Texas A&M @ UCLA preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2016 ) UCLA 24, Texas A&M 31

UCLA and Texas A&M meet in the season opener for the second consecutive season on Sunday at the Rose Bowl, and both teams will be looking for strong starts after poor finishes last season. The Aggies lost four of their final five games in 2016 while the Bruins dropped six of their last seven, prompting coach Jim Mora to replace some of his top offensive coaches.

Texas A&M beat the Bruins in overtime in the season opener last year, but this will be a considerably different team, with former Aggies quarterback Trevor Knight now trying to claim a roster spot with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and defensive end Myles Garrett making an impression with the Cleveland Browns as the No. 1 overall draft pick. Texas A&M has been rather secretive as to whom will take over for Knight, but Jake Hubenak should have the inside track after filling in due to injury a few times last season. There's no question who UCLA will send out to direct the offense, as Josh Rosen returns to start his third consecutive season opener. Rosen should be eager to play well after injuries limited him to six games a year ago - preventing him from improving on his 3,670-yard, 23-touchdown effort as a freshman, which had him in the Heisman Trophy conversation at this time last year.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: UCLA -3.5

ABOUT TEXAS A&M (2016: 8-5): The Aggies won't be lacking offensive firepower, as leading rusher Trayveon Williams returns for his sophomore season while the top pass catcher from last season, Christian Kirk, is back for his junior year. Williams rushed for 1,057 yards and eight TDs on 156 rushes last season, an average of 6.8 yards per carry, and the inexperience at quarterback undoubtedly will force Texas A&M to lean heavily on him against UCLA. Kirk caught 83 passes last season after making 80 receptions as a freshman, and his ability to get open on short routes also should make things easier for whoever is passing the ball.

ABOUT UCLA (2016: 4-8): The Bruins didn't have a player gain more than 350 yards on the ground last season, and their 84.2 rushing yards per game ranked second-worst in the nation. Bolu Olorunfunmi looks like the No. 1 option for UCLA out of the backfield after getting a majority of the carries during training camp, but Soso Jamabo and Nate Starks will be waiting nearby if he starts spinning his wheels. Jamabo led the Bruins with 321 rushing yards last season and Starks was second at 281, but none of the three averaged more than 3.9 per carry.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Texas A&M will wear a helmet sticker that features the outline of the state of Texas over the symbol for a hurricane in remembrance of those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

2. DBs Jaleel Wadood, Nate Meadors and Adarius Pickett return for a UCLA secondary that ranked seventh in the nation in pass efficiency defense last season (108.85).

3. UCLA WR Darren Andrews has registered 98 receptions for 1,152 yards over the last two seasons, the most catches in that span by a Pac-12 receiver.

PREDICTION: UCLA 31, Texas A&M 28