because of an ankle injury. Does questionable mean 50/50? In reality, itβs probably something less. Wilson missed most of the Hawaii game and all of the Washington game. It wasnβt 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 isnβt 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 heβs 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 wonβt be easy.
2. BRINGING BACK THE BLITZ
Donβt 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 β the Wildcats sacked Jake Browning four times and limited him to 160 passing yards β suggest that strategy more or less worked. But if you actually watched the game (which I did β¦ twice!) youβd know that Arizona didnβt consistently make Browning feel uncomfortable. Thatβs a must against Josh Rosen. The question isnβt so much how to do that but whoβs capable of it. It appears that Tellas Jones (ankle; probable) is going to return this week β heβs one of the UAβs captains for the game β but we thought heβd play last week as well and he couldnβt go. Jonesβ return would help immensely; heβs one of Arizonaβs best pass rushers (and playmakers in general). John Kenny made some plays at the βStudβ position normally occupied by DeAndreβ Miller (ankle; out) but isnβt a dynamic pass rusher. Personally, I like MLB Cody Ippolito in that role. If he can get in Rosenβs face regularly, the quarterback could struggle to find a rhythm.
3. CREATING DOUBT
Arizona hasnβt 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. βArizonaβs got to find a way to create doubt early in the game so UCLA doesnβt feel like theyβre hitting on all cylinders,β Fox Sports college football analyst Petros Papadakis told me. Itβs 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 β and the crowd β 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 didnβt 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:
Arizonaβs goal vs. UCLA: Keep Rosen from rising
UA-UCLA Hot Sheet: On QB Dawkins' confidence, Twitter's impact, the new RBs
