Thursday, October 06, 2005

Desert Sun: Profile of Cal UCLA Game

UCLA vs. Cal

Undefeated UCLA and California square off this week in what promises to be a quality contest in the Rose Bowl as the winner of this one should be the challenger to the USC juggernaut as it churns along toward January. Keep these items in mind while following this game:

Turnover Margin: UCLA is +7 and Cal is +2. Big games hinge on turnovers, just ask Sam Keller and his Sun Devil teammates.

Kicking Game: Maurice Drew has returned two punts for touchdowns with one going for 72 yards, and California has returned one punt and blocked another. Punt coverage relates to field position and changes in emotion on the field

Rushing Offense and Defense: California has the upper hand here. The Bears average 259.4 yards per game while allowing opponents just 92.0, tops in the conference.

Scoring: Both teams average over forty points a game but California allows 10.6 points per game to UCLA's 20.8. The Bruins must contain the run game and prevent big plays to keep the score down. Cal's defense will not allow many points in this game.

Coaching: Jeff Tedford has been there before. By winning, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell can cement himself with the Bruin fans and alert others in the Pac-10 that UCLA will stick with the best of them.

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