Virginia @ UCLA preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2014 ) UCLA 28, Virginia 20

A true freshman will start a season opener at quarterback for the first time in UCLA history Saturday when the No. 14 Bruins host Virginia at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Josh Rosen earned the nod from coach Jim Mora after a solid spring and summer and he’ll get his first test against a blitz-heavy Virginia defense led by free safety Quin Blanding, who led all FBS freshmen with 123 total tackles last season.

UCLA almost slipped through the offseason without any major distractions but then came early Sunday morning, when starting defensive back and primary kick returner Ishmael Adams was arrested on campus after allegedly stealing a cell phone from an Uber driver and was suspended indefinitely by the Bruins. Adams, a redshirt junior, started all 26 games for UCLA the last two seasons, returning two interceptions for touchdowns last year, including one against the Cavaliers. Virginia quarterback Matt Johns had one of his best games against UCLA a year ago, passing for 154 yards and two TDs in the 28-20 loss in Charlottesville, Va., and he’ll have last season’s leading receiver back in Canaan Severin. Johns will have a lot of pressure to perform well as the player he beat out, Grayson Lambert, transferred to Georgia where he was named the opening-game starter earlier this week.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: UCLA -19.5

ABOUT VIRGINIA (2014: 5-7): The Cavaliers lost their top two rushers from last season, opening the door for former blue-chip recruit Taquan Mizzell to show what he can do in a primary role. Mizzell was offered a scholarship by a number of high-profile programs heading into his senior season at Bayside High in Virginia Beach in 2012, including UCLA, but he’s been no higher than third on the depth chart prior to this season. Virginia’s run defense is expected to be anchored by defensive tackle David Dean, who helped limit two of the nation’s top rushers last season, James Conner of Pittsburgh and Duke Johnson of Miami, to season-low rush totals. Replacing the entire starting linebacker corps will be the biggest challenge for the Cavaliers, who will count on redshirt sophomore Micah Kiser to step into the middle.

ABOUT UCLA (2014: 10-3): The Bruins are hoping running back Paul Perkins can pick up where he left off last season, rushing for a career-high 194 yards and scoring two TDs in a 40-35 win over Kansas State at the Alamo Bowl, earning offensive-MVP honors. Perkins finished the season with 1,575 rushing yards, the second most in program history, and if he can come close to duplicating those numbers, he’ll take a lot of pressure off Rosen. Defensively, the Bruins will lean heavily on defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who had a career-high eight tackles against the Cavaliers last season. The players most likely to step into Adams’ spot in the nickel defense are Denzel Fisher or John Johnson.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Virginia kicker Ian Frye was 17-for-17 on fields goal of less than 40 yards last season.

2. UCLA has won at least nine games the last three seasons, a first for the program.

3. UCLA is 25-0 when leading at the half in three seasons under Mora.

PREDICTION: UCLA 24, Virginia 20