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No. 8 UCLA looks to clinch division Friday vs. Stanford
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Published: 11/28/2014  at  5:10:00 AM
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STANFORD CARDINAL (6-5)
at UCLA BRUINS (9-2)

Kickoff: Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: UCLA -6, Total: 50

No. 8 UCLA has an opportunity to clinch the Pac-12 South with a victory against Stanford on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles.

It has been a down year for the Cardinal (5-6 ATS), but head coach David Shaw has built a team that can play with anybody. Of their five losses this year, three of them have been by three points, all to teams ranked in the top-25 at the time (USC, Notre Dame and Utah). The Bruins (4-7 ATS) have bounced back from a tough stretch that saw them lose to Utah and Oregon in consecutive weeks. Since then, they have won five consecutive games (3-2 ATS), with the past three victories coming by double digits. Stanford has completely dominated this series recently with six straight SU wins (5-1 ATS). In last season's meeting, the Cardinal defeated UCLA, 24-10, by dominating time of possession (37:11 to 22:49) and outgaining them 419-266. They also intercepted Bruins QB Brett Hundley two times. Stanford is 13-1 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of +4 or better since 1992, but the Cardinal are also 0-8 ATS when coming off a win by 17+ points in the past two seasons. UCLA is 11-2 ATS at home after gaining 450+ total yards in two straight games since 1992, but the Bruins are also 2-7 ATS in the past three years when the total is between 49.5 and 56 points. While Stanford is expected to be without top WR Ty Montgomery (shoulder), FB Patrick Skov (undisclosed) has been upgraded to probable. For UCLA, WR Sam Handler (knee) is out for the season and FB Nate Iese (shoulder) is questionable to play, but WR Thomas Duarte (leg) and DBs Ishmael Adams (ankle) and Priest Willis (head) are both probable for Friday.

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The Cardinal have really struggled this season, and that is mostly because of an inability to get anything going on offense. The offense ranks 61st in FBS passing (231.5 YPG), 85th in rushing (150.5 YPG) and 89th in scoring (25.2 PPG). QB Kevin Hogan (2,369 pass yards, 15 TD, 8 INT) has done a great job of winning during his time at Stanford, but he has been unable to carry that success this season. In the past, he has leaned on a strong rushing attack to set up the passing game, but a lack of a consistent ground game has hurt him. RB Remound Wright (112 carries, 488 yards, 6 TD) had a huge performance against California last week with four rushing touchdowns, but has yet to rush for 100 yards in any game this season. Even with top WR Ty Montgomery (61 catches, 604 yards, 3 TD) doubtful to play, the Cardinal still have some solid receiving options, especially WR Devon Cajuste (28 catches, 460 yards, 3 TD), who is able to go make the tough catch in traffic. While the offense has struggled, the play of the defense has been as good as it has been in the past few seasons. This unit ranks 7th in the nation in points allowed (17.6 PPG), and is led by LB Blake Martinez (92 tackles, 6 TFL, 4.5 sacks). Martinez does a nice job of running sideline-to-sideline, making it tough to get to the outside against the Stanford defense. He will be responsible with a lot of spying on Brett Hundley, making sure he doesn’t run to the outside. LB A.J. Tarpley (71 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1 INT) will also be looked upon to make plays over the middle of the field, where the Bruins have receivers capable of making the catch.

One of the biggest reasons why UCLA has got things back on track is because the offense has finally started clicking. The unit ranks 28th in passing (278.2 YPG), 30th in scoring (35.0 YPG) and 32nd in rushing (208.5 YPG), and has scored 82 points on 937 yards in the past two games. The star of the Bruins is dual-threat QB Brett Hundley (2,873 pass yards, 566 rush yards, 28 total TD). He has still rushed the ball very well this year, but he has chosen to not run as much, helping him remain healthy. Another reason why he has not had to carry the ball as often is the emergence of RB Paul Perkins (213 carries, 1,262 yards, 7 TD). There were question marks on how good the running backs for the Bruins would be, but Perkins has been great, rushing for at least 78 yards in every game this year. The ground game has also opened up opportunities through the air, as WRs Jordan Payton (61 catches, 870 yards, 7 TD) and Thomas Duarte (23 catches, 458 yards, 3 TD) are two talented receivers who can make the tough catches. Payton is a physical receiver, who also has the speed to get behind the defense. Senior LB Eric Kendricks (128 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 INT) is one of the best defensive players in the nation. He does a great job of making receivers hesitate going over the middle of the field, but he will also come up and make plays against the run. LB Myles Jack (70 tackles, 7 PD, 6 TFL) and DB Anthony Jefferson (55 tackles) are two defensive players who have elite speed, and will be asked to do a lot in this game against a very basic Stanford offense.


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