There
is not a ton to look forward to in this matchup. The Buffs have been awful in conference, and
especially awful on the road. They are
overmatched in talent and probably coaching as well. UCLA has another very
athletic QB who can also throw very well and has a ton of weapons to
utilize. Additionally, they are really
pissed off after consecutive losses to big dogs Stanford and Oregon, and are
looking to exact some punishment on someone to re-boost their ego and hold on
the Pac12 South.
§ Line: UCLA is ranked as high as 17 and favored
by as much as 28 (opened at 24 with heavy betting on UCLA to cover).
§ Notes: From ESPN Pac12 blog: “UCLA leads
the all-time series, 6-2; Colorado has lost 12 straight games vs ranked opponents
overall, and 20 straight road games vs ranked opponents. The last time Colorado
defeated a ranked opponent on the road was a win at No. 20 UCLA in 2002.”
§ From
The Camera: Colorado has not yet won
in the state of California since it joined the Pac12.
§ The
Buffs have lost every coin toss this year and therefore usually get the ball as
most teams defer to the second half. If
that trend continues this week, they need to take the ball and make something happen!
§ I
don’t have specific stats, but the Buffs are absolutely terrible in the last few
minutes of the first half and the beginning of the third quarter. If they are actually in the game as the clock
approaches halftime, they need to stay focused and not give up a
momentum-crushing TD or TDs going into the locker room. Likewise, coaches must make some small
adjustments and make sure players are ready to play for the second half-there
is no warm-up period guys! This is
usually the defense, since most teams have deferred to get the ball to open the
third quarter.
§ Sledghammer: The team is not publicizing
this award anymore, so you have to see who runs onto the field with it. Last week, it was Woodson Greer carry the
hammer behind Ralphie. My guess for this
week would be Parker Orms, who had a nice game and a few big hits. There just aren’t as many candidates when you
are playing teams that are much bigger and
faster.
§ Depth Chart moves/Burn the Redshirt: UCLA has played 17 true freshmen this season
(plus 15 more redshirt frosh), while the Buffs have only had to use nine,
though if we had some of the Bruins here, they would certainly be playing. Last year the Bruins played 12 true and 14
more redshirt frosh, but no one hears them complaining about being young, even
having to start three true frosh on the o-line recently. They truly have the “next man up” mentality.
§ At
this point in the season, there is no more help coming. The Buffs are playing the guys they have to
rely on for the last five games. It is a
little scary trying to project next year’s lineup, especially at a few
positions, even though they are only going to lose a few seniors who are
actually playing on a regular basis.
§ Injuries: PRich and Michael Adkins are
still both considered questionable, but the wide receiver tweeted Wed. that he
shed the boot and intends to play. I don’t
think Adkins has practiced at all yet, which means he can’t go through the protocol
to return from a concussion.
§ UCLA
has had quite a few injuries, especially their offensive line, where they have
started three true frosh.
§ LB
Eric Kendricks is questionable and has been banged up a lot.
§ UCLA
RB Jordon James has missed three games (killing my fantasy team) with a
sprained ankle, but they may still keep him shelved against a team they should
be able to beat easily, saving him for the stretch run.
When the Buffs have the ball:
§ Sefo
Liufau will have to take a big step if the Buffs are to stay in this game. He has played very well for a true frosh, has
shown some poise at times, and has not made a ton of huge mistakes or
turnovers. However, he must continue to
improve, through repetition and film study, to make quicker reads and
decisions. He was just off on a few long
throws last week, but I expect that he has worked on that timing and they will
continue to take shots downfield. We
might have been led to believe that he was more of a runner than he is, but
there are times when the field opens in front of him and he has not taken
off. I wonder if Lindgren will start to
call more QB runs or options.
§ Even
assuming P-Rich is going to play, it will not be at 100%, so more than ever,
others need to step up. OC Lindgren must
get the ball into DD Goodson’s hands as he is dangerous with just a little
space. Ditto for Devin Ross, who is another player making a homecoming this
weekend.
§ Losing
Adkins will be a big blow for the Buffs as he has been the most effective RB, so
Powell, Jones and maybe Abron will have to pick up the slack. I think Powell can only be expected to do so
much and the role he was in with Adkins seemed to suit him well; likewise, we
have seen what Tony Jones can do.
Therefore, I really hope Abron gets a chance-I’m not sure what the
coaches don’t like as he has run well and even done some decent pass-blocking
at times. Powell and Abron both played
at nearby Upland, two of many players getting to play this weekend in front of
friends and family. Maybe Malcolm Creer gets a shot, why the hell not?
