Penn State vs. UCLA Preview, Predictions

Penn State ends a four-game homestand with its only home game of October on Saturday. The No. 7 Nittany Lions host UCLA in not only the first Big Ten meeting between the teams, but also the first game since 1968.

Penn State is making up for lost time by hosting the annual Stripe Out at UCLA. Otherwise, Penn State coach James Franklin said this week that the Nittany Lions would not give the Bruins a “Welcome to the Big Ten” breakfast before the game.

“Cookies and rainbows and puppies and sending them gift baskets; We don’t think about that at all,” Franklin said this week. “That’s the team we’re playing this week. We have to be prepared to beat them. We welcome no one to the Big Ten. We have a team on our schedule. … All that welcoming stuff happened. “When the Big Ten had that thing in California where we all had to fly all the way there to welcome them all, now there’s an opponent on our schedule.

Well then. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s game between Penn State and UCLA.

No. 7 Penn State (4-0) vs. UCLA (1-3)

The plot

The Big Ten and its media rights partners greeted UCLA about as warmly as Franklin did this week. UCLA plays a ridiculous four-week Big Ten stretch with two road games in the Eastern Time Zone and no bye in between. UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said he doesn’t expect travel to be a factor, although he might think differently in a few weeks.

First, UCLA played a night game against Oregon last week. Then there’s kickoff against Penn State on Saturday at noon ET. That’s 9:00 a.m. on the Bruins body clock, which means warmups feel like 7:30 a.m. for the players. Then UCLA returns home next week to host Minnesota before flying back to the East Coast to play at Rutgers on Oct. 19. This is miserable. And compare that schedule to Penn State’s. The Nittany Lions make a trip to the West Coast to USC on Oct. 12 and receive a bye the following week.

Apparently, UCLA isn’t worried about west-east jet lag, as the team is scheduled to fly to State College on Friday. Meanwhile, Penn State is leaving two days before its game at USC to give the team time to practice Friday and stay on schedule for the 12:30 p.m. local kickoff. Perhaps UCLA is used to choppy schedules after playing at Hawaii and LSU this season. But this sounds like an opportunity for Penn State to take advantage of confused body clocks, gain a comfortable lead and eliminate next week’s starters.

RELATED: Five things to know about UCLA

Penn State players to watch

Beau Pribula: Penn State is keeping running back Nicholas Singleton’s status private after a quiet week of practice. He’ll probably play, but for how long? And how much will Penn State want to use Singleton and Kaytron Allen before the USC game? Although freshman Quinton Martin Jr. is the next reliever, this could be an opportunity for Beau Pribula to put together a 15-carry game in an option-run game.

Julian Fleming: After quarterback Drew Allar threw for just 135 yards on 21 attempts last week, Penn State will give this game some breathing room. Trey Wallace and Omari Evans will get their goals (the latter has deep shots), but this is a good opportunity for Fleming to catch some passes. The Ohio State transfer has five receptions for 72 yards this season. He could top that against UCLA.

Dani Dennis Sutton: Defensive player Abdul Carter made the breakthrough against Illinois. His partner could benefit from it. While UCLA tries to stop Carter and tackle Zane Durant, Dennis-Sutton has free lanes on the other side. It could be a multi-sack day for the defense.

RELATED: ‘They haven’t seen the best of me yet,’ says Abdul Carter

UCLA players to watch

Justin Martin: If Ethan Garbers, UCLA’s starting quarterback, can’t play, Martin will step in against a hostile Penn State defensive front. Martin, a 6-4 redshirt sophomore, has thrown five passes this season, including two for 12 yards. He played against Oregon late last week after Garbers was injured. This would be a difficult place to start a career.

TJ Harden: The 6-2, 220-pound running back hasn’t gotten off to the start he would like, averaging just over 10 carries and 3 yards per carry through four games. Still, Harden has great playmaking ability: Last season, he had touchdown runs of 59 and 62 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns.

KJ Wallace: The redshirt senior, who plays the nickel/linebacker position, is UCLA’s most disruptive defensive player, leading the defense in tackles for loss (three) and pass breakups (four).

RELATED: James Franklin calls for more discipline from the Nittany Lions

The predictions

Mark Wogenrich: UCLA offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy still has two years left to win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now he’s trying to cobble together Chip Kelly’s expired recruiting classes into a functioning offense. Bieniemy may be without his starting quarterback this Saturday. Penn State’s defense could very easily post its second shutout of the season. The more interesting topic is Penn State’s offense. After a light workload against Illinois, Drew Allar should emerge as a throwing player. He could set season highs in attempts and yards even if he only plays three quarters. Big win for the Nittany Lions in their first game of the California doubleheader. Penn State 45, UCLA 6

Daniel Mader: I think the Nittany Lions’ pass rush will be the main storyline in this matchup after their seven-sack performance against Illinois. UCLA is on a three-game losing streak this week and has given up more than 34 points against Indiana, LSU and Oregon. The Bruins offensive line has struggled, allowing nine sacks in the last two games. Regardless of whether quarterback Ethan Garbers is healthy enough to play, I would expect Abdul Carter and Penn State’s defensive line to wreak havoc on UCLA’s offense in a dominant win. Penn State 38, UCLA 10

Sam Woloson: UCLA has been a victim of a difficult schedule this season and things won’t get any easier against Penn State. The Bruins need to build an offense to pull off an upset, and I find it hard to imagine them doing enough. The ground game is difficult and will run against a strong Penn State defense. Quarterback Ethan Garbers is banged up, and whether he plays or not, UCLA will struggle if forced into one-dimensionality. I think the Nittany Lions will handle their business without too much trouble. Penn State 42, UCLA 10

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Penn State honors Paul Posluszny during UCLA game

The game odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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