UCLA vs. Utah Week 9 Predictions
The season is already winding down for the Bruins, and the stakes are getting higher.
UCLA football (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) will play Utah (4-3, 3-1) at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday. Although the Utes have won the last four head-to-head matchups, the Bruins own an 11-7 lead in the all-time series. Utah enters this year's game as a 6.5-point favorite.
All Bruins is making its picks for who will win, what the score will be and how the game will play out, courtesy of Managing Editor Sam Connon and contributing writer Benjamin Royer.
Sam Connon, Managing Editor
Prediction: Utah 41, UCLA 28
For as long as I've covered the Bruins, the Utes have absolutely wiped the floor with them.
It started in 2017 when Josh Rosen was a game-time decision and ultimately missed the contest in Salt Lake City, having to watch his Bruins get trounced 48-17 from the sidelines. The next year, Chip Kelly was in charge, and when hosting Utah with a chance to turn his season around and contend for the division title, UCLA instead got stomped 41-10.
One more trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium, one more blowout victory for the Utes in 2019 – the Bruins suffered their worst loss in series history, dropping it 49-3 while turning the ball over five times.
To be completely clear, this is a very different UCLA team and an equally different Utah team compared to where the programs were two years ago. Both teams, while coming off a loss last weekend, still carry at least a notable amount of momentum and both of their offenses are moving the ball pretty well.
But looking back at the history – not just the average score of 46-10 since 2017 – there seem to be a few details popping up in 2021 that should make Bruin fans shudder.
A road trip to Salt Lake City with the UCLA quarterback, now Dorian Thompson-Robinson, questionable and possibly a game-time decision? That's 2017.
A must-win in order to stay in contention for the Pac-12 South? That's 2018, and 2019 for that matter.
Sure, none of those UCLA teams had the continuity, experience and offensive firepower of this one, but on the other side of things, none of those Utah teams had Cameron Rising, who has stood out as possibly the best quarterback in the conference since the start of October.
With Rising firing on all cylinders, Kyle Whittingham having a 7-4 all-time record against the Bruins and all the elements of deja vu, I just can't see UCLA coming out on top in this one.
Benjamin Royer, contributing writer
Prediction: Utah 32, UCLA 27
It isn't as if Utah is specifically Kelly’s home away from home, but the games away from the Rose Bowl have been the UCLA coach’s safe space this season.
Being 3-0 when not playing at home would usually signal a strong season from the Bruins, but losing their last three home games has thrown a wrench into that idea. Utah, with momentum and the crowd on their side, will provide UCLA with its first road loss on the season, making the chances of a coaching switch happening in Westwood all the more likely.
That isn't to say the Bruins can't put up a fight against the Utes, though. Without linebacker Devin Lloyd, who got tagged with a targeting penalty in the second half of versus Oregon State last weekend, the Utes will be without some of their star power on defense. If the Bruins want to get a positive result on Saturday, they will need to attack the ground with the gap missing in the Utah front seven.
Both running backs, Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown, struggled at the line of scrimmage against Oregon. Unable to get big yardage throughout last weekend’s nationally-televised contest, the duo will need to flip the script against Utah.
The health of Thompson-Robinson is up in the air for Saturday as well. He has been practicing and, as of Wednesday, he was throwing passes once again. But if he's not at full strength, there is little reason for Kelly to rush his third-year starter back onto the field. Thompson-Robinson has already played games short of 100%, and both he and the team as a whole would probably be better off letting backup quarterback Ethan Garbers compete instead.
The mentality needs to change if the Bruins want to salvage a strong ending to this season. I do not think UCLA will win this game on Saturday, but if the competitive edge is regained with a strong performance against Utah, there will be plenty to be excited about as the South is still up for grabs.
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