The UCLA Bruins were expected to impress behind quarterback Brett Hundley who is being hyped as a top-10 draft pick already. However, they have not done that through two games and the voters are noticing as the Bruins dropped five spots in polls. They pulled out close wins to both Virginia and Memphis and now face the Texas Longhorns on the road where both teams need a win.
The Bruins won their game against Virginia through their defense. The unit grabbed two interceptions and one fumble that all went for touchdowns. Their offense on the other hand struggled behind Hundley. The defense needed a big performance after giving up 469 yards of offense to Memphis as quarterback Paxton Lynch toss for 305 yards. They were also giving up 4.2 rushing yards per carry. The Bruins defense needs to step up if they are going to survive the high-flying offenses of the Pac 12 when their conference schedule begins.
The Longhorns com in after a blowout loss to BYU. Dual-threat quarterback Tyrone Swoopes could cause the Bruins' defense a run for their money. Swoopes comes in listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. He will be the starter this week in place of David Ash who suffered a concussion in the opening win over North Texas. Against BYU, Swoopes threw for 176 yards and one touchdown, but was ineffective considering the 41-7 score. The Longhorns have lost plenty of players of the week, the most recent is Jaxon Shipley who suffered a head injury and is now questionable. That goes with the two offensive tackles suspended who will miss the UCLA game.
Hundley is a dual-threat quarterback himself, something Texas struggled with as BYU's Taysom Hill dominated the team for 396 yards and three touchdowns. Hundley is still a Heisman candidate despite the slow start and a solid performance against Texas would help his case.
