Two high-powered offenses will be the focal point in this Foster Farms Bowl Preview as the UCLA Bruins play the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska (5-7) enters this game having been defeated in three of its last five and UCLA (8-4) two of its last three. The game will air Saturday, Dec 26 at 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Nebraska fell to Iowa 28-20 in its last game. Cethan Carter had a good game in the loss, registering four catches for 76 yards. Brandon Reilly added 50 receiving yards on three receptions. UCLA also fell short, falling to USC 40-21. Paul Perkins had a huge game running the ball for the Bruins, totaling 95 yards and two TDs on 17 carries. Thomas Duarte finished with 63 receiving yards and a TD on three catches.
The Cornhuskers, a seven-point underdog, will be looking to defend their home field when UCLA comes to town. The Over/Under (O/U) is currently at 60 points for this match-up.
The Cornhuskers enter the game with records of 5-7 Straight Up (SU) and 6-6 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, Nebraska is 2-3 for both SU and ATS. The Cornhuskers passing attack has averaged 300.4 passing yards in the last five games. During their last five games, the Cornhuskers have also improved their pass coverage, giving up an average of 213.2 passing yards. Nebraska can top most teams in terms of time of possession. The Cornhuskers have an average time of possession of 32:54 per game for 19th-highest in the nation.
Across the field, the Bruins head into this bowl game with records of 6-6 ATS and 8-4 SU. Over their last five games, the Bruins have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-3 record ATS for those betting with them. If earlier games are any indication, the Bruins will throw the ball a lot. They average 286.4 passing yards per game, good enough for 24th in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the UCLA defense can dominate if it takes advantage of some favorable matchups. The Cornhuskers are matching up with UCLA’s defense at an inopportune time. Over the last five games, UCLA’s opponents have only averaged 223.2 yards through the air. The Bruins need to capitalize on bad throws and tipped balls against the Cornhuskers, who rank 125th in the country in interceptions thrown with 1.8 per game. The Bruins usually get a boost in the second quarter, when they average 11.3 points this year. With an average of 112.2 return yards per game (19th-most in the country), UCLA has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – UCLA, ATS Winner – Nebraska, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Nebraska’s last 23 games.
UCLA is 7-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Nebraska is 4-2 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
UCLA is an even 3-3 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (4-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Nebraska run defense is ranked eighth in the country this year, and will look to contain the 48th-ranked rushing attack of UCLA.
