After a hot start UCLA comes to Tucson Saturday night coming off a loss to Arizona State last weekend. The Bruins once looked like the potential team to beat in the South Division but now sit in fourth place having lost two of their last three games. Meanwhile, Arizona is still looking for its first win since 2019 as the Wildcats are in the midst of what is now a 16-game losing streak after falling to Oregon on the road two weeks ago.
The two teams have played some close games in recent years, including one back in 2019 that ended with a 3-point win for the Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. That has ended up as the last home victory for UA.
To give you a better idea of what head coach Chip Kelly will bring with him to Tucson this time around here is a closer look at the Bruins ahead of Saturday night's 7:30 p.m. MST kickoff.
OVERVIEW
Head coach: Chip Kelly (4th season | 13-23)
Record: 3-2, 1-1 Pac-12 (last game: 42-23 loss to Arizona State)
Pac-12 standings: 4th (South Division)
Schemes
• Offense: Spread option
• Defense: 4-2-5
Ranks (FBS | Pac-12)
Total offense: 50th (429.0 YPG) | 4th
Scoring offense: 30th (35.4 PPG) | 2nd
Total defense: 89th (408.0 YPG allowed) | 10th
Scoring defense: 95th (28.6 PPG allowed) | 11th
All-time series: UCLA leads 26-17-2 | Last meeting (11.28.20): UCLA win 27-10
WHAT WE KNOW
• UCLA's offense was dismal late against ASU
The Bruins were right in the mix at halftime against the Sun Devils last weekend with just one point separating the two teams. However, the UCLA offense struggled in the second half of that game and came away empty over the final two quarters. It led to a 19-point loss for the Bruins leaving a sour taste for the home team by the end of the night.
"I think it was just guys trying to do too much and not just doing their job, myself included, and just trying to press and overcompensate for being down by so much," UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson said this week. "I think just getting outside the scheme, getting outside the plan to execute each play and it all just kind of culminated in bad things happening."
UCLA was able to move the ball throughout the game, but in the second half the team struggled to generate first downs and had major problems getting the ball in the end zone.
