SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
The UCLA Bruins and Texas A&M Aggies get their college football seasons started tonight. They will be facing off in Pasadena, California at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium. The game gets started at 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time and can be seen nationally on FOX.
Neither team was ranked in the top 25 in the Preseason Polls, but there is plenty of firepower on both teams. Each squad has a dynamic quarterback and potent offenses. Let's take a look at each team.
UCLA Bruins:
Head Coach Jim Mora needs to have a big season to keep his job. His quarterback, Josh Rosen, is a sure fire 1st round NFL draft pick. Rosen is healthy and ready to go after missing most of last season due to injury. He is joined by 8 other starters on offense. They have back their leading rushers and receivers but it's the running game that needs the most work. Last year, the Bruins didn't have a running back even reach 500 yards. With an improved offensive line this year, UCLA should become a much more balanced offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bruins have 6 starters back. They are lead by Jacob Tuioti-Mariner on the defensive line. They will also be an improved unit from last year as their depth is much better. They will be tested though by the Aggies tonight who like to light up the scoreboard.
Texas A&M Aggies:
Redshirt Freshman, Nick Starkel gets the job tonight at quarterback. He has a lot of upside and has plenty of weapons back to help him. Trayveon Williams reruns at running back after rushing for 1,000 yards last year. He is joined in the backfield by Keith Ford who also had a strong season last year with over 700 yards rushing. Although Kevin Sumlin likes to push the ball down field in the air, look for the Aggies to try and establish their running game early on tonight. When Starkel is ready to make some throws, he will be looking for talented wide receiver, Christian Kirk. Kirk caught 83 passes for 928 yards and 9 touchdowns last year.
Defensively, the Aggies have big shoes to fill with the loss of Myles Garrett. He was the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. His 8.5 sacks are gone as well as Daeshon Hall’s 4.5 sacks. There will be a lot of pressure on the senior defensive ends, Jarrett Johnson and Qualen Cunningham. There are 7 returning starters on defense so the unit will be good. They will get a big test tonight against quarterback Josh Rosen.
UCLA is favored by 4 points tonight. The over/under is 60 so there should be plenty of scoring. There is a ton of pressure on both head coaches as they enter their 6th seasons with their teams. UCLA gets the edge tonight based on the quarterback position but it should be a tight game.