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Bowl season is underway, and the Pittsburgh Panthers and the UCLA Bruins will compete for postseason bragging rights in the Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl at 2 p.m. ET on Friday. Both teams might be coming in a bit winded after having run the length of the field multiple times in their most recent games.
Pitt made easy work of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes five weeks ago and carried off a 42-16 victory. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28 to nothing. The Panthers' WR Jared Wayne looked sharp as he caught 11 passes for three TDs and 199 yards. One of the most thrilling moments was Wayne's 66-yard TD reception in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, UCLA bagged a 35-28 win over the California Golden Bears five weeks ago. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a stellar game for the Bruins as he passed for one TD and 189 yards on 30 attempts in addition to rushing for two TDs and 88 yards.
Pitt is expected to lose this next one by 5.5. Those who got lucky with them against the spread five weeks ago might want to hold off on placing bets this time since the squad has yet to string together back-to-back wins against the spread.
A pair of stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Pitt comes into the game boasting the eighth fewest rushing yards allowed per game in the nation at 95.5. But UCLA enters the matchup with 246.4 rushing yards per game on average, good for fourth best in the nation. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.
