Everything You Need To Know: UCLA

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Greyson Lambert is expected to make his first career start this weekend. ~ MIke Ingalls

The Virginia football season kicks off Saturday at Noon when the Hoos welcome UCLA to Charlottesville. Here’s everything you need to know about the showdown.

Essentials

Game Nuggets

  • Virginia opens the season at home for the 101st time in 125 seasons of football. The Hoos own a 74-19-7 all-time record in season-opening home games.
  • In his career as a head coach, Virginia’s Mike London has won all six of his season-opening games (4-0 at UVa and 2-0 at Richmond).
  • Virginia is 0-4 all-time against teams from the Pac-12, the only BCS conference the Cavaliers are winless against. This is the first meeting between UVa and UCLA.
  • UCLA opens its season on the road for the fourth time in five seasons (it is 2-2 in the previous four games). This is the program’s second ever trip to an ACC Stadium, the only other game coming in 1955 when the then-No. 1 Bruins lost at Maryland (former ACC member). UCLA is 17-13 all-time against current members of the ACC.
  • UVa defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta and UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone have met three times previously as opposing coordinators. Tenuta is 3-0 in those previous coordinator meetings.

Spotlight On UCLA’s Brett Hundley

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley returns for his redshirt junior season with school records already in tow. Hundley established new single-season records in 2012 for completions (318), passing yards (3,740), and total offense (4,095 yards). He is the team’s leading returning rusher (748 yards) as well. Hundley has either run or thrown for a touchdown in all 27 games of his career. Against Virginia Tech in last season’s Sun Bowl, he threw for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns.

So yeah, he’s the real deal. Virginia has heaped praise on Hundley all week, calling him a playmaker, dynamic, and virtually any other praise-worthy adjective you can imagine.

“Brett Hundley, again, we all know he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate. He’s got almost 8,000 career yards there at UCLA and he’s a very dynamic player, and he’s a guy that touches the ball 100 percent of the time. You can try to simulate, you can try to get guys to be him in practice, you can try all types of things and watch film, but when you actually play a player of his caliber, you just have to be very alert and aware of your rush lanes, coverages, just so many things you have to pay attention to because he is such a dynamic player,” Virginia coach Mike London said.

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