With ESPN’s College Gameday coming to Tucson it is clear that the matchup the Wildcats have against the UCLA Bruins is a intensely important battle in the Pac-12. The game will likely decide who stands on top of the Pac-12 South pending if Utah wins against defending division champion Oregon in a battle of Top 25 in Eugene. Focusing on the game in the desert however, it is said to say that most of the focus is not on who is playing but instead on who isn’t or won’t be playing at 100% health in the contest this Saturday.
Will Scooby be himself or will he even play?
All-American linebacker Scooby Wright damaged his knee in the first game of the season for the Wildcats and he was listed as returning from the lateral meniscus tear for the Pac-12 season opener against the Bruins. Now it comes off as perhaps a return in spurts rather than a true comeback. The junior defensive star may play in specific packages rather than every down due to his listing as questionable for the game which begs the question is Wright truly healthy enough to go for this contest. The Bruins have stayed mum on their feelings towards Wright’s return, signifying their respect for the young man. That kind of respect leads teams to change their gameplan just to avoid a specific part of the field and that is the kind of advantage that the Wildcats have with Wright. Since his injury the defense has struggled as they went down to their fourth string inside linebacker and have shown to be susceptible to big plays in two of their first three matchups as they gave Texas-San Antonio 525 yards of offense and Nevada 200 first half yards. If Wright can go, it is a big help. If he can’t then the game could be a lot closer than others would expect.
Injury bug swarms Bruins
It would be easier to talk about the Bruins defense by stating who isn’t hurt. UCLA was handed an early blow to their unit with Eddie Vanderdoes tearing his ACL against Virginia. The Preaseason All-Pac-12 defensive tackle was projected to produce a tremendous amount for a thin and inexperienced defensive tackle unit that is now turning to younger players like Eli Ankou and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. Add onto that the loss of corner Fabian Moreau with a foot injury and linebacker/running back Myles Jack the defense is looking very thin. Jack may be the biggest loss of all however as Jack’s ability to come in as a running back did wonders for the team against the Wildcats when he ran for 120 yards on just six carries. The Bruins will be returning one player to their defense in Ishmael Adams from suspension, but it is unclear if he will be up to football speed come Saturday. Look for Anu Solomon to try and take advantage of a depleted unit and work with a large lead to lighten the load on his defense.
Josh Rosen hype balloon may have popped.
When Josh Rosen stepped onto the field as a true freshman he certainly made an impression. He destroyed Virgina’s defense in the season opener but since then he has almost reached the title of liability rather than leader. The passing offense for head coach Jim Mora’s squad has been stymied quite a bit as Rosen leads the conference with four interceptions. Within conference Rosen also boasts the ninth best passer rating and tenth best completion percentage, which explains the heavy leaning on Paul Perkins and Nate Starks in the run game. If the Bruins look to continue their three year winning streak against Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats they will need more than just their ground game. Rosen must come up and play huge for the Bruins if they expect to walk out of the ‘Zona Zoo with a win in this contest.
The kickoff for these teams will start at 8:00 PM ET on ABC. College Gameday festivities being at 6:00 AM and it will likely be a packed crowd so if you are looking to be a part of a rare opportunity it is suggested you get there as early as possible.