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Jumping back into the rankings after a one-week hiatus, the UCLA Bruins need to win out in order to have a chance at a conference title in the tightly-contest Pac-12 South. The Bruins are coming off a very close road victory against California and will need to capitalize on that luck in this road game against one of the conference’s worst teams.
With an 0-4 record in Pac-12 play, losing by an average of 12.5 points per game, the Colorado Buffaloes are desperate for a victory and they don’t care how they get it. Despite the 2-5 record, the Buffaloes are a much-improved team compared to last year’s squad and they could surprise some people in the second half of the year.
Brett Hundley leads the UCLA offense as the team’s quarterback and he is one of the best at his position in the entire nation, despite a dip in production in two recent losses. Hundley leads the 24th-best passing offense in the country with 1,856 yards, 13 touchdowns and a very accurate 72 percent completion rate. The junior quarterback’s accuracy hasn’t gone unnoticed by receivers, especially Jordan Payton who leads the team with 42 catches for 599 yards and five touchdowns. Thomas Duarte is second on the team in receiving with 329 yards and two scores on 18 catches while four other receivers have over 100 yards. Paul Perkins has been a pleasant surprise this season, rushing for 813 yards and three touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry, while Hundley has added 305 yards and four touchdowns of his own on the ground.
Despite having such a poor record, the Colorado Buffaloes’ passing offense has been one of the best in the nation behind second-year starter, Sefo Liufau. The sophomore quarterback leads the 18th-ranked pass offense with 2,030 yards, 21 touchdowns and a 65 percent completion rate, surpassing most of his numbers from a season ago and we are just halfway through the year. Junior wide out Nelson Spruce has taken over No. 1 receiving duties to lead the team with an incredible 71 catches for 801 yards and 11 touchdowns. The next closest receivers are Shay Fields and Tyler McCulloch who have 292 and 282 yards, respectively, with a combined five touchdowns. The rush offense hasn’t been nearly as impressive, ranking 71st in the nation, while Christian Powell and Tony Jones lead the way with a combined 540 yards and three touchdowns. Three more running backs have over 100 yards on the ground as well.
Colorado has one of the worst defensive units in the entire nation as it has struggled to stop the pass as well as the run. The Buffaloes rank 93rd in total yards allowed, allowing over 250 pass yards each outing, and 121st in points allowed per game. The Bruins haven’t been that much better in 2014; they allow nearly 30 points per game, good for 88th in the country, and 425 total yards per contest, good for 86th nationally. The Bruins will have to sneak out a win in a raucous atmosphere at Colorado’s Folsom Field in week nine.
The Bruins will travel to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 25. The game will be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Network.
PREDICTION: UCLA 42, Colorado 27
Want to see the Bruins take on the Buffaloes week nine? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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