The UCLA Bruins (3-2, 0-0) are on the road to visit the Arizona Wildcats (0-4, 0-0) in a Pac-12 matchup on Saturday, October 9th, 2021. The kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Arizona Stadium. The Bruins are heavy road favorites in this contest at -16 points. The Wildcats are fresh off a bye week and carry the school’s worst 16 games losing streak in the FBS.
The Wildcats, despite being winless on the season, have won the last meeting at home against the Bruins.
Arizona Wildcats Preview
This football team is looking to earn their first win of the season, and history says they might have a chance to get it in this contest. The Wildcats caring an (0-4) mark, and offense has been a big problem.
In the loss to Oregon, the team played well for three-quarters of football before the Ducks shut the door on a 41-19 final. They were able to rush for over 200 yards in the game while also throwing for 200 yards. The difference in the game was late turnovers that helped the Ducks put it away.
Overall, the running game hasn’t really found its footing this season. This team is not the best when executing third-down conversions, and there just might be enough help on the defensive side of the ball to help the Wildcats earn their first win. They are coming off a bye week, so they have plenty of time to prepare for this game, so things should look better for a more energized Wildcats ball club.
UCLA Bruins Preview
The UCLA Bruins have had an inconsistent season under head coach Chip Kelly, but he has done a solid job working to rebuild this program.
UCLA is 3-0 this season when the team rushes for over 200 yards. Its two losses, of course, have come when the team has failed to put up over 200 yards on the ground. The Wildcats allowed 254 yards on the ground to San Diego State, but no other team they have faced has gotten to the 200-yard mark.
The Wildcats don’t have enough of a pass rush to make the Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Bruins passing game uncomfortable on the day. They should be able to get yards in chunks on the day.
The Bruins will be able to take advantage of the Wildcats mistakes and put together some nice drives from the first drive.
Bruins vs. Wildcats Prediction
Head coach Jedd Fisch is trying to get his program turned around on the defensive end, but his top guys are not in place just yet.
The Wildcats defense has had plenty of time to rest up coming off a bye week, but the overall numbers still aren’t very impressive. The Cats went on an impressive run of allowing 400 total yards of offense in 18 of their last 19 games before the 2021 season.
The Bruins failed to pick up against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the second half, so they’ll be looking for a big bounce-back win and a positive note to kick off Pac-12 play. This is just the team’s second game away from home this season, as they beat Stanford in the early portion.
With a balanced approach even against a reenergized Cats team at home, the Bruins will cruise to victory.
UCLA 42, Arizona 21