Las Vegas Bowl Preview

UCLA (6-6) vs. No. 19 BYU (10-2), 5:00 pm, ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl
December 22

LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- Hoping to avoid the distraction of a coaching change, UCLA faces No. 19 Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday. The Bruins stumbled late in the regular season, losing four of their last five games, leading to the firing of coach Karl Dorrell. Dorrell, who compiled a 35-27 record in five seasons on the Bruins sideline, opted not to coach this game. Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker will serve as interim coach.

Walker would seem to have his hands full against Brigham Young, which won its final nine games in the regular season en route to winning the Mountain West Conference. The Cougars also will be out to exact a measure of revenge against the Bruins, who handed them one of their two losses this season. In Pasadena on September 13, Chris Markey ran for a late touchdown and Trey Brown returned an interception 56 yards for a score, leading the Bruins to a 27-17 victory. Kahlil Bell also ran for a touchdown, helping the Bruins open a 20-3 halftime. However, the Bruins have undergone a drastic change since that contest.

In addition to the coaching change, they have dealt with a bevy of injuries, including to quarterbacks Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan. Olson and Cowan both returned for the regular-season finale, a 24-7 loss to then-No. 8 Southern California. This marks the third time UCLA is appearing in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Bruins beat New Mexico in 2002, then lost two years later to Wyoming.

The Cougars are even more familiar with Sin City as they are playing in this game for a third straight season. They lost to California in 2005 before coasting to a 38-8 win over Oregon last season. BYU features a diversified offensive attack. Max Hall has thrown for 3,617 yards and 24 touchdowns, while three players have rushed for more than 600 yards. Austin Collie (839 yards) leads the ground attack.