The UCLA Bruins pulled off a 34-point comeback this year in little over a quarter. Because of their amazing escape against Texas A&M, the Bruins are favored in a road game which will start at 9 a.m. Pacific time. However, they figure to be challenged – partly by their body clocks, mostly by a Memphis offense which is expected to be very potent this season. This is a big proving ground for two teams with different goals and expectations but the same sense of urgency.
Details
Odds: Bruins -3
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16, 12:00 PM ET
Location: Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Broadcast: ABC
Reasons To Bet On The UCLA Bruins
The Bruins not only have Josh Rosen, but they have him playing great football. Rosen engineered the 34-point comeback in a 45-44 win over Texas A&M, and then he led UCLA to a smooth and easy 56-23 win over Hawaii the following week. Rosen carried his confidence in one game into the following game, leading a lot of people to think that he can keep the momentum rolling in this next game. The rhythm Rosen has established with his receivers should bolster UCLA’s passing offense and give the Bruins a reliable source of production on the road. UCLA can strike first and establish the tempo it wants, putting Memphis on the defensive. If the Tigers take an early lead, the work UCLA did in coming back against Texas A&M will enable the Bruins to be resilient. UCLA can win this game in a number of different ways, but they all come back to Rosen and his brilliant start to the season.
Reasons To Bet On The Memphis Tigers
The fact that UCLA, a West Coast team, is playing an early game on Saturday puts the Bruins in an uncomfortable situation. Western teams traveling east to play early games can often struggle with the time of day and the unusual preparation schedule. That, however, is a general point. In a more specific appraisal of the matchup, Memphis’ offense should give UCLA’s defense problems.
UCLA gave up 44 points to Texas A&M, and Memphis has an offense which could be better than Texas A&M’s. Riley Ferguson is the Tigers’ quarterback. He was productive last season and helped Memphis beat Houston, 48-44, in a shootout to close the season, in a game which reflected just how much the Tigers had evolved in 2016. The Memphis offense should regularly be able to light up opponents this year, and UCLA’s defense revealed enough weaknesses against Texas A&M to suggest that it will not be able to stop Memphis when it needs to. Memphis is one of the favorites in the American Athletic Conference. Memphis players know this game could be a catapult to a New Year’s Day bowl game. The last time Memphis hosted a game of similar significance, it defeated Ole Miss in 2015. That experience should lay the groundwork for another Memphis victory this season.
Outlook
The fact that UCLA beat Texas A&M has probably contributed to the Bruins being favored here, but it’s worth remembering that UCLA trailed Texas A&M by 34 points midway through the second half. If UCLA had lost that game by even 10 or 17 points, it’s hard to see how or why the Bruins would be favored here. They’ve become a big public team in the last couple of weeks as Rosen led them to an impressive win on a national stage and then the Bruins pumped Hawaii rather easily in Week 2, scoring 56 points in the process.
Memphis is not the “sexy pick” in this spot but that’s who we’re going with. They’ve had two weeks to prepare for this contest and that will be a key. You also have UCLA possibly looking ahead to a matchup against a ranked Stanford Cardinal side next week. It’s a bit of a tricky spot for the Bruins, so we’ll bet against them. This is a weird line, and it’s very hard to not take Memphis plus the points.
Prediction: Tigers +3
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