Saturday Spotlight
(9) UCLA Bruins at (10) Oregon Ducks
UCLA: They’ve been fun to watch this year. If you’ve followed Chip Kelly and his history as a coach, offense has always been a top priority for his teams. Scoring points certainly hasn’t been an issue for this group this year. Once again, Chip has assembled one of the best offenses in the nation with Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and former Michigan Running Back, Zach Charbonnet. These two have become one of the best tandems in the country and have helped guide the Bruins to the third-ranked offense in the Pac-12 with 41 points per game and first in yards per play with 7.2. I could rave about Dorian or better known as “DTR” all day long. He’s a dual threat Quarterback that makes their offense go. This year however, he’s poised for his best season as a passer. Dorian has completed 74 percent of his passes on the year, so he’s showing he can attack a defense with his arm. On the defensive side, UCLA might not be elite by the definition, but they can make stops, get off the field, create havoc and enough takeaways to make an impact and get the ball back for their elite offense. They are at the top of the conference with 12 takeaways, but you can’t always depend on that. Say if you don’t force a turnover, then what? Today, they’ll travel south for a conference showdown.
Oregon: The opening season game can be considered a blur at this point. Yes, Georgia destroyed them, and questions arose whether they should’ve been ranked at all which is silly to me because that was the first game of the year which tells you everything, but Georgia is also that doggone good. Since then, they’ve flown under the radar and handled their business as winners of five consecutive games. They have two impressive wins. One on BYU who came to Eugene and got humbled and Washington State on the road in Pullman which is a tough place to play. Oregon football will always throw one thing that comes to mind and that’s offense. Bo Nix has righted the ship along with Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham to guide this Ducks offense to 42 points per contest. Just remember, this is the same group that was held to a field goal back in week one against the defending national champs (Georgia). Since then, this offense has scored 40 or more points in five straight games, including three in a row over Pac-12 opponents. I like how Bo has looked. The question was could he put it altogether in the right system? So far, he’s accounted for 20 touchdowns (12 throwing and eight rushing). Can we give this Offensive Line some credit? They’re being bullies in the trenches and opening lanes for the running game that’s averaging six yards per carry and they’ve allowed only one sack on the season. I still think there’s a bit more work to be done if they want to reach the conference title game. Today, they welcome Chip Kelly and those Bruins to town.
UCLA X-Factor: Zach Charbonnet– I’m so happy to see him taking advantage of another opportunity. Zach never stops moving. He’s such a force with the football in his hands and he’s a tough guy to bring down because he’s so powerful, drives his feet until he gets those extra yards and doesn’t shy away from any type of contact. What stands out about his game is how balanced he remains when contact comes his way. Zach just bounces off tacklers which allows him to get an additional five to seven yards.
Oregon X-Factor: Noah Sewell– He’s the next great Linebacker incoming. His speed to the football is remarkable because he sees where the play is first going, then he’s attacking and making the tackle. Noah’s vision is also what makes him stand out to scouts because he can jump in, fake back, keep his eyes on the Quarterback and he’s making the interception. He will get to that football by all means. I look for him to be all in on stopping DTR.
Final Thoughts: Chip Kelly is back in Eugene. Since leaving Oregon, he’s yet to beat his former team since taking the job at UCLA. Is today the day? UCLA will run the football and I expect them to run it early on and try to wear down the Oregon defensive front which won’t be easy because Oregon is solid at shutting down the run. The running game will set the tone early on for Bruins and this could determine the outcome of the game. For Oregon, playing keep away from DTR is crucial. Ball management and slowing the game down might be beneficial for them. I need to see the Bruins defense not depend on the takeaway so much. If Oregon can keep DTR in the pocket and bottle up Zach, they will have a shot. The last time UCLA won in Oregon was in 2004.
Prediction: Oregon 37, UCLA 33
