Scouting report: UCLA football vs. Utah

UCLA football (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12) is back on the road for the third time in the last four weeks for a matchup against Utah (4-3, 3-1) in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The Bruins’ perfect 3-0 road record will be tested against the Utes, who have won four consecutive games against the blue and gold dating back to 2016. Here is this week’s scouting report from Sports editor Jon Christon – who is the only person ever to be excited to trade in Los Angeles’ weather for Salt Lake City’s.

Utah’s offense
Offensive scheme: Singleback
Run-pass percentage: 50.1% pass, 49.9% rush
Strength: Intermediate offensive versatility
Weakness: Downfield passing
X-factor: Quarterback Cameron Rising

The 2021 version of the Utes’ offense initially appeared to be missing something.

Utah put up 40 points and 450 yards in its season opener against Weber State, but in its first game against an FBS opponent, Utah was only able to muster 17 points against BYU in a game in which they gained fewer than 350 yards of total offense.

It looked like it would be more of the same a week later against San Diego State. Through three quarters against the Aztecs, the Utes were held to 130 total yards while facing a two-touchdown deficit just before the final frame.

But then Cameron Rising took over as the team’s starting quarterback.

After coach Kyle Wittingham sent the ineffective Charlie Brewer to the bench, Rising led Utah on a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime. While Rising couldn’t lead the Utes to a win in three extra periods, one thing was clear – the offense was rejuvenated.

Since Rising has taken over as the full-time starter ahead of Utah’s week four matchup, the Utes have averaged 33.8 points per game, a mark that would place them with the third-best average in the conference across the whole season. Utah has also averaged 64.2 more yards per game since making the signal-caller switch.

This uptick in offense starts first and foremost with Rising. The sophomore’s mobility has not only allowed the Utes to be more effective on the ground, but it has also let Utah offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Andy Ludwig be more creative with his play calls.

This means more options, play actions, quarterback rollouts and even the occasional trick play.

Mixed in with the newfound creativity, Utah has still been able to stick to its historical roots on the ground.

The Utes – who have ranked in the top third in the Pac-12 in rushing for the better part of the last decade – have increased their rushing yardage by 47 yards per game since Rising took over in late September, running for 197.3 yards per contest across their last four matchups.

After rotating between three running backs to start the season, Tavion Thomas has seeming landed the starting role at the position. Thomas has amassed 57 carries in the last three weeks, rushing for 90.3 yards per game across that span.

However, in this matchup against the Bruins, Thomas represents nothing more than a 6-foot-2, 221-pound Trojan horse.

Expect Utah to avoid UCLA’s conference-leading run defense and instead exploit the Bruins’ biggest weakness – their pass defense.

UCLA may try to bring rising pressure against Rising and limit his decision-making window, but if Rising’s mobility is too much for the Bruins to handle, expect a long night for the road team that has been prone to get torched by quarterbacks who can extend plays with their legs.

Conversely, if UCLA can bring the heat consistently and force Rising to beat its defense over the top from the pocket – as it did against Washington’s Dylan Morris – then it will be in prime position to win its fourth consecutive road game.

Utah’s defense
Defensive scheme: 4-2-5
Strength: Pass rush
Weakness: Linebacker depth
X-factor: Linebacker Devin Lloyd

A week ago, the Bruins matched up against Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, arguably the best defensive player in the country

Thibodeaux wreaked havoc on UCLA, putting up a career-high nine tackles while forcing the Bruins to lose 24 yards on 4.5 tackles for loss.

Unfortunately for the blue and gold, it will have to take on yet another standout defender Saturday when it squares off against Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd.

A projected first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Lloyd is a one-man wrecking crew for the Ute defense – a defense tied for first in the conference with 21 sacks across seven games in 2021.

Lloyd sits just a few tackles away from pacing the Pac-12 in total tackles with 68 – a mark that also ranks top 20 in the country – while his 13 tackles for loss are second in the nation.

At his inside linebacker position, Lloyd is one of the most versatile defenders in college football. He is at his best when he is able to sit in the middle and clog running lanes for the opposing offense, but he has also shown he can line up at the line of scrimmage and rush the quarterback as well as drop back in pass coverage, with two interceptions and one pass breakup so far this season.

While Lloyd ranks second in the Pac-12 with five sacks, he doesn’t pace his own team in that category. That honor belongs to Lloyd’s teammate, defensive end Mika Tafua, who has totaled 5.5 sacks on the year.

In short, Utah has a menacing front six with Lloyd right smack in the middle.

But therein lies the problem for the Utes – they will only have Lloyd for half the game.

The junior linebacker will miss the first half Saturday because of a targeting penalty in the second half of Utah’s loss to Oregon State a week ago.

The Utes still have a strong outside linebacking corps without Lloyd, but the Midseason All-American has been irreplaceable for Utah since the 2018 season. After he was ejected a week ago late in the third quarter, Utah was outscored 14-3 while giving up 159 yards to the Beavers.

With Utah’s pedestrian secondary matching up against UCLA’s pedestrian receiving corps, the contest will ultimately be decided through Lloyd’s absence.

The Bruins will need cut to capitalize on the limited Ute defense in the first half. We should see touches early and often for junior running back Zach Charbonnet and redshirt senior running back Brittain Brown, as well as short passes over the middle for redshirt junior tight end Greg Dulcich and redshirt junior wide receiver Kyle Philips.

It will be imperative for UCLA to get an early lead, as Utah’s defense will look significantly better in the second half than in the first.