Week 5: Fresno State at UCLA

Pat Hill has no sympathy for a UCLA team coming off a pair of blowout losses and thin at several positions. Barely able to contain himself, Fresno State’s in-your-face football coach sputtered that the players now wearing Bruins uniforms were so talented none of them would have considered taking a recruiting trip to check out his school. Truth is, Hill probably doesn’t want any of the guys lining up on offense for Rick Neuheisel.

The Bruins can’t score. They haven’t pushed across an offensive touchdown in two games, finding the end zone only on Kai Forbath field goals and a Kyle Bosworth fumble recovery. They average just 12 points per game. The offensive line is inexperienced and beat up, with senior center Micah Reed the latest casualty, going out with a back injury last weekend. Starter Kevin Craft would the third-string quarterback if not for injuries. The backs and receivers have been left shorthanded by injuries. 

Defensively, UCLA is a little more efficient, but will have its hands full. The Bulldogs rang up 55 points last week in a double-overtime victory at Toledo. Senior quarterback Tom Brandstater has proven an able triggerman, completing 48 of 79 passes for 672 yards and five scores so far, with just one interception. When he’s not putting the ball in the air, he’s handing it to sophomore tailback Ryan Mathews, who had 165 rushing yards of his 304 total in a season-opening win at Rutgers. Face it, Fresno State has too much talent for the Bruins to handle.

Notes:

UCLA tailback Kahlil Bell, sidelined with an ankle injury since the opener, will play against Fresno State, though he likely won’t be 100 percent. He was 1,344-yard career rusher entering the season.

The Bruins must stop a guy named Bear in more ways than one. Senior tight end Bear Pascoe is Fresno State’s leading receiver with 11 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, plus he has four career blocked kicks.

Fresno State is billing itself as the team with the most frequent flier miles, estimating its season’s road trips will top out at 18,000 miles. Just 200 separate the Bulldogs campus from Los Angeles. Look for a third of the Rose Bowl crowd to be Fresno fans.

UCLA owns a 6-1 advantage in the series with Fresno State, taking both games played at the Rose Bowl. The only Bulldogs’ win came in the 2003 Silicon Classic bowl game in San Jose, 17-9.

Fresno State has held its own against Pac-10 schools as of late, winning five of the past 12 games. Since 1980, the Bulldogs are 18-21 against the Pac-10, with only nine of the contests played in Fresno.

Key Player (Bulldogs) – A.J. Jefferson, CB/KR

The Bruins don’t want to kick to this guy. The junior from Bakersfield is the nation’s most feared kickoff return man, averaging 31.9 yards per kick this season after leading the NCAA in 2007 with 35.8. He’s run two back for touchdowns, plus a blocked field goal.

Key Player (Bruins) – Kevin Craft, QB

The junior-college transfer by way of San Diego State has had one good quarter in the 12 he’s played, leading the Bruins past Tennessee with a fourth-period rally in the opener. He’s not been smooth or made good decisions since. He’s thrown five interceptions and just one touchdown pass. UCLA needs a lot more out of this guy to be competitive, no less victorious.

Fresno State by 10