The Keys for Arizona Football to beat the No. 9 UCLA Bruins

Falling for its fourth straight game, Arizona Football (3-6, 1-5) returns to action for a tough test against the No. 9 UCLA Bruins (8-1, 5-1). 

We are now heading into the tenth week of the 2022 Arizona Football season, and just one week after the Wildcats’ big loss to Utah in Salt Lake City, Arizona returns to action against the No. 9 UCLA Bruins.

Coming in, Arizona enters this one as double-digit underdogs, and like its previous games, the Wildcats will have a significant challenge on their hands, especially as they travel to Pasadena to take on a talented Bruins team.

As we saw against Utah and USC, the Wildcats still have a lot of issues, particularly on defense, and if Arizona is somehow going to win, they will virtually have to play a perfect game.

With that said, here are the keys for Arizona Football to knock off the No. 9 UCLA Bruins.

The Defense needs to get a few Stops at Least

What has been a constant theme with this group this season, Arizona’s defense has been abysmal in slowing down opposing offenses, and against Utah, the Wildcats struggled mightily, surrendering 457 yards of offense and 45 points.

That effort is still not good enough, and if Arizona is going to beat UCLA, they are going to have to show some sort of modicum of improvement this week, otherwise, it is going to be a long day.

Not Getting too far behind, too Early

Like its past couple of opponents, UCLA is too good of a team that can score in bunches, and Arizona’s defense AND offense have to be ready to play in this one.

To me, if Arizona is going to get the upset on the road, they are going to need the momentum early on. Now, should Arizona find itself down against the Bruins early on, I do not like their chances of coming back and winning this one.

Arizona will have to be ready to play and keep this one as competitive as possible if they hope to score the upset against UCLA.

Don’t Give the Bruins Extra Opportunities

I know this goes without saying, but if Arizona hopes to beat UCLA on Saturday, then they need to take better care of the football.

Last weekend was not particularly great as Arizona fumbled the ball seven times, losing it four times. That simply cannot happen again if the Wildcats hope to earn the upset.

Arizona is not good enough of a team to turn the ball over and still come away victorious. Should Jayden de Laura and the Wildcats make too many costly mistakes again, then you can kiss their chances of getting the upset, goodbye.

Generate Pressure

Arizona has struggled in many areas on defense this season, and perhaps one of the biggest areas is generating pressure. With just 10.0 sacks on the season, the Wildcats have been abysmal in getting into the backfield, so something needs to change.

If Arizona is to somehow win on Saturday, they need to make DRT as uncomfortable as possible. Should the Cats again struggle to generate pressure, look for the Bruins to score a lot.

Still looking to lock in your bets ahead of the Wildcats’ weekend action against Washington? Check out WynnBet or FanDuel for more betting options!