UCLA vs. Washington State: Key matchups and story lines

Get out the NoDoz and brew a pot of coffee, No. 19 UCLA and Washington State are going to burn the midnight oil in the Rose Bowl. The game won’t be seen by many on the East Coast, but those in the Pac-12 race will be watching. The Times’ Chris Foster looks at the game’s key matchups and story lines.

Throw back (and forward)

This is a quarterback game.

A computer program needs to be developed to track the numbers rolled up by Washington State’s Luke Falk. The sophomore quarterback leads the nation in yards passing (3,736) and is second in touchdown passes (33).

“He puts the ball in places where they can catch them and run,” UCLA defensive coordinator Tim Bradley said. “You don’t see them reach too high or too low.”

As a result, three Washington State receivers — Gabe Marks, Dominique Williams and River Cracraft — rank among the top six in receptions in the Pac-12.

On the other side is UCLA’s Josh Rosen, who may be the best first-year freshman the nation. His numbers (2,562 yards, 18 touchdowns) are not as gaudy as Falk’s, but for the last three weeks the Bruins have become increasingly dependent on his play.

Rosen said that an evolving relationship with offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has led to more production.

“The relationship is fluid with what I want to do and what he wants to do,” Rosen said.

The safe bet is the quarterback who has the more efficient day will lead his team to victory.

The stakes

UCLA is tied with USC in the Pac-12 South, both one game behind Utah. The Bruins have a one-two punch to finish the season, with Utah next week and USC on Nov. 28, both games on the road.

Washington State was once considered a stepping-stone to those games, especially after the Cougars lost to Portland State in the opener. The landscape has changed considerably.

The Cougars beat Oregon and were a missed field goal shy of taking down Stanford. How much they have improved was evident last week following the disappointing 30-28 loss to the Cardinal. Instead of circling the drain, Washington rallied from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to beat Arizona State, 38-24.

A victory over UCLA would give the Cougars their most wins since 2003.

Opportunity knocks

The Cougars allow 30.1 points and 417.1 yards per game, yet Mazzone said, “This is one of the better defensive fronts we have faced. They are big and physical and they can run, like most good defensive lines do.”

There is truth in both the stats and the statement.

The Cougars give up a lot of yards and points. It’s a trade-off for playing offense at warp speed. But they are capable. Washington State bottled up Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey for three quarters, holding him to 61 yards rushing. Against UCLA, McCaffrey had 243 yards by the end of the third quarter.

Washington State has 23 sacks that are spread around. Kache Palacio has five and three other Cougars have four.

UCLA’s running game, with Paul Perkins, Soso Jamabo and Nate Starks, has taken some pressure off Rosen and needs to do so again.

Better than average

The Bruins have had trouble defending the run and can’t go to sleep on the Cougars’ ground game.

Washington State’s three top running backs average 6.1 yards per carry combined. UCLA crushed Oregon State, 41-0, last week, but Beavers running back Storm Barrs-Woods averaged 6.2 yards per carry while gaining 87 yards.

So the jury is still out on UCLA’s run defense.

Perkin’ up

Perkins needs 39 yards rushing to reach 1,000 yards. He would be the seventh UCLA player to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, joining Johnathan Franklin, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, DeShaun Foster, Skip Hicks, Gaston Green and Freeman McNeil.

Perkins, a junior, ranks eighth on the UCLA career list with 3,109 yards.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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