Offense

After five seasons under center, UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has finally moved on to the NFL, opening the door to one of the highest rated quarterbacks from the 2023 class, Dante Moore.

It’s been a fast start for the Bruins true freshman. Despite not starting the first game, Moore has thrown for 615 yards, 7 touchdowns, and only 1 interception through 2 and a half games. He’s not the dual threat that Thompson-Robinson was, in fact, he’s only carried the ball 8 times for -2 yards, but he can create chunk plays in a hurry with his arm. He’s already had touchdown throws of 81 yards, 67 yards, and 62 yards, each coming in one of the three games.

At running back, the Bruins are now without First-Team All-Pac-12 Zach Charbonnet, who was drafted to the NFL in the second round to the Seattle Seahawks. They replaced him with a combination of players, including Ball State transfer Carson Steele, who rushed for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. They also brought in Anthony Adkins from Army, and now use sophomore TJ Harden more frequently. The three rushers have already amassed 598 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground in just three games. The UCLA rushing game ranks #3 in the country, averaging a whopping 270 yards per game.

While the focus of the offense is the ground game, the Bruins have several reliable options at receiver as well. California transfer J Michael Sturdivant has led the team so far with 9 catches for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns, and senior Logan Loya has 7 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Steele also has 7 catches out of the backfield. It’s a fairly inexperienced and young group, but they are already proving to be a threat.

The offensive line came into the year with the biggest question marks after having to replace three regular starters, but redshirt sophomore right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio and senior center Duke Clemens have been anchors to the 2023 line as the returning starters. The Bruins also brought over redshirt junior left guard Spencer Holstege from Purdue, where he started 31 games. Bruno Fina and Josh Carlin round out the remainder of the line, both being first time starters in 2023.

Defense

The defense is anchored by a seasoned and dangerous front four on the defensive line, headed up by defensive end Laiatu Latu. After coming over from Washington last season, Latu has been an absolute nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. He was named the College Football Comeback Player of the Year last season after accumulating 10.5 sacks, despite not being a regular starter. This season, he already has 4 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception.

Overall, the defensive line has been a force, holding opponents to just 69.7 yards rushing, 11th best in the nation. Next to Latu, it is composed of three other returning starters from last season, DE Gabriel Murphy, DT Jay Toia, and DT Gary Smith III.

The linebackers are also solid, led by Darius Muasau, who led the team in tackles last season and is on track to do so again this year. The Bruins also brought in Oluwafemi Oladejo from Cal, where he started 10 games last season for the Golden Bears.

The secondary may be the defensive weakness on the team. It is currently ranked 7th in the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed, giving up 209 yards per game. In 2022, this was the Achilles heel for the Bruins, where they ranked #117 in the country, giving up an average of 273 yards per game.

Four-year starting safety Stephan Blaylock has graduated, as did S Mo Osling III. However, they were able to slide Kenny Churchwell III into one of those safety spots, and use John Humphrey and Jaylin Davies at cornerback, where they both had multiple starts in 2022. They’ll receive their first true test this Saturday to see if they are an improved unit from last season.

Summary

The Bruins are a tough opening conference opponent for the Utes. This will be the best defense they’ve faced this season, and most likely the best rushing attack as well. It is a team full of upperclassmen starters, and lots of returning depth.

While Moore is already proving his talent, this will be his first start on the road against a power 5 opponent. He will likely face an enormous amount of pressure, which could lead to taking sacks and making critical errors.

However, UCLA will probably try to lean on its running game as much as possible, and if Utah has trouble containing the run, it could be a long day for the defense.

If Cam Rising doesn’t return, Utah will need Nate Johnson to take another step forward, especially in the passing game. If the rushing game gets plugged up, and it likely will, Johnson will need to test the secondary, and throw the ball down the field.

With two young quarterbacks and two stingy defenses, expect this to be a low scoring brawl from start to finish.