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Utah Utes at UCLA Bruins Betting Preview

Saturday night will feature a Pac-12 South showdown as the Utah Utes (0-0) take on the UCLA Bruins (0-1) at the Rose Bowl. This game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but it was shifted to Saturday to accommodate some COVID-19 concerns. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 pm ET.

This will be the opener for the Utes after their game last weekend against Arizona was postponed. They could not meet the minimum of 53 players in the game due to COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing. They are not entirely out of the woods yet to play this weekend, but coach Kyle Whittingham hopes the extra day can afford them the opportunity to be healthy enough to play.

For UCLA, they come into this one after dropping their opener to Colorado, 48-42. UCLA was done in by a rough first half, where they were down 35 to 14 at halftime. A 21-point third quarter made the game respectable, but it was too little, too late for the Bruins.

Despite their health concerns, Utah comes into this one as the favorite playing on the road. Their moneyline sits at -172 while the Bruins are +140 to win. The spread features UCLA +3.5, and the over/under for total points is 59.5.

Utah Just Wanting To Play

It has been a tough road for the Utah Utes thus far. They have had multiple positive tests, one of which landed a player in the hospital, and contract tracing has knocked out several others. After canceling their game last week, the Utes hope to get this game in against the Bruins.

If they do play, the Utes have been pretty quiet about who will start under center for them. Jake Bentley, Drew Lisk, and Cameron Rising are all possible options, but coach Whittingham has refused to acknowledge who he will roll with for the upcoming game.

There has been a lot of roster turnover on the defensive side as Utah is bringing back just two of its starters. With so much turnover from last year and the fact that, as coach Whittingham has said, some positions have been decimated by the COVID-19 outbreak, this could be a bit of a hodgepodge in terms of a starting lineup.

UCLA Looks To Rebound After Dropping Opener

Overall, UCLA was able to put up a solid 42 points in their opener versus Colorado. Despite the points, their big hole early on was too much to overcome.

In the loss, the Bruins were led by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He went 20 for 40 for 303 yards, four touchdowns passing, and one interception on the day. He also was their leading rusher with nine carries for 109 yards and another score.

For Thompson-Robinson, his best receivers were Greg Dulcich (four receptions, 126 yards, one touchdown) and Demetric Felton (seven receptions, 46 yards, one touchdown). Keegan Jones and Mike Martinez also had touchdowns through the air for UCLA.

Aside from Thompson-Robinson, Demetric Felton was their leading rusher. He had 10 carries for 57 yards and a score on the ground.

Two significant concerns for UCLA is their defense and ball security. Not only did they give up 48 points, but they forced no turnovers and only got to the quarterback for a sack once. In terms of ball security, UCLA had three lost fumbles and an interception.

Health Will Determine The Game

This game is a tough one to predict because there is just so much uncertainty surrounding this one. Will the game even be played and, if so, what will Utah’s team look like? Furthermore, after having their own positive case, will there be a ripple effect on UCLA’s squad.

With so much uncertainty, I lean towards taking the points in this one. The Bruins at least have some continuity after playing last week and have at least some idea of who they are plugging in and what those pieces need to address to improve. This is certainly a game that needs to be watched as it gets closer to Saturday, but for my money, I am taking UCLA +3.5.

 

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