Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside makes the touchdown grab against UCLA’s Nate Meadors during the final seconds to take the lead at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on Saturday, September 24, 2016. (Photo by Ed Crisostomo, Orange County Register/SCNG)
UCLA at Stanford
Saturday, Sept. 23 | Stanford Stadium
The faces change, but the results likely won’t with David Shaw in charge: Stanford, even without Christian McCaffrey and Solomon Thomas, is still Stanford. The Cardinal stumbled off their Pac-12 champion perch last year, but don’t expect them to stay down for long.
With a stellar talent on defense, Stanford (10-3, 6-3 Pac-12 last year) is expected to challenge for the Pac-12 North again. On offense, the Cardinal have McCaffrey’s replacement ready, but are unsettled up front. Quarterback Keller Chryst, who won the starting job last October and led the Cardinal to six straight wins to end the year, is recovering from a knee injury suffered in last year’s Sun Bowl. He’s expected to return for fall camp, with Ryan Burns as the backup.
Game storylines
— Inching closer?: Jim Mora came within 24 seconds of his first win over Stanford last year. Then JJ Arcega-Whiteside caught a touchdown pass over Nate Meadors and Mora walked away with his sixth straight loss to the Cardinal. Mora almost solved the Stanford mystery and now starts over with a new offensive staff as the Bruins chase their first win over the Cardinal since 2008.
— Rosen vs. Stanford’s DBs: Stanford’s secondary is deep, experienced and talented. Led by cornerbacks Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder, Athlon Sports said the Stanford secondary “could be one of the best in the country.” Rosen caught a little break against the group last year as it was dealing with injuries, but if Stanford is healthy, Rosen and his receivers are in for a big test.
— Rough introduction: UCLA has a difficult start to Pac-12 play with Stanford on the road, which is just the beginning to a tough conference slate. The Bruins also have Washington and Oregon back on the docket and a road game in Salt Lake City on a short week. However, under Mora, the Bruins are 3-0 when starting conference play on the road, beating Utah in 2013, Arizona State in 2014 and Arizona in 2015.
Players to watch
— RB Bryce Love: McCaffrey’s versatility can’t be replaced by just one player, but Love will at least take McCaffrey’s starting running back position. Love, a junior, averaged 7.1 yards a carry last year with 811 total yards and three touchdowns to earn an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.
— CB Quenton Meeks: Meeks got hurt in Stanford’s win over the Bruins, and the Cardinal then got blown out by Washington and Washington State the next two weeks. In 10 games with a healthy Meeks, the Cardinal allowed 190.2 passing yards per game with a 50.6 opponent completion percentage. Without Meeks at full strength, Stanford gave up 271.7 passing yards per game and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 70.8 percent of their passes. His impact on the Stanford defense is huge.
— LB Joey Alfieri: A versatile linebacker who can play both inside and outside, Alfieri was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a junior after starting all 13 games for the Cardinal. He was second on the team in tackles for loss with 10.5, adding five sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Stanford in a GIF
UCLA 2017 schedule
Sun., Sept. 3: Texas A&M at UCLA, 4:30 p.m. PT, FOX/FOX Deportes
Sat., Sept. 9: Hawai’i at UCLA, 2 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks
Sat., Sept. 16: UCLA at Memphis, 9 a.m. PT, ABC/ESPN2 mirror
Sat., Sept. 23: UCLA at Stanford
Sat., Sept. 30: Colorado at UCLA
Sat., Oct. 7: BYE
Sat., Oct. 14: UCLA at Arizona
Sat., Oct. 21: Oregon at UCLA
Sat., Oct. 28: UCLA at Washington
Fri., Nov. 3: UCLA at Utah, 6:30 p.m. PT, FS1/FOX Deportes
Sat., Nov. 11: Arizona State at UCLA
Sat., Nov. 18: UCLA at USC
Fri. Nov. 24: California at UCLA, 7:30 p.m. FS1/FOX Deportes
Fri., Dec. 1 or Sat., Dec. 2: Pac-12 Football Championship Game