No. 13 UCLA Bruins vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 5, 12:35 p.m., Rose Bowl
TV: FOX (Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Kris Budden)
Radio: AM 570 (Bill Roth, Matt Stevens, Wayne Cook)

Scouting report: The Cavaliers only had 17 sacks in 2012. Since defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta arrived the following year, they’ve totaled 61. When he was a linebackers coach at North Carolina State (2010-12), the Wolfpack averaged more than 38 per season. … Virginia linebackers Daquan Romero, Henry Coley and Max Valles totaled 33 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. All three are gone this season. … None of the team’s starting quarterbacks have finished a season completing more than 61 percent of their passes since 2008. … Mike London has gone 23-38 as head coach, hitting .500 just once in five seasons. His contract runs through Dec. 7, 2016.

Key players:

QB Matt Johns, Jr., 6-5, 210 — 89/162, 1,109 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT, 107 rush yards, 1 TD
– Only saw significant action in five games last season, but won the starting job in spring and forced incumbent starter Greyson Lambert to transfer. His best game remains his career debut: a 154-yard, two-touchdown performance against UCLA a year ago.

RB Taquan Mizzell, Jr., 5-10, 200 — 64 carries, 280 yards, 2 TD, 39 catches, 271 yards
– Nicknamed “Smoke,” which is still sort of appropriate given that Mizzell has been nearly nonexistent through two college seasons. Still, despite not having topped 500 career rushing yards, the former five-star recruit is the most proven member of the Virginia backfield. Continue reading “First look: No. 13 UCLA vs. Virginia” »