The UCLA Bruins host the No. 23 Texas Longhorns on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, looking for a repeat of 2010. The Bruins won last year in Austin thanks to a strong ground game, and not surprisingly the running game will be key for both teams on Saturday.
UCLA has two quarterbacks to deal with in Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut, but the Texas Longhorns have split time at the position among Garrett Gilbert, Case McCoy, and David Ash. The true freshman Ash is the running quarterback of the three, as Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation explains:
Before the fourth quarter of both games so far this season, the most effective rushing attack for Texas has been out of the David Ash package with the true freshman typically running the zone read or speed option with DJ Monroe. In the triple option look in that package, the Longhorns still haven't run the dive to Fozzy Whittaker yet -- and might want to consider using Malcolm Brown, Cody Johnson, or Joe Bergeron in that role instead -- to keep the linebackers inside of the tackles.
The Bruins bombarded the Longhorns last year with 264 rushing yards in their 34-12 victory, and will need a similar ground attack on Saturday. UCLA will need both Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman to produce like last year, when they combined for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After rushing for 128 yards in the season opener against Houston, Franklin rushed for 81 yards against San Jose State. Coleman picked up the slack against the Spartans with 135 rushing yards on 14 carries. Texas has allowed just 86.5 rushing yards per game in their first two games this season, which is 31st in the NCAA.
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