The Memphis Tigers will take on No. 25 UCLA Saturday on in a nationally televised game on ABC. The two high-powered offenses are expected to draw a large crowd for the 11:00 a.m. kickoff at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Look at opponent:
    In the only matchup between the Tigers and Bruins, in 2014, UCLA outscored Memphis 42-35 in Los Angeles. They combined for more than 1,000 total offensive yards with about 700 passing yards. This year could be similar with the offensive firepower and defensive holes for both teams.
UCLA possess one of the hottest offenses in country, averaging 50.5 points and about 530 yards per game. Quarterback Josh Rosen is living up to his preseason Heisman candidate status with 820 yards and nine touchdowns in two games. Rosen has taken care of the ball, with zero interceptions, and has been efficient by completing nearly 68 percent of passes.
The Bruins have four receivers with more than 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown. All four of those receivers average more than 13 yards per catch. Rosen has a lot of weapons and can throw the ball downfield with accuracy.
Defensively, UCLA has been less impressive. They are 105th of 130 teams with 33.5 points allowed per game and have allowed more than 350 passing yards and 500 total yards to opponents in both games. In week one, they came back from a 44-10 deficit to beat Texas A&M, their defense showed flashes of solid play, but they followed that performance by giving up 505 yards to Hawaii in week two.
Anthony Miller catches a pass as an Ole Miss defender tries to tackle him. Miller led the Tigers in all receiving categories last season.
What to watch for:
Memphis has only played one game this season, because of Hurricane Irma, and the one game they did play was in poor weather conditions, because of Hurricane Harvey. The Tigers should have a much smoother offensive performance, especially Riley Ferguson and the receivers.
In week one, Ferguson threw for less than 100 yards and completed less than 50 percent of his passes. It was not all Ferguson’s fault, because the wet conditions caused multiple drops by receivers, including Anthony Miller. With dry conditions, the offense that has had two weeks to prepare for UCLA could put up a lot of points.
With both offenses expected to score, the difference could be creating a turnover or two. Memphis showed last season that they are opportunistic and will gamble for turnovers. In two games, UCLA is losing the turnover battle 3-1 after losing three fumbles against Texas A&M. They have not created many turnovers, but Rosen has taken care of the ball well as the quarterback.
Players to watch:
UCLA WR, Darren Andrews Â
The 5-foot-10 receiver has become an early favorite for Rosen. He has 234 yards and five touchdowns on 16 receptions in two games. Andrews is a big play threat with three touchdown of 25 or more yards. Memphis struggles to contain big plays last season, and Andrews could pose a problem for the young secondary.
Memphis DT, O’Bryan Goodson
With the early season ending injury to nose tackle Jared Gentry, Goodson was moved into a key role. After the injury to Gentry in the season opener, Goodson proved his worth with two tackles for a loss and one sack in his first collegiate game. Getting pressure on Rosen will be a must to slow down the UCLA offense, and Goodson could be the guy to do that.
Riley Ferguson rolls right and fires a pass toward the sideline. Ferguson led the AAC in touchdown passes and passing yards last season.
