College Football Game of the Week: No. 9 UCLA vs. No. 10 Oregon

Story posted October 22, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Aidan Torok

The matchup of the week is No. 9 UCLA versus No. 10 Oregon in Eugene Oregon. The top-10 clash has huge playoff implications and will affect who will go to Las Vegas and play for the Pac-12 championship.

The Ducks got out to a slow start this season with a deflating loss to the defending champs in Week 1. Georgia’s defense was suffocating on their way to a 49-3 win, and it was a rough start for the Dan Lanning era.

However, Lanning was able to turn the season around and Oregon has Pac-12 championship aspirations. Transfer quarterback Bo Nix is finally playing up to expectations and is a serious Heisman contender.

Earlier this year, the Ducks were tested against Washington State. Oregon, thanks to a rally from Nix, was able to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive.

The strength of this Oregon team is its run defense and linebacking crew. Former five star Justin Flowe will be tasked with stopping the dynamic UCLA running game.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will make his long awaited return to Oregon. Kelly had tremendous success at Eugene and brought the program back to reveleancy. His high powered offense changed college football.

Kelly eventually left Oregon for the NFL, but he is now back in the Pac-12 and is contending for a conference championship. This is the year Kelly has been building for.

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a dark horse Heisman contender. The fifth-year quarterback has finally put it all together. His legs are as dangerous as his arm and he’s the leader of this electric offense.

Transfer Zach Charbonnet, from Michigan, will also be relied upon heavily this weekend. There is rain in the forecast for Saturday, as a result both teams will turn to their run game to battle the conditions.

The winner of this game will have to dictate the line of scrimmage. The Bruins will want to run the ball to set up their rest of the playbook. Kelly’s teams always play with incredible pace.

UCLA this year has passed every test with flying colors. The Bruins have beaten No. 15 Washington and No. 11 Utah. However, Eugene is one the tougher places to play in the country. Oregon has won the seven home games against UCLA and have won three straight against the Bruins.

The bye should help Kelly prepare, and the Bruins won’t lack motivation. Expect a close game coming down to the last possession. The weather might affect the quarterbacks, but points should be easy to come by.

It is going to come down to UCLA’s defense. There will be a ton of points Saturday, but can the Bruins defense get the big stop late? This big game will also show how legit Bo Nix is.

 

Aidan Torok is a third-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email ajt6051@psu.edu.

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Aidan Torok

Sophmore / Broadcast Journalism

Aidan Torok is a sophmore from West Caldwell, New Jersey majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He produces content and does play-by-play announcing and beat writing for the CommRadio sports department. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).