Pregame Guesses: UCLA Bruins Welcome Washington Huskies to the Rose Bowl
Pregame Guesses: UCLA Bruins Welcome Washington Huskies to the Rose Bowl
Can the Huskies keep Dorian Thompson-Robinson from improvising with this legs? Will UCLA slow down UDub's high-flying passing offense? How many points will Washington allow in its first road game?
Good afternoon! Sorry about the later-than-usual Pregame Guesses this week, but there was a bit of a weather event in Florida over the last few days that took up most of my attention. I learned that sandbags are your friends, and it only takes draining part of a swimming pool five times to avoid a backyard flood during a hurricane.
And, now, the Bruins clash with the Washington Huskies in a battle of undefeated teams at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is tonight at 7:30 pm PT, and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Friday night lights, baby!
There is a wealth of bands to choose from this week as the Huskies hail from Seattle, Washington. Having been born squarely in the middle of Generation X, the early nineties’ grunge movement happened when I was in my early 20s. So, most of that music has a special place in my heart. I could spend more time that I need to single out a tune from a Seattle grunge band, but I am short on time. So, I am going to pick a deeper cut from a very popular album. Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is right up there with the best of the grunge movement’s seminal efforts and, although there are several popular tracks that were hits at the time, my favorite song on that album is a lesser known one. It is “Garden”:
Not sure why, but that one always gets me. Pearl Jam is on tour right now and I have been checking out the set lists in the various towns. Pearl Jam plays “Garden” at some but not all tour stops. What a disappointment it would be to go to one of the shows where it is not played, especially if it were played the night before in a different town (missed it by THAT much!) .
Onto the guesses . . .
I have read a couple of previews for this game and UDub fans are wary of Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s ability to make critical plays with his feet, especially on third down. The veteran UCLA signal caller is averaging almost 57 yards per game on the ground. Some of those are designed plays, but many of those occur when Thompson-Robinson cannot find a receiver and improvises with his legs. Pregame Guess Number One: How many first downs will Dorian Thompson-Robinson convert with his legs against the Huskies?
Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. is second in the nation in passing yards, with 1388 yards through the air in just four games. That averages out to a stellar 347 yards per game. Penix also has 12 passing touchdowns against only one interception.
The UCLA defense allows 210.8 yards per game through the air, placing them at 53rd in the country. While that ranking put them in the top half of FBS, the competition UCLA went up against in getting to that ranking was less than stellar. UCLA’s passing yards allowed statistic was against the 116th passing offense (Colorado), the 88th passing offense (Bowling Green), the 35th passing offense (South Alabama), and the 48th passing offense in FCS. Washington is going to present a completely different level of competition. Will UCLA be up to the task? Pregame Guess Number Two: How many passing yards will the UCLA defense allow against Michael Penix, Jr.?
Washington is also pretty good on the other side of the ball, listed at number 22 in total defense (two spots below UCLA, against weaker competition). The Huskies are tied for 34th in scoring defense, allowing only 19 points per game to their opponents. Yes, Washington fattened up on Portland State and Kent State, but Washington also beat #11 Michigan State, 39-28, and Stanford, 40-22. All the Huskies’ games so far this season, however, have been in the friendly confines of Husky Stadium. Will things change on the road in Pasadena? Can the Bruins score against UDub? Pregame Guess Number Three: How many points will UCLA score against the Husky defense?
Bonus Guess: The UCLA students are back in school. Check! It should be a beautiful night in Pasadena. Check! But this game is on a Friday, not a Saturday afternoon or evening. Not great, but better than a 11 am kickoff. The level of competition alone against a Pac-12 rival leads one to believe that the Bruins will draw the biggest crowd to the Arroyo Seco tonight. I think that the Bruins will eclipse 50,000 fans tonight. What do you think? Predict the attendance tonight.
That is it for this week. Make your guesses and post any comments on anything UCLA football. A UCLA victory tonight would go a long way to mitigate my post-Hurricane PTSD!
Go Bruins!!!
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1. 80 yards. We’ll open up the playbook and let DTR do his thing
2. 320. Our offense will do a decent job of keeping the ball away from U dub, but Penix will do damage
3. We score 38
Attendance = 48k
# 1. DTR will run for 2 first downs. And he will turn the ball over 3 times: fumbles, bad hand offs to backs, and interceptions. #2. Washington will pass for over 400 yards. See stats on prior games this year. Also this same coach at Washington out schemed UCLA at the Rose Bowl with less talent when he coached Fresno State last year. We got totally out coached on that loss. #3. 48000 attendance. 24000 will be Husky fans. Folks it is what it is.