Why BYU will win... Part II

Yesterday I broke down 5 reasons I believed that BYU would keep it's home winning streak alive. Today I turn my focus to September 8th in the Rose Bowl where BYU takes on UCLA. UCLA will likely have a win under it's belt (they open against Stanford) and will most likely be ranked in the top 20. BYU, after beating Arizona, will be gaining national attention and also ranked, though most likely 23-25. This will be BYU's chance to show the country what it can do against a BCS team on a national stage. The channel the game will be carried on has not been announced, but it will have more viewers than the Mtn. Heck, this blog has more viewers than the Mtn.

5 Reasons BYU will win

5. Porous offensive line. Last year UCLA ranked #41 in sacks allowed (BYU was #14.) BYU's front three aren't necessarily sack machines, but they will get good pressure and create opportunities for the LBers to make plays. USC was getting in the backfield often but they weren't getting any...

4. Containment. Bronco switched from his baby the 3-3-5 to the 3-4 and began emphasizing sound assignments instead of flying to the ball. In watching tape of the USC and UCLA game, Cowan was just waiting for the line to get behind him and he would have about 20 yards down the field without a single defender. BYU is too sound in their assignments to let that happen as often as USC did.

3. BYU defense vs. UCLA offense. This is one I actually have picked up from UCLA boards. Their offense is stagnant and predictable, never putting many points on the board (#64 in the country with 23 points a game, BYU was #5.) BYU's defense won't let them sustain the type of drives a team like this needs to score touchdowns.

2. BYU Offense vs. UCLA Defense. Everyone talks about how many starters are coming back as some sort of overwhelming plus for UCLA. UCLA ranked #87 in the country last year against the pass, allowing the other QB an average ranking of 223! UCLA's strength is against the run where they ranked #9 last year. Now, I am not saying that BYU's offense is clearly better, but putting the ball in the air against UCLA is much better than running it against them. BYU's offensive line is big and good at pass protection and should give Hall enough time to find his receivers.

1. Go for broke. BYU HAS to win this game if Bronco is raising the bar. While a win against AZ would be great, this one is a must win. Beating a BCS team on their home turf is a requirement for stepping up. Bronco and Anae will pull out all the stops for this game. Let's hope that doesn't include the backyard-huddle-kick return unless they learn how to hand it off backwards.

My 3 Cents: This is the only game of the season I am worried about at this point, but for some reason I get the same feeling about it as Oregon last year. Everyone was thinking it would be a shoot out and Oregon was just too good for BYU. I get the feeling that BYU could shock the country in September and put itself on the map.