USC vs UCLA prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 12, Saturday, November 19
USC vs UCLA Prediction, Game Preview
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USC vs UCLA How To Watch
Date: Saturday, November 19
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
How To Watch: FOX
Record: USC (9-1), UCLA (8-2)
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Why USC Will Win
The offense keeps on improving.
Dog the defense all you want – it’s not great against the run, it’s allowing way to many yards, it’s been too shaky – but the offense is doing whatever it wants now.
The loss of RB Travis Dye hurts – he’s out for the year with a leg injury – but the attack has other options, the line has been great, and Caleb Williams is playing like a Heisman contender – 31 touchdown passes, two picks, six touchdown runs – who now gets his chance in the spotlight.
Only Minnesota is better on third downs, there have only been three turnovers on the year, and Williams is airing it out averaging close to 14 yards per completion.
UCLA will give up passing yards – it’s getting hammered way too easily by anyone who can push the ball down the field – it’s going to have a hard time in pass protection against the Trojan pass rush, and …
Why UCLA Will Win
Here comes the UCLA running game.
The Trojan defensive front was able to hold up for the most part, but it’s allowing 4.5 yards per carry, teams that commit to the ground game are able to rip off yards in chunks as the game goes on, and overall the team is giving up close to 400 yards per game.
UCLA might not be thought of as physical, but it’s a tough team that grinds it out with over 400 rushing yards against Arizona State, over 300 against Stanford, and average over six yards per carry overall.
Run well, come up with manageable third down tries, and let veteran QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson keep it all moving. The Bruins can do that.
No, they’re not quite as explosive as USC, but they’re not turning the ball over enough to matter, they’re incredibly balanced, and they’re never going to be out of this. They’ll have no problem answering every USC big scoring drive.
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What’s Going To Happen
Can USC take its game up another few notches?
It’s been fun rolling up Colorado and Cal, but it struggled against Oregon State, the O didn’t get to 400 yards against Washington State, and all the yards weren’t enough in the loss to Utah.
It’s up to Williams to have the game of his career.
How did UCLA lose to Oregon and Arizona? Duck QB Bo Nix and Wildcat QB Jayden de Laura were deadly accurate – they each hit more than 78% of their passes.
Williams will take his downfield shots, but you beat UCLA with steady cuts.
It’ll cede the time of possession battle by a mile – Arizona had the ball for over 34 minutes and Oregon had it for 33 – and USC should have it about five minutes more. That won’t be enough.
Williams will be amazing, but the UCLA ground game will rumble for over 200 yards, Thompson-Robinson will be sharp, and the thrilling back-and-forth game will come down to one late drive.
UCLA will control the clock and the game when it absolutely has to.
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USC vs UCLA Prediction, Line
UCLA 41, USC 38
Line: USC -2.5, o/u: 75.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
USC vs UCLA Must See Rating (out of 5): 5
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