College Football Week 3: Houston At #22 UCLA
| First-year coach Tony Levine fired his offensive coordinator (or at least didn’t persuade him to stay) after just one game. Last week, the defense was the problem as Houston fell to 0-2. | Coaching | We’re only two games into the Jim Mora era, but last week’s win over Nebraska was a huge victory for the rebuilding program. |
|---|---|---|
| Well, the coaching staff seemed to inspire the offense, which rebounded from a pathetic opener to post a whopping 693 yards and 49 points against Louisiana Tech. Sophomore quarterback David Piland threw 77 times, notching 580 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. | Offense | Rick Neuheisel is probably wishing he had started quarterback Brett Hundley last year instead of redshirting him. But the real key to the Bruin offense is Johnathan Franklin, who has put himself in the Heisman discussion. |
| The Cougars defense gave up 598 yards and 56 points last week. UCLA might get close to those numbers as Houston continues to adjust to new schemes. | Defense | UCLA’s defense looked fast and swarming against Nebraska, despite giving up 439 yards and 30 points. |
| Houston returns its kicker and punter, both of whom have been superb so far this season. Matt Hogan has made all of his attempts, including one from 50 yards. | Special Teams | UCLA’s freshman kicker missed two against Nebraska and the Bruins haven’t gotten much of anything in the return game. |
The winner is
#22 UCLA
3 out of 4
It’s a safe bet that UCLA will get to 3-0 against a struggling Houston team. Look for Franklin and the Bruin offense to have another big day.
More Tales of the tape
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NCAA Championship Game: #1 Louisville Vs. #4 MichiganRick Pitino has been here before, after making his 7th Final Four appearance, he’s now in his third go-round in the title game. He’s got plenty of experience on the big stage and he has the Cardinals playing high level basketball at the right time.
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NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend: #4 Michigan Vs. #4 SyracuseNo. 4 Michigan and No. 4 Syracuse square off in Atlanta this weekend with the winner getting a shot to play for the National Title.
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NCAA Tournament Championship Weekend: #1 Louisville Vs. #9 Wichita StateRick Pitino and No. 1 Louisville take on No. 9 Wichita State in Atlanta this weekend for a shot to play in the National Title game on Monday.
