Washington-USC is the featured attraction in the Pac-12 this week, but the other big game is UCLA at Arizona. Both teams are trying to get good bowl bids and prove they are top-tier Pac-12 programs. Neither team is likely to make the Pac-12 Championship Game, but neither team has been eliminated from the conference race. It’s a game worth tracking once the Washington-USC game ends on Saturday night.
We asked our Pac-12 panel about UCLA’s foremost key to victory versus Arizona.
Matt Zemek: Frustrate Noah Fifita. The Arizona QB is resilient, tough and smart. Getting him to play like a freshman, instead of the wise leader he has become for U of A football, is the Bruins’ most direct path to victory.
Zachary Neel: If UCLA wants to beat Arizona then they need to do what nobody has done successfully yet and that’s slow down Noah Fifita. I trust the Bruins’ defense to be able to do that, though. So far, they’ve been really solid.
Matt Wadleigh: Noah Fifita has been a monster for the Wildcats. The Bruins frustrated Shedeur Sanders and sacked him seven times. If they put pressure like that on Fifita, they can get the win.
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