Fresno State Bulldogs (2-1) vs. UCLA Bruins (2-0)
September 18, 2021 10:45 pm EDT
The Line: UCLA Bruins -10 / Fresno State Bulldogs +10; Over/Under: 61
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCLA Bruins meet the Fresno State Bulldogs and the in week 3 college football action from the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.
The Fresno State Bulldogs come into this one looking to add to their 63-10 romp over Cal Poly last time out. Jake Haener has thrown for 1,009 yards and 8 touchdowns on 73.6% passing while Ronnie Rivers has 162 rushing yards to lead Fresno State with a touchdown as well and Jordan Mims has 89 rushing yards as well this season. Josh Kelly leads Fresno State’s receiving group with 253 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 catches while Jalen Cropper has a team-high 15 catches for 206 yards and two scores as well. Keric Wheatfall, Zane Pope and Rivers each have 100+ receiving yards for the Bulldogs this season. On defense, Evan Williams and Tyson Maeva each have a team-high 10 solo tackles with Williams logging 18 total tackles to Maeva’s 17. Kevin Atkins has 3 sacks and Aaron Mosby has a pair of sacks as Fresno state sites at 10 sacks already this season.
The UCLA Bruins will be out to add to their 38-27 win over LSU from their last matchup. Dorian Thompson-Robinson leads the Bruins with 390 passing yards with 4 touchdowns and an INT on 52.8% passing while Zach Charbonnet has 223 rushing yards with a 4 touchdowns and Brittain Brown has 174 rushing yards with a pair of scores. Greg Dulcich has 132 receiving yards to leads UCLA’s receivers while Mitchell Agude leads the defense with 10 total tackles and Qwuantrezz Knight has 9 solo tackles with Agude logging a sack as well.
Fresno State is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against the Pac-12 and 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games as an underdog while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 non-conference games. UCLA is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 games as a home favorite.
These are two teams that have ratcheted the offensive intensity up early and often this season and while I wouldn’t think to say it of a Chip Kelly-coached team, the Bruins are playing some pretty good defense as well. However, Fresno State’s no slouch under Kalen DeBoer and I think the Bulldogs hold their own in here in an offensive explosion that goes well over the number.
