Football Visits Utah Saturday for Pac-12 Clash
GAME NINE:
Venue: Rice–Eccles Stadium
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT/ 8:00 MT
Television (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from Learfield): AM 570 -
Josh Lewin, Matt Stevens, Wayne Cook;
broadcast also available on XM Ch. 386 / SXM App 976
UCLA will travel to Salt Lake City to meet Utah in a Pac-12 contest set for 7 p.m. PT/ 8p.m. MT kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 30. The game will be televised by ESPN. The UCLA Learfield Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM and the Varsity App.
UCLA owns an 11-7 overall advantage in the series with the Utes. Utah has captured the last four decisions in the series. The Bruins hold a 5-4 edge in games played in Salt Lake City. UCLA's last series win came in 2015 by a score of 17-9 in a game played in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
In its last series win, UCLA secured a 17-9 victory over then No. 18 Utah in a game played in Salt Lake City. The Bruin defense held Utah wthout a touchdown in the contest and UCLA scored TDs on its first drive of the game (Thomas Duarte 28 yd pass from Josh Rosen-now with Falcons) and late in the third quarter (Paul Perkins 2 yd run) to post the win. Jordan Payton caught 7 balls on the day, including a school record 194th career reception, for 105 yards. Jayon Brown (now with Titans) led UCLA's defense, which forced two turnovers on the day, with 10 stops.
THE WATCHLIST
• This week, UCLA will be looking for its 5th straight Pac-12 road win ... counting last season's victory at ASU, UCLA has now recorded 4 straight road Pac-12 wins (3-0 in 2021) for the first time since a stretch from 2013-2015 when it captured 7 straight conference road affairs (2013: at UA, at USC; 2014: at ASU, at Cal, at Colorado, at Washington; 2015:at UA). UCLA won a total of 4 overall road games in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 seasons. The Bruins set a school record for consecutive wins in all games played away from the Rose Bowl, with 12, over the course of the 2013-2015 seasons.
• On the ground, UCLA has racked up a 1,649-to-759 rushing yards edge on opponents in 2021 ... the Bruins average 4.6 yards per rush while opponents are at 3.2 ... per game, UCLA is at 206.1 (28th nationally); opponents at 94.9 (13th nationally in rush defense) ... UCLA has averaged as much as 5.0 yards per rush for a season in only two years since 1980 (2020-5.1; 2015-5.0).
• Kyle Philips had a season-high 8 catches against Oregon and can move into the school's all-time top 10 for receptions with 3 more catches (Philips enters the Utah game with 136 career catches, good for 12th on the all-time school list - 10th is Brian Poli-Dixon, 1997-01, at 139; 11th is Taylor Embree, 2008-11 at 137) ... his six scoring catches this season are the most by a Pac-12 player in 2021 ... he has a reception in each of the last 25 games he has played in ... Philips led the team in catches the past two seasons (2020 - 38) and he became the 27th UCLA receiver to reach the 100-catch mark for a career in 2020 ... in 2019, he topped UCLA in receptions (60), which was the most ever in a single season by a Bruin freshman/redshirt freshman ... he was first redshirt freshman to lead the team since Craig Bragg in 2001.
• UCLA has rushed for at least 200 yards in each of its fi ve wins in 2021. It ran for a season-low 110 yards against Oregon and has been below the 200 yard rushing mark in each of its three losses this season. The Bruins have averaged 244.8 yards on the ground this season in wins and 141.7 in losses.
• UCLA converted five of seven fourth down opportunities against Oregon and is now 13 for 20 on fourth down conversions this season.
• UCLA's total of 266 points scored this season leads the Pac-12 as does its total of 34 touchdowns scored.
• Transfer linebackers Jordan Genmark Heath (Notre Dame) and Ale Kaho (Alabama) each recorded UCLA career highs for tackles against Oregon. Genmark Heath had a team-high 8 stops and an interception against the Ducks and now has 22 tackles in his last 4 games ... he is second on the team in tackles (36) and has 2 fumble recoveries. Kaho added 6 stops and recorded a sack versus the Ducks and has 11 tackles in the last 3 contests.
• UCLA has held four opponents under 100 yards rushing this season (26 by Hawaii, 49 by LSU, 67 by Stanford, 83 by Washington) -- each wins.
• UCLA owns a 76-18 advantage in the first quarter of games this season and opponents have tallied just one TD in the first quarter of games.
• UCLA has totaled at least one 100-yard rusher (Zach Charbonnet and/or Brittain Brown) in each of its five wins this season.