Week 3 Game Matchup: Kansas State Wildcats VS. UCLA Bruins
Kansas State (1-1) vs. UCLA Bruins (2-0)
Saturday, September 19, 7:15 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: UCLA -12.5
Sam’s Take (14 – 4):
The UCLA Bruins took a big step with the win in Knoxville last Saturday, but now they must find a way to carry the momentum for the next few weeks without starting QB Kevin Prince. The likely replacement for Prince will be true freshman Richard Brehaut, but Kevin Craft has also practiced with the first team this week.
While Brehaut certainly has talent, the Bruins will probably not ask him to do much. This team can win with defense, special teams, and a solid running game, and I expect that to be the recipe for victory this week against Kansas State.
Coach Rick Neuheisel has suspended four players for the K-State game, including starting cornerback Courtney Viney. Still, even with all of the injuries and distractions I foresee a relatively comfortable win for the Bruins.
Bill Snyder will get his Wildcats back to national prominence (when he fielded teams with superstars like Ell Roberson and Darren Sproles in the early part of the decade), but they are not even close right now. Snyder’s decision to return to Manhattan this season excited KSU fans, but with a bad performance against Massachusetts and an inexplicable loss to UL Lafayette, the honeymoon period seems to be over.
I look for the Bruins D to be utterly dominant, while tailbacks Jonathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman should carry the offense.
Prediction: UCLA 28 – Kansas State 13
Kansas State Player to Keep an Eye On: QB Carson Coffman – Coffman has been shaky so far, and was benched briefly in the first half of the loss to UL Lafayette. Nonetheless, he will remain the K-State quarterback and must be MUCH better against the Bruins than what he has shown through two games.
UCLA Player to Keep an Eye On: CB Sheldon Price - Price is a true freshman filling in for the suspended Viney (who was filling in for the injured Hester). His play will be interesting to watch, as it will give us some indication of how deep the Bruins are at corner.
Dave’s Take (14 – 4):
To carry the momentum of the Tennessee win back home and turn it into a three game winning streak, UCLA will need to avoid the slow start that they had against the Aztecs in their season opener.
With Kevin Prince out for 3-4 weeks with a broken jaw, it will be up to either Richard Brehaut or Kevin Craft (or perhaps a bit of both) to keep things afloat. Personally, I think playing Craft would be a mistake; so many good things have happened here in 2009 that sending Craft back out there would just bring back all of the visions of 2008’s struggles. But maybe I’m just being dramatic, and I’m sure Rick Neuheisel has a much better idea of what’s best for the team than I do.
If they can avoid the slow start they had against San Diego State, it shouldn’t matter who’s at quarterback; they should be able to win this game on running the football, defense, and special teams. Kansas State will have a lot of trouble finding the endzone on offense. Defensively they do have some good athletes, and if Kevin Craft is in there and makes the same bad decisions he did last year, it could spell trouble.
In the end, I don’t expect the Bruins to ask their quarterback to do too much; just hand off the ball and ultra-safe passes, and let the defense and special teams do the rest. UCLA should come out on top here, but if they suffer from a letdown and fall behind early, this one could be dangerous.
Prediction: UCLA 20 – Kansas State 10
UCLA Bruins
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Carson Coffman, Courtney Viney, Derrick Coleman, Football, Game Matchup, Jonathan Franklin, Kevin Craft, Kevin Prince, Richard Brehaut, Rick Neuheisel, Sheldon Price
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