The Arizona Wildcats kept in pace with Arizona State and Utah at the top of the Pac-12 South standings with a solid 22-point win over the Washington State Cougars last time out. They will face a much sterner test, though, this coming Saturday as they travel to Pasadena to face the streaking UCLA Bruins who are fresh off an exciting double overtime win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
Who will emerge victorious in this pivotal Pac-12 showdown? Read on for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our list of the best games to watch for in Week 10 of the NCAA football season here.
The Arizona Wildcats bounced back from their heartbreaking defeat to the USC Trojans last week with a comfortable 59-37 win over the Washington State Cougars on Saturday.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Freshman quarterback Anu Solomon starred for the Wildcats as he completed 26 of 38 passes for five touchdowns with no interceptions to keep Arizona at the top of the Pac-12 South standings with a 6-1 slate (3-1 in Pac-12).
They can further solidify their hold of the top spot when they face the UCLA Bruins this coming Saturday. The Wildcats will definitely attack the Bruins via the aerial route as UCLA are ranked 101st in the FBS in passing defense allowing an average of 267.8 yards per game.
The one who will definitely take advantage of this fact is wide receiver Cayleb Jones. He is 18th among starting wide receivers in the FBS in receiving yards averaging 95.7 per contest. In the game against Washington State, Jones led all Arizona receivers with 78 yards as he hauled in seven passes and a touchdown.
Thanks to his exploits, the Wildcats are now the eighth-best passing team in the nation with Arizona averaging 348.4 yards per game.
The UCLA Bruins pulled off an exhilarating 40-37 double overtime victory over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday to keep their Pac-12 title hopes very much alive.
Quarterback Brett Hundley was the star of the show for the Bruins as he scored on an eight-yard touchdown run in the second overtime period to give UCLA their second-consecutive away victory.
They will now head back to Pasadena, knowing that they will need to improve on their recent performances there. They have lost their last two outings at Rose Bowl Stadium, allowing an average of 36 points in their defeats to Pac-12 rivals Utah and Oregon.
Some of those defensive lapses reared its ugly head once again in their game against Colorado. The Bruins squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Buffaloes and what should have been a straight forward win turned into a battle of attrition for them.
Fortunately for the Bruins, Hundley took over as he completed 24 of 39 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 110 yards and the game-winning touchdown. This season, Hundley is 21st among starting quarterbacks in the total offense department with the junior QB averaging 308.9 yards per game.
The Bruins, however, will have their work cut out for them this coming Saturday as they will face an Arizona team that has an elite quarterback of their own. Quarterback Anu Solomon has impressed for the Wildcats this season averaging 374.4 yards in total offense to place fifth among all starting quarterbacks.
Worryingly for the Bruins, they are only 86th in the FBS in the total defense department allowing an average of 434.9 yards this campaign. In their game against Colorado (0-5 in the Pac-12 this season), UCLA allowed a whopping 500 total yards.
