QuarterbackLast November, Ben Olson and Brett Ratliff were both in sort of the same boat, waiting in the wings for any opportunity to step under center. Well, Ratliff got that chance early when Brian Johnson tore his ACL against New Mexico, and his two games of starting experience were enough to beat out Tommy Grady for the starting job in camp-and put him leagues ahead of Olson. The former hotshot BYU recruit will be starting his first-ever Division-I game against a deep Ute defense, led by Eric Weddle, that is licking its chops at the chance to take advantage of Olson’s inevitable first-game jitters.Edge: Utah
Running BacksOn the surface, it looks like the Bruins suffered a huge loss last season when Maurice Drew made the jump to the NFL, but in reality, Chris Markey is not a huge drop-off. The running back got considerable time last year, netting 580 yards on 110 carries with three rushing touchdowns. The Utes also suffered with the loss of Quinton Ganther, but the tandem of Mike Liti and Darryl Poston should cause defensive headaches-but until they prove themselves, Markey is the marquee back in this match-up.Edge: UCLA
Receivers UCLA gets a major boost this year with the return of redshirt senior Junior Taylor, who sat out last season with a knee injury. Joe Cowan is battling injury problems, and it is unsure whether he will start or not. Simply put, the Utah receiving corps is deep. Any one of eight wide receivers could light the Bruins up for more than 200 yards. Brian Hernandez is considered an all-conference candidate across the board, and if Brent Casteel and Marquis Wilson build off the raw potential they flashed in their freshman campaigns, the Ute receivers could be the most explosive in the conference.Edge: Utah
Offensive LineAny line that could create as many holes as Maurice Drew had to run through last year must be doing something right. The Bruins’ line returns three starters from last season’s group, and there is not expected to be a huge drop-off. For the Utes, Jesse Boone might be gone, but Kyle Whittingam and Co. have made the lines their No. 1 recruiting priority, and such a strategy has paid off with loads of talent. That talent will be put to the test this Saturday with a trio of untested Ute running backs. Utah also boasts two preseason all-MWC selections in left tackle Tavo Tupola and Jason Boone.Edge: Even
Defensive LineSteve Fifita may be gone and trying to navigate his way through the NFL, but Kelly Talavou is on track to be one of the most dominant run-stuffers in the conference. Along with preseason all-conference end Martail Burnett-a budding pass-rush specialist-Talavou and Co. have the size and strength to manhandle smaller offensive lines. As for UCLA, the Bruins had the worst run defense in the Pac-10 a year ago by far, and while new defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker looks to change things, it remains to be seen just how quickly the line can turn that type of porous performance around.Edge: Utah
LinebackersBoth teams will have to endure injuries at the linebacker position this week with Kyle Brady sitting out with for the Utes, and weak-side ‘backer Eric McNeal may not be available because of academic issues. However, the UCLA linebackers are still extremely fast and athletic and more than capable of running down the Ute backs-and causing some problems on the blitz as well.Edge: Utah
SecondaryTwo words: Eric Weddle. The preseason all-everything defensive back will be “the center of attention of our defense,” Kyle Whittingham said, and that mantra will no doubt continue for the rest of the year. The UCLA DBs may be athletic, but only one starter is returning from last year’s club-and considering how thoroughly Brett Ratliff and Co. torched Georgia Tech’s vaunted defense last winter, that inexperience could hurt the Bruins.Edge: Utah
Special TeamsLouie Sakoda will handle both kicking and punting duties this year and has looked good throughout practice. But he could be outdone by UCLA’s Justin Medlock, a Lou Groza candidate in each of the last two years. The Bruins had the worst kick return team, yards-wise, in the league last season, but did return two kicks for touchdowns. For the Utes, their potentially electrifying returners-such as Casteel and Wilson-haven’t yet broken the big plays many have been expecting.Edge: Even
CoachingDespite an up-and-down season for Utah, Kyle Whittingham won over lots of people with the team’s final two victories. It wasn’t just the fact that the Utes came out with victories-it was the creative and phenomenally well-executed gameplan the team employed against BYU that confused opponents and won praises for the entire coaching staff. UCLA’s Karl Dorrell was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, but the Bruins struggled mightily against inferior teams-squeaking out victories over the likes of Washington and Stanford-so it’s hard to be thoroughly convinced that UCLA is, indeed, “back.” Edge: Utah