UCLA turnover battle and trench play ahead of Minnesota matchup, Digi Mart USA News (Minneapolis, Minnesota): The margin for error is thin for UCLA. Despite sitting atop the Big Ten with an undefeated record, the College Football Playoff selection committee slotted the Bruins at No. 8 in its first rankings of the year, behind a pair of two-loss Southeastern Conference teams.
The Bruins, ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, are on the road for the first time in almost a month to face Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium. It is their toughest test since they defeated Wisconsin on Oct. 17.
The Golden Gophers defeated then-No. 13 Iowa on Oct. 24 and took then-No. 4 Indiana to overtime in Bloomington last week.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. local time and 9 a.m.
PST, the Bruins’ earliest start this season. Coach Bob Chesney said he wants his team to stay focused on the matchup rather than outside noise, arguing that the two most meaningless statistics in football are the halftime score and a team’s record going into November.
“This is as tough a team as we’ve faced and probably will face — playing at their place with an early start, all the things that come with it,” Chesney said. “…
We have to make sure that we understand that practicing mental toughness, physical toughness, emotional toughness are all things that have to be worked on now and logged now. But again, it’s November.
Things are heightened just a little bit more.”
If the Bruins want to leave Minnesota 9-0, they need strong play from senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, who has led an offense that strained to score wins in the past two weeks. UCLA combined for 48 points against Michigan State and Nevada, but the Bruins suffered from slow starts during both homestands.
Dieffenbach has not turned the ball over in the past two weeks, but Chesney said the quarterback failed to pull the trigger on throws that could have opened up the offense and allowed the running game to hit another gear. UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said the key is starting fast and staying with true reads, getting to the third and fourth reads and trusting the pocket.
“At the end of the day, there’s going to be a little bit of pressure. The pocket’s going to break down.
So sitting in there and then really trusting it to get back with your eyes,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said self-inflicted wounds have hampered the offense’s execution, forcing Dieffenbach into third-and-long situations rather than third-and-manageable.
Minnesota’s defense ranks sixth nationally in third-down defense, and UCLA went 11-for-29 on third down in the past two games, so the offense will have to make the most of early downs. UCLA also gave away two fumbles against Michigan State, from senior running back Jaivian Thomas and fifth-year Anthony Woods, both in Spartan territory.
The Golden Gophers and the Bruins are tied for first in the Big Ten in forced fumbles with 10, and it could take just one loose ball to change the tide of Saturday’s game in the Twin Cities. Kennedy said Minnesota creates many turnovers and that ball security has been stressed nonstop by UCLA.
Creating turnovers on the other side of the ball will be equally important. The Bruins lead the nation in takeaways with 26, averaging 3.3 per game, but defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler noted that they also lead the country in dropped interceptions.
Minnesota kicker Luke Drzewiecki hit 51- and 60-yard field goals against Indiana and is perfect at 15-for-15 on field goals, including eight for eight from 40-plus yards.
Keeping Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s offense in its own territory and forcing punts will depend on winning the line of scrimmage.
Edge rushers Aiden Gobaira and Sahir West combined for 16 tackles, three sacks and five tackles-for-loss against Nevada. “We have to match that intensity that starts up front,” Hitschler said.
Setting the edge and winning the trench battle will also be vital against Minnesota running backs T.J. Thomas and Darius Taylor.
Thomas, the backup this season, has rushed for 379 yards at six yards per carry. Taylor has struggled, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt, but still shows flashes of the tailback who rushed for 986 yards and 10 scores two seasons ago.