§ UCLA
has a solid if not spectacular defensive line, but the linebackers are the core of this team. LB Anthony Barr is one of
the best defensive players in the country and he lines up all over the place
and does everything. You will hear his
name called a lot and Sefo and others will be very tired of him by game’s end.
§ They
have an experienced rock in the middle with Jordan Zumwalt. We will also get a
chance to see yet another of the outstanding freshman linebackers in the
conference in Myles Jack (gotta love that name, especially for an LB)-if
Kendricks can’t go the Buffs may see a lot of him.
§ Since
the Buffs don’t have a TE threat, the linebackers will be free to focus on the
run and go after Sefo on passing downs.
The Buffs can either take advantage, or get shut down and crushed.
§ Anthony
Jefferson and Ishmael Adams lead the Bruin secondary (5 INTs between them).
When the Bruins have the ball:
§ Brett
Hundley is another versatile, mobile QB who can throw the ball. He is coming
off his worst week, but CU is who Pac12 teams call to get their QB some
ego-boosting stats. Mannion, Mariota and
Denker have all had career days against the Buffs and all were named Player of
the Week (only Taylor Kelly of ASU did not put up video game stats, but it’s
not like he was bad). The Buffs are
giving up well over 600 yards of offense to opposing teams in Pac12 play. Hundley is aware of this and wants to keep up
with the Joneses here.
§ LB
Woodson Greer has taken over LB duties in the nickel package, which the defense
should be in more often than not this week.
He is faster than Derrick Webb and seems to have good instincts, but just
not as experienced or as sure of a tackler (he gave up some big plays). He and everyone else need to wrap up this
week-yes, go for the strip but not at the expense of bringing the guy down.
§ Hundley
spreads the ball around and has a lot of fast receivers led by Shaquelle Evans
and Devin Fuller, who will challenge the secondary. He has hit 22 different receivers this
season. Plus, with Hundley a very
capable runner by design and improvisation, this will be a long day for Orms,
Bell and true frosh Tedric Thompson (I think we see some more of him this
week).
§ If
RB Jordon James is back this game, he will be hungry to make up for missed time,
although Paul Perkins and Malcolm Jones have done quite well in his absence.
§ The
Buff defensive line has been anything but impressive. They have very few sacks, have given up a ton
of rushing yardage, especially right up the middle, and although Chidera has a
few big plays, he is often doubled or just taken out of the play. Justin Solis has taken over the starting spot
inside next to Josh Tupou, over senior Nate Bonsu, but they still need more
from these four positions.
§ Samson
Kafovalu and De’Jon Wilson have both worked throught their issues and are
getting on the field more. Both are
versatile, able to play inside and out-maybe they can make a difference.
§ One
Bruins blogger expects UCLA to be aggressive and do things like go for it on 4th
down more often.
§ It’s
hard not to imagine the Bruins rolling up points and yards back in the Rose
Bowl. They are way more talented and
definitely faster (again) and probably a little hungry after two less than
stellar performances in big games by Hundley and his supporting cast.
Special Teams:
§ This
area was scary with some coaches’ decisions last week. Let Darragh do what he does best, punt the
damn ball!
§ Kickoff
coverage has been so much better and it helps that Oliver is hitting the ball
deeper and often gets touchback. However, Steven Manfro can break one if the
Buffs let up at all.
§ Ryan
Severson has his best kickoff return, but the Buffs are still losing this
battle overall.
§ I
know it’s risky, but if his ankle is healthy, I think P-Rich deserves a chance
to return a punt or two, especially when the punter is backed up.
§ UCLA
has blocked three kicks this year (11 in 21 games since Mora took over), so you
know it’s an area of emphasis for them.
§ Overall, pretty easy to pick UCLA here, and that they cover, even
though when I first started drafting this post, I hadn’t seen a spread
yet. The Buffs have been absolutely
terrible on the road, and until they break this trend, that is all I will
expect. Bruins 51 Buffs 17.
§ It’s
a long time until kickoff, so if you’re not stuck in a boring training all day
long, these might keep you occupied:
Stuart’s
TIPS: http://www.cuatthegame.com/2013/cu-at-no-17-ucla-preview/
Ralphie
Report Preview: http://www.ralphiereport.com/colorado-buffaloes-ucla-bruins/2013/10/30/5042732/colorado-buffaloes-ucla-bruins-game-preview
Plati’s
CU Game Notes: http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/gameday/ucla13/cunotes.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=600
UCLA Game
Notes: http://www.cubuffs.com/fls/600/gameday/ucla13/uclanotes.pdf
The formatting of this blog is about as good as the football team!
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