The UCLA Bruins are heading east to take on their conference nemesis Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. FS1 has the TV rights and the game’s scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET.
UCLA Bruins at Colorado Buffaloes Betting Preview
The Bruins have gone only 0-3 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Pac-12 competition yet. The Buffaloes are 3-0 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Bruins are most-recently hoping to bounce back from a 38-14 defeat to Fresno State on September 15Their defense allowed the Bulldogs to eat up the clock by rushing for 150 yards on 52 attempts, including four rush TDs. Jordan Mims posted a productive day for the Bulldogs in that one with 85 rushing yards on 21 attempts, along with 51 yards on two catches. On the offense, Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed just 10-of-24 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Martell Irby (35 yards on nine rush attempts) spearheaded the ground attack in the loss. Theo Howard (four receptions, 80 yards, one TD) and Chase Cota (two catches, 40 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Colorado is coming off of a lopsided 45-14 win over New Hampshire back in Week 3. The defensive unit held its ground in the victory, holding the Wildcats to just 228 passing yards and 42 yards on the ground. Neil O’Connor had a productive showing in the loss for New Hampshire, posting 98 yards on five catches. As a group, the Buffaloes collectively completed 17-of-24 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Steven Montez went 14-for-19 for 166 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Sam Noyer was three-of-five for 14 yards and one interception. Travon McMillian (162 yards on 15 rush attempts, two TDs) and Beau Bisharat (92 yards on 13 carries) spearheaded the ground game in the win while K.D. Nixon (six receptions, 30 yards) and Tony Brown (five catches, 80 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
When glancing at offensive play-calling, each team has a similar (56-44) run-pass ratio on the season. The Bruins have run for 131 yards/game and have five scores via handoffs this year. The Buffaloes are totaling 204 rush yards per game and have seven total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Buffaloes could hold an advantage along both the offensive and defensive fronts, as their offensive line has allowed only nine sacks while the D-line has registered 10 sacks. The Bruins offensive line has allowed 12 sacks and their defense has got to opposing QBs on just five occasions.
The Bruins offense has tallied 189 yards per game in the air overall and has two passing TDs so far. The Buffaloes have recorded 290 pass yards per game and have eight total pass scores.
UCLA has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 174 yards and pass for 229 yards per game. The Colorado defense has given up 215.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 158.0 yards per game on the ground. The Buffaloes are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.43 to opponents, while the Bruins have given up a 7.00 ANY/A.
Offensively, Thompson-Robinson has amassed 268 passing yards this season. He’s completed 25-of-49 attempts with one scores through the air and two interceptions. He’s got a 3.22 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 5.63 over the past two outings.
Expect Thompson-Robinson to attack all areas of the Colorado secondary. Theo Howard (53 receiving yards and one touchdown), Caleb Wilson (128 yards) and Chase Cota (53 yards) have all been heavily involved recently.
In the home locker room, Steven Montez has managed to complete 36-of-44 passes for 504 yards, five TDs and two INTs. Montez’s ANY/A stands at 10.96 for the year and 6.40 across his past two outings.
Laviska Shenault Jr., Travon McMillian and Tony Brown have combined for 549 total yards and five touchdowns as a trio over the last two games.
When these two teams faced each other a year ago, UCLA earned the win 27-23.
Betting Pick: UCLA Bruins vs. Colorado Buffaloes
SU Winner – Colorado
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
UCLA has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its past two contests.
Colorado has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last two.
Colorado has lost one fumble this season while UCLA has lost two.
The Bruins offense has tallied three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Buffaloes have put up five such plays.
The UCLA defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Colorado has given up two such plays.
The UCLA offense has created two rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Colorado has created seven such runs.
The Bruins defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 or more yards, while the Buffaloes have given up six such runs.
The Colorado defense has notched twice as many sacks as UCLA this season (10 versus five).
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