Cougars, Bruins poised for high-scoring battle
In tonight’s UCLA-Washington State matchup, the Bruins’ Josh Rosen is the quarterback about whom pro scouts drool. But will the Cougars’ Luke Falk come out with the victory?
The two signal-callers lead their respective programs into battle at 10:30 p.m. ET. Online sports book BetDSI opened WSU as a 3-point favorite to prevail at home. Meanwhile, the over/under sits at 51.5.
Mike Leach’s absolutely deadly offensive attack has Washington State at 3-2 through five contests. Falk leads the way, averaging 370.4 yards through the air. The Cougs are also hitting their stride with respect to the ground game, as the school accumulated more than 200 yards rushing in back-to-back affairs vs. Idaho and Oregon.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, UCLA’s barely treading water in coach Jim Mora’s fifth year on the job. Rosen, despite all kinds of hype surrounding his next-level potential, continues to put up fairly pedestrian figures. His iffy physical status, a product of last weekend’s brutal tilt against Arizona State, won’t help matters this evening. Of course, Rosen would have to be utterly incapacitated to yield his spot under center to backup Mike Fafaul.
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Neither of these defenses inspire a ton of confidence, so we’re anticipating an up-and-down affair at Martin Stadium. While WSU should ultimately prevail, an authoritative performance would allow the Bruins to regain a lot of traction in the Pac-12 South. Don’t be surprised if this one boils down to the final possession or two.
SATURDAY NCAA FREE PICK: UCLA/WASHINGTON STATE OVER 51.5 POINTS