UCLA at Texas
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Saturday the No.7 ranked Texas Longhorns will host the UCLA Bruins in a Big 12 vs. Pac-10 showdown. The Longhorns improved to 3-0 on the season with a nice win on the road over instate rival Texas Tech last week, while the Bruins grabbed their first win of the year, beating then No.23 Houston 31-13. If you are thinking about betting on this game, the current lines have the Longhorns favored by 15.5-points over the Bruins at home.
UCLA (1-2): Bruins fans have to be happy with the way their team played against Houston this past weekend. UCLA looked anything like a team that could beat one of the nations best after the first two games of the season, especially after Stanford came to town the week before and beat them 35-0. The Bruins didn’t just beat Houston, they won convincingly.
The defense forced three huge interceptions in win, injured Houston’s star quarterback Kase Keenum, and then later forced out backup Cotton Turner with a shoulder injury. It wasn’t as if the loss of Keenum played a huge role in the win for the Bruins, as Keenum was just 10 of 18 for 83 yards with two interceptions.
The Bruins run game was also a major factor against Houston, as the Bruins racked up 266 yards on the ground, led by Johnathan Franklin, who had 158 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. There is a major concern that remains for the Bruins offense, they can not throw the football. They are averaging just 100 yards a game, and had just 99 yards in the win over Houston.
Texas (3-0): The Longhorns showed why they are still one of the top teams in the country with their impressive win on the road over Texas Tech. Texas jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but as expected the Red Raiders came fighting back and tied the game at 14-14, but the Texas defense proved its dominance in the second half, as the Red Raiders were unable to put any more points in a 24-14 Texas win.
Quarterback Garrett Gilbert threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but for the first time this season Gilbert was unable to protect the football, as the threw three interceptions. Foshwitt Whittaker and Cody Johnson combined for 90 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, as Texas continues to use multiple backs to move the ball on the ground this season.
The Longhorns also had a fumble in the game, giving them four turnovers on the game, but barely lost the turnover battle, as the defense forced two interceptions and recovered a fumble of their own. The fact that the Red Raiders scored just 14 points on four Longhorn turnovers, shows you just how good the Texas defense is.
Looking at the Odds: If you want my advice, I think there is no question that you have to take Texas -15.5 against the Bruins. Unlike the Cougars the Longhorns are going to be able to move the ball on the ground, and I think we see the Bruins offense fall back to the form it showed in the first two games. My final score prediction is Texas 31, UCLA 10.
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