UCLA vs. Utah Week 9: Storylines to Watch
UCLA football (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) is scheduled to kick off its Week 9 game against Utah (4-3, 3-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Bruins dropped what could have been their third consecutive win when they lost to Oregon at home last weekend. The Utes found themselves in a similar situation, riding a three-game winning streak before they got beat by Oregon State and lost their one-game lead at the top of the South division.
Heading into the Week 9 matchup, here are the most pressing questions we want to have answered by the final whistle.
Who will start at quarterback?
Dorian Thompson-Robinson's injury against Oregon stalled what could have been a game-winning drive for the Bruins, and his availability is up in the air for Saturday.
A lot of this is speculation, due to the nature of how coach Chip Kelly discusses injuries – as in, he hardly ever does. Thompson-Robinson was listed as the starter on Monday's depth chart and he increased his participation at practice Wednesday.
If it turns out Thompson-Robinson isn't ready to go, then Ethan Garbers will earn his first career college start. Garbers threw a game-sealing interception against the Ducks last weekend, which presented quite the stain on what could have been an iconic comeback in the final minutes.
The decision to go with either Thompson-Robinson or Garbers will certainly be based on health first, but it will still be the No. 1 thing to keep an eye on regardless. The severity of Thompson-Robinson's injury is unknown at the moment, and it could be determined with Kelly making one game-time decision at quarterback.
When will the pass defense step up?
To this point, it hasn't really happened this year.
Maybe the secondary can play Utah the same way it played Washington, but even then, Cameron Rising is a far superior quarterback to Dylan Morris. While Morris underthrew a couple balls that led to UCLA interceptions, Rising has shown he has a much better arm going downfield.
Most quarterbacks have season-best performances against the Bruins, and Rising could be the next in line.
Rising is coming into Saturday with a 67% completion percentage, 8.5 yards per attempt, 12.6 yards per completion and a 157.7 passer rating in the month of October. UCLA has allowed Jayden Daniels and Anthony Brown to post really solid games, and even Jordan McCloud looked solid against them.
The stats seem to set Rising up for a game like those others, and that is certainly in the cards with defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro leading the way on the sidelines. Still, a surprise performance is now out of the question from this secondary, which still boasts experience and talent.
Can the Bruins get the Utes off their backs?
The Utes have absolutely dominated the Bruins as of late.
Dating back to 2016, UCLA hasn't taken a single one of the four head-to-head matchups with Utah. The average score of the last three games between the two teams is 46-10 in favor of the Utes.
It doesn't matter if it's Chip Kelly, Jim Mora, Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Wilton Speight, Utah has dominated UCLA regardless. Kyle Whittingham, for being a defensive coach, has a knack for putting up 40-plus on whichever Bruin defense he goes up against.
While this isn't the most porous defense Whittingham has faced in the Kelly-Azzinaro era, it isn't great either.
This doesn't just present the secondary a chance to redeem itself, though. The defense as a whole, along with the entire team, would need to shake off some major historical deficiencies in order to flip the script this time around.
Is this a do-or-die game for Chip Kelly?
If the Bruins lose, they're pretty much out of the race for the Pac-12 South.
That means four years without a conference title, probably five considering how much talent is walking out the door this upcoming offeseason. Without real Pac-12 contention or a nine-win season through four years – and again probably five – the Kelly era would be seen by many as a failure.
A loss to Utah would further prove that UCLA can't beat top-40 teams, but instead only bottom-75 squads. Even if the Bruins went 3-0 after this weekend to wrap up the season, they still wouldn't end up winning a single conference game against a supposed superior opponent all season long.
The only way Kelly can keep his job and keep the fanbase crossing their fingers for more is if he wins out starting this weekend. That could lead to a Pac-12 championship game appearance, and possible 10 wins prior to a bowl. A conference title and double-digit wins could secure UCLA its first Rose Bowl bid in two centuries.
11 wins and a Rose Bowl victory are still in play for the Bruins this year, but only if things go right for them this weekend. A single loss could take those expectations all the way down to eight wins, and then the future of the program becomes much more cloudy.
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