Washington State vs. UCLA fearless prediction and game preview.
Washington State vs. UCLA Broadcast
Date: Saturday, September 21
Game Time: 10:30 ET
Venue: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
Network: ESPN
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Washington State (3-0) vs. UCLA (0-3) Game Preview
Why Washington State Will Win
At some point, someone will notice that Wazzu has a defense.
The offense gets all of the attention, but the other side is holding up its end of the bargain doing a great job of taking the ball away – nine turnovers in three games – and has been been terrific when the ball is in the air. There’s not enough happening in the backfield, and the run defense is a problem, but overall, the defense is doing more than just holding serve.
The offensive side is doing its part, too.
Anthony Gordon picked up where Gardner Minshew left off, throwing for 420 yards or more in each of the first three games. He’s hitting 79% of his throws with 12 scores and two picks, and the Bruins are getting bombed on for 279 passing yards per game.
Score just a little bit, and the Bruins can’t keep up.
Why UCLA Will Win
Washington State has looked fantastic so far … against New Mexico State, Northern Colorado and Houston. Yippee.
There’s no excuse for UCLA to not be a whole lot better, but Cincinnati, San Diego State and Oklahoma are all better than anyone Wazzu has dealt with so far.
Is anything going right with the Bruins? The defense is able to get behind the line, and the stats are a whole lot worse than things look – playing Oklahoma will do that. At some point the offense is going to pivot and start to be more effective.
It might just be a case of the dam needing one little trickle to break. It started to bust through late last season, and after three games, it’s way overdue to find something that works. The Cougars can be run on, and the Bruins have to out and try blasting away.
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What’s Going To Happen
Washington State will stall just a wee bit as UCLA’s defense will do a nice job of not letting the game get out of hand.
But the offense won’t do its part.
Too many empty Bruin drives will turn into Cougar points as Gordon and company togo on a nice run of points midway though the third quarter to finally break away. Once again, the Wazzu defense will do its part.
Washington State vs. UCLA Prediction, Line
Washington State 34, UCLA 14
Line: Washington State -19.5, o/u: 57.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 2.5
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