UCLA vs San Diego State Prediction - College Football Picks 9/9/23

The UCLA Bruins will play the San Diego State Aztecs in a non-conference game on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. UCLA was able to get past a tough Coastal Carolina team in their opener, while San Diego State survived a scare from Idaho State in their last game. 

UCLA Preview

The UCLA Bruins are 1-0 this season after they defeated Coastal Carolina by a score of 27-13 in their first game. UCLA took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but they didn’t score again until there was only a few minutes left in the first half. The Bruins led 14-6 at the half, but Coastal Carolina scored the only points in the third quarter. UCLA had a 14-13 lead at the end of three, but they were able to score the final 13 points in the game for the win. UCLA out gained Coastal by a total of 417-345, but they did turn the ball over three times. The Bruins ran for 153 yards and threw for 264 yards, while going 7-12 on third down attempts. The UCLA defense did a good job of limiting damage, but they did allow Coastal to go 8-16 on third down attempts. Ethan Garbers threw for 121 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, while Dante Moore threw for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception for the Bruins. UCLA may go with two quarterbacks in this game, but it is only a matter of time before Dante Moore is the starter. Carson Steele rushed for 76 yards, while J. Michael Sturdivant caught five passes for 136 yards and one score. UCLA looked decent in their first game, and Coastal Carolina should be pretty good this year, but they need to play more consistently on the offensive side of the ball. 

San Diego State Preview

The San Diego State Aztecs are 2-0 this season after they defeated Idaho State by a score of 36-28 in their last game. San Diego State led this game 29-13 heading into the fourth quarter, but Idaho State was able to score a couple of times in the fourth to make the Aztecs sweat. San Diego State did allow over 300 passing yards in this game and they turned the ball over three times. San Diego State is averaging 28 points per game, 229 rushing yards per game, and 124.5 rushing yards per game. The Aztecs defeated Ohio by a score of 20-13 in Week 0. Jalen Mayden has thrown for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 166 yards and two scores. Jaylon Armstead rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown, while Mark Redman has caught seven passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns for the Aztecs. San Diego State was able to play solid defensively against Ohio in their opener, but if the same defense shows up that played against Idaho State, they could be in for a long day here.