UCLA @ California preview
California Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) California 45, UCLA 26
UCLA still has a huge issue to solve at quarterback.
Lately, no one’s even noticed.
UCLA looks for its fourth straight win as it visits California in a Pac-10 Conference battle Saturday. The Bears have lost two straight after opening the season with back-to-back wins.
The Bruins (3-2, 1-1 Pac-10) rank 10th in the nation in rushing after a pair of eye-popping performances. UCLA rushed for 264 yards in a huge upset at Texas and then ran for 437 yards while pulling away from Washington State in last week’s 42-28 win.
Questions will arise when and if the Bruins have to throw the ball. Kevin Prince missed last week’s game with a knee injury and has struggled mightily on the season.
Richard Brehaut got the call last week. Brehaut went 12 of 23 in his first career start and ran for one touchdown. While he didn’t throw a touchdown pass, he didn’t throw an interception either, which was plenty good enough the way the Bruins have run the ball.
Johnathan Franklin rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown and fellow tailback Derrick Coleman toted the ball 15 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns against Washington State. Franklin leads the team with 625 yards.
Prince injured his right knee during the first half of UCLA's win at Texas, and had his knee drained of fluid last Sunday before missing practice. He remains questionable and the Bruins won’t hesitate to summon Brehaut in reserve.
The Bears are ferocious on the ground as well. Shane Vereen has rushed for 426 yards and six touchdowns on the season and went over 2,000 yards for his career in last week’s 10-9 loss at Arizona.
Cal led that game until just over a minute remained when Nick Foles threw a 3-yard pass to Juron Criner for the game’s only touchdown.
Cal (2-2, 0-1) has lost two straight games overall to teams ranked in the Top 25 but it has won the past two games in this series, scoring over 40 points both times. Cal hasn’t lost to UCLA at Memorial Field since 1998, rolling off a current streak of five straight home victories.
Bears quarterback Kevin Riley was silenced last week, but the veteran signal caller has a solid history against the Bruins. Riley has combined for five touchdowns without an interception in Cal’s last two games against UCLA.
Vereen ran for a 154 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries as Cal blew out UCLA 45-26 last year. Vereen leads the Pac-10 with eight touchdowns and is fourth nationally, averaging 12 points a game.
On the injury front, UCLA wide receiver Nelson Rosario is questionable with an ankle injury. Rosario has led the team in receiving the past two years. Cal is relatively healthy. Wide receiver Jarrett Sparks is questionable with an ankle injury.