The 9 and 4 UCLA football Bruins will face the 7 and 6 Baylor Bears in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium this evening at 6:45 (ESPN).
The rebounding Bruins are coming off a heartbreaking 27 to 24 loss to Rose Bowl-bound Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game in mid-month. UCLA outplayed the Cardinal for three quarters and missed a game tying field goal as time ran out.
Tonight the Bruins will face the No. 1 offense in the nation. On the flip side, Baylor has have one of the worst defenses in college football.
If UCLA beats Baylor, it will mark their first 10-win season since 2005 in addition to being their first major bowl appearance since 2009. To beat Baylor, UCLA will need to play more consistent defense, especially in the secondary. The Bruins’ front seven can match up with any team, but their cornerbacks and safeties must step up and make plays. If they don’t stop the pas,s UCLA will be in for a long night.
On offense, the Bruins’ big two, quarterback Brett Hundley and running back Johnathan Franklin, must to come through one more time. Both players have had excellent seasons. They have provided leadership on and off the field. “We have to stay consistent as a team,” said Hundley after their first loss to Stanford.
One thing is for sure, this should be a high scoring game that will come down to mistakes and turnovers.
Mr. Finley may be contacted at sfinley50@aol.com
