UCLA vs Texas A&M preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream
Preview for the game between the UCLA Bruins and Texas A&M Aggies from Kyle Field in College Station.
Last season, Jim Mora’s UCLA Bruins and Kevin Sumlin’s Texas A&M Aggies dashed through the opening weeks with inspired play on both sides of the ball. The Bruins won their first four games, the Aggies their first five. Then came the mid-season. After the flurry of early victories, UCLA was unpredictable and Texas A&M was unsteady. When the dust of 2015 settled, both finished at 8-5.
Featuring a new offense, the Bruins enter this season ranked #16 in the AP. The unranked Aggies, however, are favored to win the opener, stepping onto Kyle Field with the frenzy of College Station behind them. After the final whistle blows, either the Bruins will solidify their status in the rankings or the Aggies will find themselves newly minted in the polls.
Keys to Victory
A massive crowd will converge upon Kyle Field this Saturday. Just how much the thundering voices will disrupt the UCLA offense, and to what extent it will ignite the Aggies defense, remains to be seen. But we can be sure that Texas A&M’s DE Myles Garrett and UCLA’s OT Connor McDermott will be glaring at each other across the line of scrimmage and sparring all afternoon. McDermott, a mammoth with surprising quickness, will be joined by tight ends and running backs to keep the phenomenal Garrett at bay. Sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen must be mobile in the pocket and get rid of the ball quickly. If Garrett gets his hands on Rosen too often, especially if the Bruins struggle to run the football, life could get difficult in a hurry for the UCLA offense.
Texas A&M’s new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will match wits against his old team, putting his trust in new transfer quarterback Trevor Knight. In addition, even with the likes of Speedy Noil expected to miss the game this Saturday, the Aggies are deep and talented at the wide receiver position.
As for the Bruins, defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes is back to challenge the middle of the line. If UCLA’s pass rush and secondary are able to clamp down on Knight and the Aggies receivers, forcing A&M into long third downs and special teams play, the Bruins will silence the home crowd.
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On special teams, the Bruins and the Aggies will feature new legs. UCLA is arguably more talented in the kicking game: highly touted freshman kicker JJ Molson has impressed, while Aggies sophomore kicker Daniel LaCamera hopes for more consistency. In a game with so many potent match ups, field goals—made and missed—will almost certainly affect the final outcome.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, September 3
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: College Station, TX
Stadium: Kyle Field
Point Spread: TAMU -3
Moneyline: Texas A&M Aggies -155, UCLA Bruins +135
O/U: 53
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBSSports.com
Prediction
When the Pac-12 meets the SEC, the result is gridiron bliss for fans. To add to the game’s excitement, UCLA and Texas A&M are even in the series between the schools (2-2). The Aggies won the first two meetings, and the Bruins won the two that followed. Something has to give.
While the “Rosen versus Garrett” match up is the one everyone will be watching (and rightfully so), this game will come down to two things: First, running the football (because whoever can run the football is more likely to be able to throw the football), and second, converting field position into points.
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In my estimation, UCLA’s offensive line will occupy Texas A&M’s defensive line just enough to give Soso Jamabo and his fellow 200-pound running backs one-on-one opportunities against the Aggies linebackers. This will slow down the Texas A&M pass rush and allow Rosen to throw the football. If they can keep the football out of dynamic A&M returner Christian Kirk’s hands, UCLA will have the slight edge in special teams play, which should give the Bruins better consistent field position as well as one extra field goal to upset the Aggies at home.
Final Score: UCLA Bruins: 31, Texas A&M Aggies: 28