First Glance: Texas A&M at UCLA

What You Need to Know:

• UCLA and Texas A&M both come into this game unranked.
• UCLA is coming off a 4-8 season in which it lost star QB, Josh Rosen, to a season-ending injury on October 8 against Arizona State. UCLA only won one game the rest of the season without Rosen.
• UCLA is in the South Division of the PAC-12.
• UCLA is known as the Bruins. A live bear named Joe Bruin was used as the mascot until the live bear was replaced by a costume bear mascot that still carries the Joe Bruin name.

Betting Lines:

• The lines for the game are consistently bouncing between UCLA as a -3.5 to -4 point favorite.

Historical Notes:

• Texas A&M leads the all-time series 3-2 with last year’s 31-24 Overtime win in College Station.
• Jim Mora and Kevin Sumlin were both hired by their current schools in 2012. Both are 4-1 in season openers since.
• Famous Bruins who graduated from UCLA include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Troy Aikman, Bill Walton, Mark Harmon, Brad Delson, and Gabrielle Union. There are many others that have not yet graduated but did attend UCLA.

Bruins to Watch:

Josh Rosen, QB

Rosen enters his junior year at 6’4” 218 pounds and is high on many NFL scouts’ lists. Despite missing most of last season, Rosen is 6th all time on UCLA’s passing yard list at 5,583. This team will ride or die with Rosen, and Aggies saw first hand what he is capable of when he led the Bruins back to force OT in College Station after taking a beating from a healthy A&M defense.

Kenny Young, LB

Young is a 6’1” 235 pound linebacker that is popping up on many award watchlists this preseason; including the Butkus, Lott IMPACT Trophy, and the Bednarik. In 2016, Young averaged 7.5 tackles a game and was named to the PAC 12’s Second Team. A&M could rely on the running game to ease the pressure off whoever is named QB1 for the Aggies, and Young will be a key element into disrupting that game plan.

Media Blitz:

• Tickets are still available HERE
• Venue: The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
• When: Sunday, September 3, 2017 at 6:30 CT
• Channel: FOX: The Gus Effect

Newsreel:

• Lightweight boxing champion, Andre Ward, visited with A&M’s Football team

Weather:

• Should be sunny and hot during the day with temps reaching into the hundreds, but cooling off into the 70s in the evening.
• Our thoughts and prayers still go out to those affected by Hurricane Harvey and the continual flooding throughout the Texas Gulf Coast; as well as the many brave first responders, and good Samaritans that have put in countless hours rescuing and saving many lives. If you wish to donate to relief efforts to the Red Cross, you can do so HERE. There are and will be many other ways to give and we encourage all who are able to do so.