Indiana is now 7-0 on the year, and looks to remain perfect as they host UCLA. Indiana is hoping to strengthen their playoff resume, as UCLA looks for the upset. While Indiana is a heavy favorite in the game, UCLA is not going to make it easy, and here are three bold predictions on the game.
UCLA is now 3-4 on the year. They started the season 0-3 and then fired DeShaun Foster. They made another change after dropping to 0-4, parting ways with their offensive coordinator and naming Jerry Neuheisel III the interim OC. UCLA has been different since then. First, they defeated Penn State 42-37, before a 38-13 win over Michigan State. Last week, they were not as crisp, but still took a 20-17 win over Maryland.
Meanwhile, Indiana is 7-0. After starting out with a struggle of a game against Old Dominion, the team has been on fire. They defeated Illinois 63-10 and also took out No. 3 Oregon 30-20. Last time out, the Hooisers faced Michigan State. Indiana scored touchdowns on each of their first five possessions in the game to build a dominating lead over Michigan State. They would go on to win the game 38-13.
The UCLA offense continues to play well
The UCLA offense, as a whole for the season, has not been great. They are 92nd in the nation in points per game while sitting 77th in yards per game. Further, they are 101st in the passing game and 45th in the run. The last three games have been different. UCLA scored just 57 points in the first four games of the season. In the last three, they have scored 100. Nico Iamaleava had just four touchdowns through the air and one running touchdown in the first four games. Since then, he has six passing and three rushing.
In the first four games of the year, UCLA has 1,285 yards of total offense. In the last three games, it has been 1,267 yards. They have also reached over 400 yards of offense in each of the last three games.
This will be the hardest test for the new look UCLA offense. Indiana is fourth in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting eighth in opponent yards per game. They are ninth against the run and 23rd against the pass. While the Indiana defense is great, the change in the offense for the Bruins has been extremely noticeable. Expect UCLA to still get plenty of yards. They may not reach the 400-yard marker again, but they should be close, allowing them to keep the game tight.
Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby lead the Indiana offense
The Indiana offense has been great this year. They are eighth in the nation in points per game while sitting 13th in the nation in yards per game. They are also 15th in the nation in rushing yards per game while sitting 41st in passing yards per game. Fernando Mendoza has been great this year, leading to Mendoza being a Heisman candidate. He has passed for 1,755 yards and 21 touchdowns with two interceptions. He has also run for two touchdowns this year.
The UCLA defense has not been great this year on defense. They are 80th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 51st in the nation in opponent yards per game. They are also 21st against the pass, but 106th against the run. While Mendoza has been solid this year, the offense for Indiana will be focused on the run game in this one.
Kaelon Black has been solid this year. He has run for 439 yards on 72 carries with three touchdowns. His best game came against Illinois, when he ran for 89 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Roman Hemby has run for 432 yards on 90 carries with two scores. He ran for 70 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon. Hemby and Black are going to lead the offense in this game, with one of them hitting the 100 yards mark against a poor UCLA run defense.
Indiana is on upset alert
UCLA's offensive changes have shone the most in the first half. In the first two games after the switch at coordinator, UCLA scored six touchdowns in the first half, kicked three field goals, punted once, missed a field goal, and then saw a drive end at halftime. Last week was not the game. They have four punts, an interception, and a touchdown against Maryland in the first half. UCLA is still outscoring opponents 58-13 in the first half in the last three games. The team is much different than the 0-4 team, as Indiana sees them as 3-0.
UCLA has led going into the halftime break in each of the last three games, and that could happen again in this one. The offense has been solid, and while they are facing a good Indiana defense, they will find points.
Odds at the time of writing, according to FanDuel, have Indiana as a 25.5-point favorite in the game. Indiana is just 2-2 against the spread as double-digit favorites this year. Meanwhile, UCLA is 1-0 against the spread when a double-digit underdog. They also won the game outright. Further, as an underdog this year, UCLA is 3-1 in pulling the upset. UCLA is not going to win this game, but they are keep it close enough to cause a scare for the Hoosiers.
