UCLA Football: Preview, predictions, live stream

UCLA football is riding high after back to back wins to open the 2017 season. Their game against Memphis in Week 3 might be their toughest test yet.

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Josh Rosen has been essentially perfect through the first two weeks of this young season. He’s thrown for 820 yards passing and nine touchdowns without an interception. His comeback against Texas A&M got the hype-train rolling in earnest, can he keep it going with a road win over a stingy American conference foe?

Memphis (1-0) was off last week after a matchup with UCF was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. They could have used a bit of practice after what was a closer than expected win over Louisiana-Monroe in Week 1.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 16
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
TV Info: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN, fuboTV

Keys to Victory

For the Bruins, somebody else needs to step up. Josh Rosen has carried this team. A star quarterback is going to have a few games every year, but relying on the same guy to throw for four or five touchdowns every week is not sustainable. UCLA needs to find a presence on the ground to balance the attack.

Memphis doesn’t have the ground attack challenges that UCLA does. The Tigers rushed for 319 yards in their Week 1 victory over ULM. That’s their recipe for success on Saturday. Run the football, run the football and repeat.

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Prediction

Nothing I’ve seen so far has given me any confidence that UCLA can stop the run. This team is off to a 2-0 start, but they feel more like an eight win team than a 10-win team. Memphis pulls off the upset as Rosen is picked off on what could have been the game-winning drive.

Final Score: UCLA 34 – Memphis 40