UCLA Football: 5 bold predictions for Cactus Bowl vs. Kansas State
By Zach Bigalke
1. UCLA will make a late comeback to take down Kansas State
UCLA opened the season with a big win over Texas A&M. The defense firmed up after spotting the Aggies a big lead, and Josh Rosen generated a fourth-quarter comeback from 34 points down to win the home opener. It set the tone for a wild roller-coaster of a season in Pasadena.
In 2017, UCLA played six games that finished within a single touchdown. The Bruins went 4-2 in those contests, showing an ability to eke out results even when they have no business winning a game. That muscle memory will come in handy against Kansas State.
That is because the defense will likely be lethargic to start the game. Kansas State could be up by as many as two touchdowns heading into the locker room at halftime. But the Wildcats secondary won’t be able to contain the UCLA receiving corps the entire game, and some adjustments at the intermission will help the Bruins shore up its deficiencies in the front-seven.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Complete first round pre-bowl season
In the end, UCLA will need to generate one last comeback. This time it won’t be Rosen leading the charge but rather Devon Modster. The results will be the same in December to close out the season as they were to open the 2017 campaign back in September.