PASADENA, Calif. – It's been a bumpy start to the Chip Kelly era at UCLA with Bruins opening the season with a five-game losing streak and getting blown out at home by Fresno State. But the Bruins, who upset slumping crosstown rival USC 34-27 last week, could end the season with an impressive two-game win streak with a victory over visiting Stanford on Saturday afternoon.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Stanford -6.5
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It doesn't figure to be easy. The Cardinal got an unexpected extra week to heal up and prepare after their annual Big Game contest with Bay Area rival Cal was postponed until Dec. 1 because of unhealthy air conditions due to smoke from the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County. Stanford has also had its way with the Bruins over the last decade, winning 10 in a row, but Kelly pooh-poohed that stat when it was brought up by a reporter on Monday. "That doesn't matter," Kelly said. "You keep talking about history. We're a forward-thinking operation. What happened in the past doesn't mean anything to us. We're looking through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror. I don't care if they've won 47 in a row. That doesn't really affect this team because none of us were here. We're ready to focus on a really good Stanford team right now."
ABOUT STANFORD (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12)
The extra week off helped the Cardinal on the injury front. "A couple of guys were semi-questionable for that game," quarterback K.J. Costello, who leads the Pac-12 in passing efficiency (156.9) and is second in passing yards (2,854) and yards per attempt (8.65), told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We're likely to get them back this week so I think it played into our favor." Wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who's tied for fifth in the nation with 11 touchdown catches, sat out the team's 48-17 victory over Oregon State on Nov. 10 with an ankle injury, and head coach David Shaw said kicker Jet Toner would have been questionable to play last weekend but "the extra few days have helped him quite a bit."
ABOUT UCLA (3-8, 3-5)
The Bruins racked up 479 yards in offense, including a season-high 313 yards rushing, in the Victory Bell win over the Trojans. Running back Joshua Kelley, a transfer from UC Davis, was named the Pac-12's Offensive Player of the Week after garnering 289 yards on 40 carries and scoring two TDs and also went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season (1,188). Tight end Caleb Wilson leads all FBS tight ends with an 71.0 yard per game average while safety Adarius Pickett ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in tackles with an average of 10.5 per game and leads a Bruins defense that has forced 17 turnovers this season.
EXTRA POINTS
1. UCLA leads the series with Stanford, 45-41-3, but the Cardinal have won a record 10 straight against the Bruins dating back to 2008 when UCLA and quarterback Kevin Craft rallied for a last-second 23-20 win.
2. Cardinal CB Paulson Adebo ranks second nationally with 16 pass breakups and sixth in the NCAA with 17 passes defended.
3. Stanford TE Kaden Smith, who has 47 receptions for 635 yards and is one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, is questionable with a foot injury suffered in the Oregon State win.
PREDICTION: Stanford 35, UCLA 24