Stanford @ UCLA preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 15, 2015 ) UCLA 35, Stanford 56

After holding BYU to 23 rushing yards last week, UCLA’s defense aims for a repeat performance Saturday as the Bruins host sixth-ranked Stanford and dynamic running back Christian McCaffrey. The Heisman Trophy candidate was nearly unstoppable in last season’s 56-35 win over UCLA, rushing for 243 yards and four touchdowns while finishing with 369 all-purpose yards.

McCaffrey has gone over 200 all-purpose yards in eight straight games for the Cardinal, who relied heavily on their star in last week’s businesslike 27-10 win over USC. “In my opinion, it’s not even arguable that he’s the top player in college football,” UCLA coach Jim Mora told reporters. “He’s dynamic, he’s elusive, he’s tough to tackle, he’s got great physical and mental toughness, he’s intelligent and the thing I appreciate most about Christian is the way that he competes. He’s a great competitor.” McCaffrey leads the Pac-12 in rushing and all-purpose yards with 149 and 235 yards per game, respectively, but he’ll be challenged by a UCLA defense that showed dramatic improvement in last week’s 17-14 win at BYU. The Bruins also were encouraged by the play of quarterback Josh Rosen, who opened the season with mixed results but threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Cougars.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Stanford -3

ABOUT STANFORD (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12): Senior quarterback Ryan Burns has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for the Cardinal, who are seeking their ninth straight win over the Bruins. Stanford’s running attack features McCaffrey along with backup Bryce Love, who gained 51 yards on 11 carries in his season debut last week. Safety Zach Hoffpauir has recorded a team-high 11 tackles to lead the defense, which allowed Rosen to throw for 325 yards and three touchdowns last October but could receive a boost Saturday with the anticipated return of Harrison Phillips after the nose tackle missed last week’s game due to a knee injury.

ABOUT UCLA (2-1): Rosen posted his eighth career 300-yard passing performance last Saturday against BYU while completing passes to 12 different receivers - including Darren Andrews, who led the Bruins with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. UCLA’s deep collection of running backs includes Nate Starks, Bolu Olorunfunmi and leading rusher Soso Jamabo, who did not suit up for last week’s game for an undisclosed reason but is expected to play Saturday. The defense matches up well against the Cardinal up front, with Eddie Vanderdoes and Eli Ankou along with linebacker Jayon Brown, who ranks among the league’s leading tacklers at 7.7 per game.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bruins also have won 47 straight regular-season games when holding their opponent under 20 points.

2. Stanford has won the time-of-possession battle in 18 of its last 22 games.

3. UCLA is 34-1 under Mora when leading at halftime.

PREDICTION: Stanford 37, UCLA 31