UCLA-Texas A&M Preview Capsule

Posted September 01, 2016 7:00 am

Associated Press

No. 16 UCLA (8-5 last season) at Texas A&M (8-5), 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

Line: Texas A&M by 3.

Series Record: Series tied 2-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The Aggies enter the season unranked after offseason upheaval at quarterback, and a win over UCLA in the first meeting between these teams since 1998 would be an early boost to the program. A big road win would do the same for a UCLA team that stumbled last season as injuries wore down its defense.

KEY MATCHUP

UCLA sophomore QB Josh Rosen vs. Texas A&M DE's Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall. Rosen threw for 3,668 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a freshman last season. On Saturday he'll have to deal with perhaps the nation's toughest pair of defensive ends in Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall. Garrett led the Southeastern Conference with 12ˆ½ sacks and five forced fumbles. Hall added 14ˆ½ tackles for losses.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

UCLA: WR Ishmael Adams. An All-Pac-12 cornerback in 2014, Adams moved to offense in the spring to give Rosen another speedy target. He played in 10 games with eight starts in the secondary last year and in 2014 he returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns.

Texas A&M: QB Trevor Knight. He'll make his Texas A&M debut as a graduate transfer after leaving Oklahoma following his benching last season with the Sooners. Knight has threw for 2,300 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014.

FACTS & FIGURES

Texas A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone held the same job at UCLA from 2012-15. ... UCLA DL Eddie Vanderdoes returns after missing all but one game last season with a knee injury. He had 50 tackles and 5 1/2 tackles for losses in 2014. ... A&M CB Priest Willis played for UCLA from 2013-14 and had 31 tackles in 21 games. ... It's the fifth time in seven seasons that UCLA has opened on the road. ... Texas A&M has won 21 straight nonconference home games, but this will be the first time the Aggies will host a season-opener against a ranked nonconference opponent since 1989 when coach R.C. Slocum made his debut with a 28-16 win over No. 7 LSU.

___

AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.