Arizona vs. UCLA: Five Bruins to know before Saturday’s game

Here are five UCLA players who hope to make a huge impact against Arizona

This coming Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats travel to Pasadena, CA to take on the UCLA Bruins. UCLA is a team which Arizona has yet to figure out in recent years. Since Rich Rodriguez took over the Wildcats, they are 0-4 against the Bruins.

This year, the Bruins have shown to be inconsistent; whether it’s them almost beating Stanford, or being unable to catch the ball against Texas A&M. One thing is for sure, and that is Pac-12 play is unpredictable, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Let’s take a look at some Bruins who hope to make a major impact on Saturday.

Josh Rosen, QB (#3)

Rosen had himself a breakout year last year as a true freshman. He took control of the UCLA offense and was able to move the team up and down the field effectively and efficiently. He did have some mistakes, which is understandable since he was a freshman, but overall had a solid year. His stat line was 292-for-487 for 3,668 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

This year, the offense has looked a little different. It hasn’t been as efficient as Rosen or Jim Mora has wanted it to be. Rosen hasn’t been as sharp as he was last year, though sometimes his receivers haven’t helped him much (mainly dropped passes). He looks to get the offense back on track against the Wildcats. So far this year he is 93-of-151 for 1,165 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Soso Jamabo, RB (#9)

Jamabo has some big shoes to fill now that Paul Perkins is gone, and he has done a pretty decent job. At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, Jamabo is a big back who can prove to be very tough to bring down. He is a hard runner and will smash it up the middle but has the speed to bounce it to the outside. He is also a threat to catch it out of the backfield totaling 67 yards on seven catches so far this year. His rushing stats are 198 yards on 41 carries and three touchdowns.

Jayon Brown, LB (#12)

Brown is a monster of a linebacker. He has the ability to find the ball carrier easily and, at times, it looks like he’s not even trying. He is athletic enough to drop back in coverage and powerful enough to come up and stop the run. Another thing he has working for him...he is a sure tackler. He is one of those players that flies all over the field, and his stats prove it. In four games he has 33 tackles, one sack, 1.5 TFL, and two PBU.

Takkarist McKinley, DE (#98)

UCLA has a lot of speed that comes off the edge, and McKinley is one reason. He explodes off the ball and engages his blocker, able to shed blocks with ease and get in the backfield to wreak havoc on whoever has the ball. He also has pretty good length, and has shown the ability to put his arms up to disrupt passes. So far this year he has 12 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 4.0 TFL, and a PBU. In his one and a half years of playing, his career totals are 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 11.5 TFL, and five PBU.

Fabian Moreau, CB (#10)

Moreau is an excellent cover corner who did miss a lot of time last year but, so far, is making up for it this year. He is a bigger corner — 6-foot, 202 pounds — and has good length. He is a threat to always make a play on the ball when it is in the air and can be a hard hitter as well. So far his 2016 stat line is nine tackles, five PBU, and a forced fumble.

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