Gameday predictions: UCLA vs. LSU

In the first of a three-game gauntlet of ranked opponents, UCLA football (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) is traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face No. 16 LSU (2-1, 1-0 SEC) on Saturday. The Bruins will battle the Tigers at Tiger Stadium, otherwise dubbed “Death Valley” for its unfavorable conditions. Here are this week’s gameday predictions from Sports editor Ira Gorawara and assistant Sports editors Connor Dullinger and Kai Dizon – along with a guest prediction from senior staff writer Shrey Chaganlal.

Ira Gorawara
Sports editor
Prediction: LSU 45, UCLA 10

My X feed this week has been one long thread of UCLA football slander.

The Bruins have been the center of unwanted attention, and Saturday’s clash might just plunge them further down that abyss. What should have been a winning start to its conference slate unraveled into a head-scratching meltdown, leaving UCLA with belief eroding behind it.

LSU fans too have reason for concern after a 17-point rally was required to scrape past South Carolina. But at least the Tigers appear to have some sense of who they are between the lines.

Their Saturday foes are wandering in an identity crisis, and we’re all equally in the dark.

Indiana had its way against UCLA’s defense and didn’t punt until the final play of the game. The Bruins were torched defensively, with its offense mustering just one touchdown, hurling it to the cellar of the Big Ten in points, total yards and rushing yards.

Playing at home – in arguably the most daunting grounds of collegiate football – the Tigers will be licking their chops at the sight of a Bruin defense that has permitted a 100% scoring rate – 8-for-8 – for opponents in the red zone. Nothing is really clicking for UCLA, and Saturday could get unsightly fast.

For more context – and to compound the Bruins’ woes – redshirt junior defensive lineman Keanu Williams was injured last week against Indiana, and standout senior defensive lineman Jay Toia missed two practices this week. UCLA’s expected attrition in the secondary is conspicuous as well.

LSU won’t need another miracle to take down a floundering UCLA team – it’ll feast on a team in free fall, and I fear the incoming wave of ridicule.

Connor Dullinger
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: LSU 41, UCLA 20

After falling to Indiana in the program’s worst home opener since 2010, UCLA may actually transform Tiger Stadium into “Death Valley.”

The Bruins are probably looking to bounce back in a “nothing to lose” affair, but as the 22.5-point underdogs land in Baton Rouge for the first time in program history, their outlook looks anything but promising.

To be completely fair, LSU has not played up to its typical pedigree either after falling to then-No. 23 USC in its season opener and narrowly escaping South Carolina after scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 1:12 remaining on the clock.

Despite LSU not playing to its full potential so far this season, UCLA will remain the underdogs, as the Tiger offense is poised to take advantage of a middling Bruin defense.

LSU’s biggest threat resides in Kyren Lacy. The wide receiver has logged 17 receptions and 222 receiving yards. He has also already recorded five touchdowns – just two fewer than his total from 2023. The Bruins have yet to face an alpha, explosive receiver, especially one paired with a gunslinger at quarterback – Garrett Nussmeier.

And after allowing Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke to throw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, UCLA’s defense will have its hands full with Nussmeier.

For a UCLA defense that has allowed 55 points through two games, LSU may prove its toughest opponent yet, and Tiger Stadium may be the most intense atmosphere the program has faced in years.

With so many variables all pointing away from UCLA’s favor, I think it is safe to say that it will be a long day for the Bruins.

Kai Dizon
Assistant Sports editor
Prediction: LSU 56, UCLA 17

UCLA is just two letters away from “ugly”, but in a couple of hours, the two will be all but synonymous.

Coach DeShaun Foster and associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will have you believe the Bruins are just a few clicks from firing on all cylinders – but the truth is, their engine is barely sputtering.

Last week, UCLA got pancaked by Indiana at the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers finished at the very bottom of the Big Ten in 2023, and coming into 2024 are essentially a rebranded James Madison team following newly minted Indiana coach Curt Cignetti’s hiring. Not a good look for the Bruins.

Redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers has already matched his 2023 interception total through two games. Simultaneously, Garbers leads UCLA in rushing yards, outpacing junior running back T.J. Harden and redshirt senior running back Keegan Jones.

In another bizarre turn of the stat sheet, it’s Harden who leads the team in receptions – and who currently boasts more receiving yards than rushing.

UCLA’s lead passing threat has been sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. with 133 yards. On the other hand, the veteran wideout trio of redshirt junior J.Michael Sturdivant, redshirt senior Logan Loya and redshirt junior Titus Mokiao-Atimalala have combined for just 85 receiving yards.

Suffice it to say, the Bruins are discombobulated – not where they should be to face the No. 16 Tigers.

Now, the Bruins did indeed beat a then-No. 16 ranked LSU 38-27 in 2021, but those Bruins were coming off a 44-10 win over Hawaiʻi, not a 16-13 nailbiter. And this time, UCLA is traveling to Tiger Stadium – it’s all a recipe for disaster.

Shrey Chaganlal
Daily Bruin senior staff
Prediction: LSU 37, UCLA 16

After a crushing loss to Indiana, UCLA was ready to rebound – until it took another look at its schedule.

Yes, the Bruins are going up against the Tigers, who admittedly just had a tough matchup against South Carolina – but ultimately escaped with a win. Although its victory was not as clean as it would have liked, LSU can take something away that UCLA cannot: the ability to get the ball in the end zone.

Through its first two games, UCLA has scored just two touchdowns – numbers that don’t bode well against a Tiger squad deeply rooted in culture and winning ways.

LSU is no stranger to producing elite wide receivers – Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson are tearing up the NFL. The Tigers’ current star in Lacy is continuing this tradition well, notching five touchdowns through the first three games of the season.

Lacy, as well as Nussmeier, shared the locker room with NFL first-round picks Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., seemingly preparing them to dominate college football this season.

As a Giants fan, watching Odell Beckham Jr. torch the Cowboys’ defense on Sundays, I can’t help but root for the success of LSU’s wide receivers just a tiny bit. Now, of course, I would love to see an upset victory from the Bruins, but with a stagnant offense and lackluster defense, our only hope might just be to turn to kicker sophomore Mateen Bhaghani.

After all, the Commanders showed my Giants that sometimes, you can win a game by scoring field goals alone.