Everything You Need To Know: UCLA

By: Kris Wright |
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Matt Johns will start at quarterback as UVa opens the season against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. ~ Mike Ingalls

Virginia fans have a lot of conflicting emotions entering the 2015 season opener. Excited but unsure. Hopeful but snakebitten. Longing but frustrated. With four losing seasons among coach Mike London’s five years, any of those emotions are understandable. How will the season unfold? The story begins with a trip to UCLA.

Here’s everything you need to know about the opener.

Essentials

Game Nuggets

  • This is the second meeting ever between Virginia and UCLA with the Bruins winning last year’s matchup 28-20.
  • This is the first time Virginia has opened on the road since 2007 when the Cavaliers lost at Wyoming, 23-3. UVa is 6-16-2 (.292) all-time when opening the season on the road. Virginia has only played one time in California previously, a 17-14 loss to USC in 2010.
  • Virginia coach Mike London is 6-1 in season openers as a head coach. The only loss came last season against UCLA.
  • UCLA will open at home for just the second time in the past six seasons. The Bruins are 63-28-5 in season-opening games.
  • UCLA produced at least nine wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history over the past three seasons. The Bruins return 16 starters on offense and defense plus three specialists at placekicker, punter, and long snapper.

Spotlight On UCLA’s Myles Jack

UCLA has a Jack of all trades. Forget the master of none part, though. Myles Jack is really, really good.

Jack, in fact, is one of the best linebackers in the country. He enters his junior season on the watch lists for numerous awards, including the Butkus Award that is given to the nation’s top collegiate linebacker. Last season, he finished with 88 tackles. That was second best on the team behind only Eric Kendricks, the 2014 Butkus Award winner. He also had seven pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, and an interception. That followed his freshman season when he tallied 75 tackles, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked kick.

Oh yeah, he’s a pretty good running back too. Jack has carried the ball 66 times in his career and posted 10 touchdowns. Last season, he logged 28 carries for 113 yards and three touchdowns. In 2013, he had 38 carries for 267 yards and seven touchdowns. That season, Jack became the first player in Pac-12 history to be selected both Freshman Off ensive and Defensive Player of the Year.

Early in training camp, Jack also practiced at kick returner so that possibility is on the table as well.

Virginia witnessed that talent up close last season. The linebacker posted a career-high 13 tackles in Charlottesville and added two pass breakups for good measure. That spring-boarded Jack into a strong season.

“Obviously he’s a tremendous player, very versatile, very athletic,” UVa coach Mike London said. “He’s a guy that plays on offense and defense. … You know that Myles is such a terrific athlete that he can carry the ball, he can do a lot of things for them, and plus he’s a run-and-hit guy. It’s rare that you have a linebacker that’s also a running back that can carry the ball and probably do some things with it that a player of his skill level can achieve, so definitely he is very talented. You have to know where he is at all times because like you said, he can come in in any situation, offensively, defensively, and be a significant part of their success.”

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Taquan Mizzell hopes to make some noise for Virginia’s offense. ~ Mike Ingalls

Matchups To Watch

UCLA linebacker Myles Jack vs. Virginia running back Taquan Mizzell. Jack, as noted above, is a talented athlete that piled up tackles against the Hoos last year. In fact, Eric Kendricks and Jack combined for 29 tackles against UVa. Mizzell, meanwhile, is trying to take over as Virginia’s feature back after playing in tandem with seniors Kevin Parks and Khalek Shepherd last season. These two players get the matchup focus, but UVa’s ground game – the offense wants to re-establish a running identity this season – against UCLA’s run defense – the Bruins finished 42nd in run defense a year ago – is a big story to follow in this one.

Virginia safety Quin Blanding vs. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen. Blanding shined as a true freshman last season, earning numerous freshman All-American honors and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Blanding is now in charge of the UVa secondary and is a key voice for the entire defense. He’ll help orchestrate the defense against Rosen, who hopes to create as much freshman noise as Blanding did. Rosen is expected to be the first true freshman to start at QB at UCLA since 1972, the first season of NCAA freshmen eligibility. If Blanding and company can disguise coverages and turn up the pressure with blitz packages, Rosen could be tested. If the quarterback can handle it all, however, he has a lot of talent that could expose the defense. He threw for 8,473 yards and 90 touchdowns in high school.

UCLA running back Paul Perkins vs. Virginia’s linebackers. A lot of the pregame chatter has focused on quarterback Josh Rosen, but the real worry may be Perkins. The Bruins may try to protect Rosen with a run-heavy plan against what is expected to be a heavy dose of 4-2-5 nickel defense from UVa. That could put Perkins in line for a big day. He’s up to the task if called upon. He has run for at least 80 yards 15 times in his career, including all 13 games last season. Perkins, who started 2014 with 80 yards and 5.0 yards per carry at Virginia, led the Pac 12 in rushing with 1,575 yards. On the other side, UVa has new starters at linebacker in Micah Kiser and Zach Bradshaw. Expect UCLA to test those two early.

Kris’ Keys

1. Avoid the disasters of 2014. The No. 3 key in last year’s matchup with UCLA was to avoid the turnovers in close games that caused so many losses in 2013. The Hoos did the opposite with three turnovers for touchdown (two pick-six interceptions and one fumble return) in a 28-20 loss. Winning on the road will require limiting turnovers in the rematch.

2. Attack the sideline zones. UCLA proved vulnerable at times in the sideline zone areas of Cover-2 defense. That’s how Matt Johns came in to spark the team right off the bat last season with completions to Canaan Severin and Andre Levrone on the sidelines. The Bruins are experienced in the secondary even with defensive back Ishmael Adams suspended for UCLA, but the coverage should have some gaps. Attack those areas to uncork some big plays and it could help the offense eat up yards.

3. Don’t try to hang around and win late. Virginia needs to march into 2015 with a new attitude. After playing things conservatively and trusting the defense the past two seasons, the Hoos hopefully have learned that they need to score more points to get more wins (71 teams – 55% of the FBS level – averaged at least 28 per game last season). Getting out to a fast start is especially important against UCLA, which owns a 25-0 record under coach Jim Mora when leading at the half.

The Pick

Is this Mike London’s last stand? Virginia risked a sixth season with London after a 5-7 finish left the Hoos home for bowl season for the fourth time in five years. The Hoos did show improvement in 2014 and were one big win away from reversing the trend. Can they get over the hump this season? The early schedule will test UVa’s resolve starting with an experienced UCLA team on the road.

Virginia can win if … it turns the tables on UCLA by creating turnovers. Last season, the Bruins scored three defensive touchdowns and let that side of the ball dictate the outcome. When UVa won in 2014, it followed a similar formula. The Hoos scored 109 points off turnovers (1/3 of the season total) in 2014.

Virginia can lose if … it can’t score on offense. Offense has been the problem around these parts for a while. The Cavaliers have finished among the nation’s worst scoring teams every year over the last seven years, never averaging more than 25.8 points (last season): 88th in 2014, 110th in 2013, 95th in 2012, 86th in 2011, 75th in 2010, 105th in 2009, and 115th in 2008. College football has evolved into a high-scoring affair in a lot of matchups. UCLA will have the upper hand if this is a defensive battle.

And the winner is … UCLA. Virginia is 6-16-2 all-time in road openers. Predicting a win at No. 13 UCLA all the way across the country? It doesn’t make sense. Hoo fans are hoping for the first of many surprises this season, but it doesn’t look promising on paper where the Bruins are 17- to 19-point favorites. 2014 record: 7-5.