The Texas Longhorns host the UCLA Bruins, looking to pick up the pieces after an embarrassing loss to BYU.
The Longhorns are looking to do some damage control and stop the season from spiraling out of control early on. UCLA is looking to move to 3-0 while stopping their slide down the rankings after a couple of close wins.
Records:
Texas: 1-1
UCLA: 2-0
Last Meeting: Texas won 49-20 in 2011.
Key Stat: Texas gave up 94 yards and seven points in their week one victory over North Texas. They gave up 429 yards and 41 points in their loss to BYU the following week.
Texas Outlook: A promising start to the season seems so far away for the Longhorns now. With quarterback David Ash out, the Texas offense crumbled against BYU last week.
As a result, the defense was on the field far too long and eventually wore down against a fast paced Cougars offense.
With Ash's status still in doubt, Texas will have to continue on with backup Tyrone Swoopes and hope he can get the offense back on track against a tough Bruins team.
Meanwhile the defense needs to get a breather more frequently than they did last week. After giving up just seven points to North Texas, they allowed 41 to BYU.
UCLA Outlook: The Bruins are 2-0 and number 12 in the nation coming into week three. That doesn't tell the whole story though. Two closely played games against Virginia and Memphis have given the Bruins some scares, and as a result haven't impressed the voters.
UCLA may have caught a break with the timing of this otherwise even matchup, and a strong showing could help them save face.
Quarterback Brett Hundley has started the season strong, throwing for 638 yards and three scores, and with a Texas defense that looked slow against a good BYU offense, he is primed for another big day.
What to watch for: How well can Texas rebound from a terrible loss? They'll have to do so against another mobile quarterback in Hundley. The most important thing for the Longhorns is if the offense can do anything this week - because it looked flat without Ash.
If the defense is on the field for a majority of the game, things could once again get ugly against a strong UCLA offensive unit.
What they're saying:
Texas' Brown 'a man among boys' (Austin Statesman)
Still disconnect between players, coaches on culture change (Burnt Orange Nation)
Prediction:
Texas - 17, UCLA - 35
The Longhorns are in complete disarray on both sides of the ball, with the defense getting runover by BYU last week, and the offense still without starter David Ash.
UCLA comes in looking for a statement victory to stop their slide. They can't afford to barely pull out another win over a team they should have no problem beating.
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