Saturday Spotlight
(10) Oregon Ducks at UCLA Bruins
Oregon: After the big win in Columbus against the Ohio State Buckeyes, they haven’t been as sharp. I remember on the first episode I recorded of Monday Evening Quarterback, I stated that game was their introduction to the rest of the country because many don’t know about them considering they play on the west coast. Against the Stanford Cardinal a few weeks ago, they showed their vulnerabilities and would end up being upset at the hands of their conference rival. At 5-1. all should be well, right? Not necessarily. What’s made the Oregon offense so successful this year has been their ability to run the football. They attack defenses with a ground attack that gashes opponents to the tune of 201 yards per game. Anthony Brown hasn’t needed to do much because of the running game and being able to lean on that. Against California last weekend, Oregon didn’t look that strong. I’ll always say it. When you have an opponent, you know you’re more than capable of beating, you hammer down early on and as often as you can, and they didn’t do that. Yes, they were able to escape with a win, but it was closer than I think they would’ve liked. In other words, they let the Golden Bears hang around. Today, they’re in Los Angeles for a big-time conference game.
UCLA: I still remember when Chip Kelly left the college ranks to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. What he wanted to do worked for a year, then he ended up getting fired. Following a stint in Philly, he was hired by the San Francisco 49ers, and he was fired from there as well. The point I’m getting at is some can make that transition over from college to the NFL. Since coming back to college, he has a record of 15-23. I like the strides these Bruins have made this season. This isn’t the normal Chip Kelly offense you’re accustomed to seeing. His offensive philosophy has been speed and tempo. Now, he enjoys controlling the clock and winning the time of possession battles. Zach Charbonnet has been a godsend to this offense. Yeah, I’m talking about the former Michigan running back. From a defensive standpoint, they’re nothing to brag about overall. They’ve been excellent when it comes to stopping the run and they’ll force a turnover and be active to the football. It’s been a nice season for this legendary program. Today, they’ll welcome a divisional opponent to town.
Oregon X-Factor: Anthony Brown– I need him to be on his a game today. UCLA is one of the best at stopping the running game in the Pac-12. They will do all they can to bottle up CJ Verdell and Travis Dye. Anthony has been up and down as of late. Last week against California, he threw for 244 yards passing and completed 71 percent of his passes. This is the guy we need to see today. He does this, the Ducks will have a good shot at winning the football game.
UCLA X-Factor: Greg Dulcich– He’s a very dependable football player whether it’s on the deep routes or in mid-range passes. If you don’t circle in on Greg, he’ll sneak behind your coverage and be wide open. His breakaway speed after the catch stands out to me. He can force the Oregon defense to clamp down in the box more to be honest in stopping the run. I can’t wait to see how Oregon will try to limit him.
Final Thoughts: This is one of the biggest games in the Pac-12 in recent memory. I’m looking to see if Oregon can recapture the same dominance it had after the week two win against the Ohio State Buckeyes. This is the perfect spot for them to re-establish themselves as the team to beat in the conference. UCLA is looking to win their first conference title since 1998. One thing I’ve noticed about this Bruins team is they tend to struggle against aggressive defenses and athletic offenses. Oregon just happens to have both of those. I see both defenses forcing turnovers in this game today. I’m circling in on Kayvon Thibodeaux if I’m UCLA. If unattended, he will wreck your entire offensive gameplan. Can Anthony Brown remain consistent? He’s been so up and down as of late. He will need to make a big throw with his arm in this game.
Prediction: Oregon 31, UCLA 24
