Today at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC the No. 8 UCLA Bruins (9-2, 6-2) will face the Stanford Cardinal (6-5, 4-4) in a Pac-12 battle that could mean a Pac-12 title game berth for the Bruins. Live stream the game free by clicking this link; UCLA fans can listen to the game on 570 AM Fox Sports LA, while Stanford fans can catch the radio broadcast on 1050 KNBR.
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley is wary of this matchup even though they are coming off a rousing victory against their rivals the USC Trojans. The reason is a Stanford defense that is allowing just 16.5 points per game.
"They just play football," Hundley said. "Big, physical team and they get at it." The Cardinal has also beaten UCLA in three straight meetings.
"We just have to play better," UCLA coach Jim Mora said of their constant failures against the Cardinal. "If that's the common thread, yeah, we have to play better. We have to protect the ball. We have to take care of our quarterback."
While Hundley called Stanford a "big physical team" that gets "at it," the same can be said for himself. Hundley has thrown 20 touchdowns against just five interceptions this year, racked up 2,870 yards, while using his big frame to bulldoze his way to 588 yards on the ground and an additional eight touchdowns.
Mora believes adjustments made after back-to-back losses in the early portion of UCLA's Pac-12 schedule have unlocked the key to keeping Hundley upright so he can do his work.
"Something happened after that Oregon game for our team," Mora said. "If they want to say it relieved the pressure, that's fine. I just feel like we refocused and gave ourselves a break maybe. We've been playing pretty good football since then and getting better on a weekly basis."
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