Quarterback
UCLA junior Ben Olson returns to the Bruins this year after suffering a season-ending knee injury just five games into the 2006 campaign. Olson has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to this point, throwing for 286 yards and five touchdowns against Stanford, then following it with a 126 yard, one interception game against BYU last week. Utah saw significant improvement in quarterback Tommy Grady in the final quarter of last week’s loss to Air Force. But Grady still has a long way to go before he compares to Olson.
Edge: UCLA
Running Back
The Utes’ seemingly endless struggle to find a starting running back continues this week against the Bruins. To this point, the group has amassed merely 91 yards on the ground. Junior Darrell Mack is slated to start against UCLA. While the Utes are struggling to find a consistent back, the Bruins have more quality runners than they know what to do with. Senior Chris Markey and junior Kahlil Bell man a two-pronged ground attack for UCLA. Bell has been the more productive running back this year, rushing for 277 yards in two games.
Edge: UCLA
Wide Receivers
Coming into this season, Utah boasted one of the deepest and most talented wide receiving corps in the Mountain West Conference. Despite the season-ending injury to Brent Casteel, the Utes’ “six-pack” still has five wideouts who are more than capable of having big games. Add freshman Jereme Brooks and the “six-pack” is still intact. The Utes’ talent is equally matched by UCLA, with three seniors catching the majority of the balls for the Bruins. Brandon Breazell, Marcus Everett and Joe Cowan all bring something different to the Bruins’ offense.
Edge: Even
Offensive Line
The Bruins bring back four starters from last year, but they struggled with BYU’s front four a week ago. UCLA was only able to amass a total of 236 yards against the Cougars. However, against Stanford in week one, the group pushed the Bruins to 624 total yards. The Utes’ offensive line hasn’t quite meshed in the first two weeks and is still hurting from the loss of veteran tackle Jason Boone. Utah is averaging 254.5 total yards per game.
Edge: UCLA
Defensive Line
The Utah defensive line took a significant blow last week when defensive tackle Gabe Long went down with a sprained knee. The Utes have rearranged their starting front four. Freshman Paul Kruger is slated to start at the left end ahead of senior Martail Burnett, and Greg Newman will start at tackle in Long’s stead. The Bruins boast one of the best defensive ends in college football in senior Bruce Davis. A year ago, the play-making machine was fourth in the nation with 12.5 sacks. This season, he has already recorded two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Senior Brigham Harwell can also make noise at the tackle spot.
Edge: UCLA
Linebackers
Senior linebacker Christian Taylor is the captain of the Bruins defense who has forced five turnovers in two games. Taylor was second on the team in tackles a year ago (83) despite playing the latter half of the season with an ankle sprain. Taylor and the Bruins have been especially tough in the red zone this year. Utah senior outside linebacker Kyle Brady is currently tied for the team lead with 13 tackles. Fellow seniors Malakai Mokofisi and Joe Jiannoni round out the rest of the experienced corps for the Utes.
Edge: UCLA
Secondary
Utah currently ranks fourth in the nation in pass defense — allowing 92.5 yards per game — but more of that can be attributed to the lack of an opposing teams’ passing game rather than to the Utes’ accomplishments. Just as it did on the defensive line, Utah has also done some shifting in the secondary. Senior captain Steve Tate has moved from free safety to strong safety, and sophomore Robert Johnson will now start in Tate’s vacated spot. For the Bruins, senior cornerback Trey Brown is one of the biggest play-makers on the team, recording one interception and nine pass breakups thus far. The rest of the Bruins’ secondary is comprised entirely of seniors.
Edge: UCLA
Special Teams
As always, the Utes have at least one advantage over the opposing team in kicker/punter “Sweet” Louie Sakoda. The junior is coming off a game where he averaged 49.7 yards per punt and made both of his field goal attempts. The Bruins also boast a solid punter in junior Aaron Perez, who averaged 42.56 yards per kick last season. Utah’s return game has been a washout this season while UCLA’s has been flourishing. Sophomore Terrence Austin currently averages 11.9 yards per punt return, and senior Matt Slater averages 27.4 yards per kickoff return.
Edge: Even
Coaching
Going into the 2005 season, UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell was on the hot seat, having failed to post a winning record in his first two seasons. Dorrell responded by rattling off a 10-2 record. This season, Dorrell is feeling that pressure again after finishing 7-6 last year. He has responded well so far, beating both Stanford and BYU. Meanwhile, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is trying his best to keep his team from disbanding following five key injuries. The Utes’ play-calling has already been in question a number of times this season.
Edge: UCLA