Four things to watch when Chip Kelly, UCLA take on Jedd Fisch, Arizona

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After a stunning upset over UCLA last season at the Rose Bowl, the Jedd Fisch Revenge Tour rolls back into Tucson on Saturday.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that the Arizona coach wore a shirt reading “It’s Personal” when he met with reporters Thursday. It certainly fed the narrative that there’s going to be a little extra motivation when Fisch tries to win another meeting of the game’s top offensive minds.

For those who don’t recall the full extent of the awkwardness, Fisch was the Bruins’ interim coach when Chip Kelly was hired in late 2017 to replace Jim Mora. Fisch said shortly thereafter that he had discussions with Kelly about remaining on the coaching staff but suggested there was no role for him with Kelly calling his own plays.

Before UCLA played Arizona in 2021 during Fisch’s first season with the Wildcats, Kelly said he didn’t speak with Fisch about staying with the Bruins. Kelly also disputed Fisch’s contention that the coaches had once spoken about Fisch joining Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles staff.

Is anyone feeling a touch queasy? Wait, there’s more.

Kelly was so worried about Fisch and his fellow former Bruins assistants’ knowledge of his plays that UCLA deployed silver screens on the sideline to prevent sign stealing before the Bruins’ victory over the Wildcats in 2021.

A year later, Arizona toppled then-No. 12 UCLA at the Rose Bowl, essentially knocking the Bruins out of the Pac-12 title race. Going into their latest matchup, both teams are fringe contenders — assuming a rabbit’s foot finds its way in their back pocket the rest of the season, given all the teams above them in the standings that need to suffer additional losses.

Here are four things to watch when No. 19 UCLA (6-2 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) faces Arizona (5-3, 3-2) at Arizona Stadium.

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Desert distinction

In just 2½ seasons, Fisch has revived a lifeless program.

Arizona has already matched its win total from last season and needs just one more victory to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2017.

Having just beaten Washington State and Oregon State, the Wildcats are coming off consecutive victories over nationally ranked opponents for the first time since 2014. A victory over the Bruins would give them three straight wins in that department for the first time since 1992.

While Arizona is not nationally ranked, Kelly disputed the notion that the Wildcats had quietly become one of the better teams in the Pac-12.

“We’re very well aware of what Arizona’s doing,” Kelly said, “but I think a lot of people in the country are too.”

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Multiple options

Both teams have juggled their quarterback rotations.

UCLA has gone from Ethan Garbers to Dante Moore back to Garbers. Arizona has pivoted from Jayden de Laura to Noah Fifita after De Laura hurt his ankle.

It’s widely expected that Fifita will make a fifth consecutive start Saturday. That would make him the first Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback since at least 2012 — the first year for which data is available — to make his first five career starts against opponents nationally ranked by Associated Press.

Kelly said it didn’t matter who started for the Wildcats because their offense would essentially be the same.

“The play calls don’t change,” said Kelly, whose team struggled to stop De Laura last season during Arizona’s 34-28 victory at the Rose Bowl. “It’s not like one guy’s a run-around guy and the other guy’s not a run-around guy. Both can beat you with their arms and they both can beat you with their legs. And their ability to make plays on the unscheduled plays — big plays on the unscheduled plays — is a difficult thing to defend and we have to prepare for that.”

Garbers is 3-0 as UCLA’s starter this season and 3-1 in his career, with the only loss coming against Utah during the 2021 season.

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Go-to guys

UCLA wide receiver Logan Loya scores a touchdown against Oregon State on Oct. 14.

At 6 feet 3 and 205 pounds, J. Michael Sturdivant might be the most physically imposing of UCLA’s receivers, but he’s been overshadowed by one of the tinier Bruins.

Logan Loya, generously listed at 5-foot-11, has made a team-leading 34 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns, continuing a years-long trend of Kelly favoring his slot receivers going back to Kyle Philips. Sturdivant ranks second on the team with 24 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns.

There’s no disputing who will be Arizona’s top target: Tetairoa McMillan, who has logged four games with at least 80 receiving yards this season on the way to making 48 catches for 672 yards and six touchdowns. Kelly called McMillan one of the top receivers in the country.

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The ‘D’ deserves an ‘A’

Sturdy defense has kept the Wildcats and Bruins in every game.

Arizona is giving up just 21 points per game, 15.5 fewer than last season. The Wildcats have held three opponents to 10 points or fewer, including Washington State during an impressive 44-6 road victory.

“They tackle well on the defensive side of the ball and keep the ball in front of them,” Kelly said, “and they don’t allow any big plays.”

The same could be said for the Bruins, who are giving up only 15 points per game to lead the Pac-12. UCLA also features the nation’s top run defense after allowing only 63.1 yards per game on the ground, becoming the only team in the country to not give up one rushing play of 20 yards or more.

One statistic that could determine the outcome: Can Arizona, averaging 155.1 yards rushing per game, reach triple digits? The Bruins have won 16 consecutive games when holding opponents under 100 yards on the ground, including all six games in that scenario this season.