The Fresno State Bulldogs aren’t traveling far to face the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. FS1 will broadcast the action and the matchup is scheduled to get underway at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Fresno State Bulldogs at UCLA Bruins Betting Preview
The Bulldogs are down 1.1 units so far and 1-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U mark of 0-1. The Bruins have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors this season, losing 7.3 units. The team is 1-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-1.
The Bulldogs have gone 1-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Bruins are 0-2 SU.
The Bulldogs are on the rebound after a 21-14 defeat to Minnesota last week. The Bulldogs defense allowed the Golden Gophers to run for 132 yards on 45 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. On the offense, Marcus McMaryion completed 23-of-32 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jordan Mims (41 yards on 10 rush attempts) led the ground attack while KeeSean Johnson (six receptions, 89 yards, one TD) and Jared Rice (five catches, 31 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
UCLA just lost an ugly 49-21 game to Oklahoma. Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 16-of-26 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown. Bolu Olorunfunmi (56 yards on 15 rush attempts, two TDs) and Kazmeir Allen (42 yards on 10 carries) handled the running game as Caleb Wilson (four receptions, 92 yards) and Chase Cota (four catches, 45 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Fresno State has run the ball on 51.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while UCLA has an overall rush percentage of 56.3 percent. The Bulldogs have run for 163 yards/game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Bruins are putting up 137 rushing yards per game and have four total rush TDs.
It appears that the Bulldogs ought to hold an edge when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game, as their backfield has produced 4.8 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.0 to opponents. The Bruins have rushed for 3.4 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 4.3 to opponents.
The Bulldogs offensive scheme has averaged 230 yards in the air overall and has three passing scores so far. The Bruins have produced 208 pass yards per outing and have just one pass TDs.
Defensively, Fresno State appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 117 rush yards and 190 pass yards per game. The UCLA defense has given up 208 yards per game to opposing passers and 186.5 yards per game on the ground. The Bulldogs are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 2.67 to opposing QBs, while the Bruins have given up a 6.34 ANY/A.
Offensively, McMaryion has put up 205 passing yards this year, and has completed 72 percent of his 32 attempts with two passing scores and one interception. He’s got a 6.25 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.80 over the last two games.
Look for a balanced attack offensively from Fresno State in this one. KeeSean Johnson (89 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown this season), Jordan Mims (41 rush yards, 23 receiving yards) and Jared Rice (31 receiving yards, one TD) have each played key roles lately.
For the home team, Dorian Thompson-Robinson has completed 16-of-26 passes for 254 yards, one TD and zero INTs. Thompson-Robinson’s ANY/A stands at 7.53 for the year and 5.49 across his last two games.
Similar to the Bulldogs, expect a balanced approach offensively from UCLA this Saturday. Kazmeir Allen, Caleb Wilson and Theo Howard have combined to account for 374 total yards over the last couple of outings.
NCAA Prediction: Fresno State Bulldogs at UCLA Bruins
SU Winner – Fresno State
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Team Betting Notes
Both passing attacks have produced two pass plays of 40+ yards. The Bulldogs have have made three pass plays of 30+ yards while the Bruins have accounted for two such plays.
The Fresno State defense has allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards, while UCLA has given up two such plays.
The Fresno State offense has created three rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while UCLA has created two such run.
The Bulldogs defense has allowed zero rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Bruins have given up one such run.
The UCLA defense has tallied four sacks on the year while Fresno State has two.
+++++
