Even Las Vegas isn’t looking kindly on its hometown team.
UNLV opened this week as a 28-point underdog to No. 13 UCLA, and as of Saturday morning, the spread has grown to 30.5 points. The Rebels hired former Bishop Gorman coach Tony Sanchez this offseason, turning to the prep ranks in an effort to turn around their years of underachieving performance. And as the bookies know, this is a rebuild that will take quite some time.
Here’s what to watch as the Bruins visit a team that has recorded only one winning season since 2000.
When UCLA has the ball
Josh Rosen stepped into the Rose Bowl for the first time last weekend. Yes, that was a true freshman out there last Saturday, throwing for 351 yards and three touchdowns and looking more like an all-conference quarterback than a teenager fresh out of high school.
UCLA clearly made the right call in picking Rosen over redshirt junior Jerry Neuheisel (318 career yards). Now, the question is this: Can Rosen sustain this level of play for the whole season?
His next test comes at UNLV, which doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of anyone familiar with the college football landscape. This is a team that has struggled for years, and given all the talent and experience surrounding Rosen in UCLA’s offense, it shouldn’t be a close game. Continue reading “What to watch: No. 13 UCLA at UNLV” »