No. 10 UCLA Bruins (2-0) vs. No. 19 BYU Cougars (2-0)
Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., Rose Bowl
TV: Fox Sports 1 (Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Kris Budden)
Radio: AM 570 (Bill Roth, Matt Stevens, Wayne Cook)
Scouting report: BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (fractured foot) and running back Jamaal Williams (withdrew from school) accounted for 12 of the team’s 28 rushing touchdowns in 2014, and 978 of its 2,363 yards. Both are out this season. … Those absences have forced what was a ground-based, veer-option scheme to shift into the air. The Cougars passed on 46 percent of plays last season, but have done so on nearly 54 percent of plays through two games. … BYU had a top-25 scoring defense from 2011-13, ranking in the top three in 2012, but has since fallen just outside the top 70. … It was one of college football’s 10 most penalized teams in each of the last two years, averaging at least 7.8 flags per game. That number is down to 4.5 this fall.
Series history: UCLA is 7-3 all-time against BYU, but the Cougars won the last two decisions: 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2007, and 59-0 in Provo in 2008. The Bruins last won on Sept. 8, 2007, pulling away 27-17 at the Rose Bowl.
Key players:
QB Tanner Mangum, Fr., 6-3, 210 — 24/39, 420 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
— The 22-year-old freshman has exceeded expectations replacing Taysom Hill, throwing a Hail Mary against Nebraska and following up with a last-minute touchdown against Boise State.
RB Adam Hine, Sr., 6-1, 216 — 23 carries, 130 yards, 1 TD
– Hine committed to BYU way back in 2007, when he was a sophomore at Snow Canyon High in St. George, Utah. The three-star recruit has struggled with various injuries — shoulder, foot, concussion — and took double-digit carries only twice in his career before his 93-yard breakout against Boise State.
WR Mitch Juergens, Jr., 5-10, 182 — 8 catches, 202 yards, 2 TD
– A former walk-on, Juergens is becoming one of Mangum’s favorite targets. Although former Oregon wideout Devon Blackmon leads the team with 11 receptions, Juergens is the one who caught an 84-yarder against Boise State — the longest completion of Mendenhall’s tenure.
LB Harvey Langi, Jr., 6-3, 240 — 12 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks
– A one-time Ute running back who relied mostly on instinct in playing defense last season, Langi opted to cross sides in the state rivalry upon completing his Mormon mission. Because he did not sign a letter of intent when he enrolled at Utah, the former Army All-American was not forced to sit out a year up on transferring.
S Kai Nacua, Jr., 6-2, 213 — 5 tackles, 3 INT, 1 pass brakup
– One of the most visible participants in BYU’s brawl against Memphis in the Miami Bowl last December, throwing a sucker punch at the back of someone’s head after taking a big hit to his face earlier. Sat out the first game of the season.
Line: UCLA opened as a 14-point favorite over BYU. That spread has increased to 17.
Fun fact: Bronco Mendenhall, Dave Rose and LaVell Edwards once made a commercial for Mr. Mac, a suit purveyor in Orem geared towards missionaries. It is tremendously awkward.