Bruins Face Arizona Wildcats in Rose Bowl Saturday

UCLA (1-2, 1-2) is set to host Arizona (0-2, 0-2) on Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl in a Pac-12 Conference matchup on Saturday with a 5 p.m. kickoff.

The big question is — as it’s become weekly in the NCAA — who’s in the lineup and who’s sidelined because of COVID?

Last week at Oregon the Bruins were hobbled without eight players including quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

The Bruins Game Four media sheet puts backup QB Chase Griffin fourth bullet point from the top on its watch list and relegates DTR to halfway down the second page but doesn’t come right out and reveal who will start at the helm.

The season has not been smooth, off and on the field.

The Bruins own a 25-17-2 overall advantage (12-4-1 record in games played in Pasadena) in the series against Arizona, which started in 1928.

UCLA is 1-1 versus the Wildcats under Coach Kelly, having dropped a 20-17 decision in the last meeting between the two schools played in 2019 in Tucson. UA used a fourth-quarter touchdown to swing a back-and-forth game their way and earn a close decision over the Bruins who missed a chance to even the game on a late field attempt.

UCLA has won the past four meetings played in the Rose Bowl, including a 31-30 victory in 2018.

Saturday’s game will be televised by FOX. The Bruin IMG Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM, uclabruins.com and tunein.com and the TuneIn App.

All Rose Bowl games will be held without fans or even players’ families in attendance, a decision that will be reviewed in January.

Also absent will be mascots, spirit squads and bands in an attempt to limit the number of people on the field and allow for more social distancing.

All officials presiding over Rose Bowl games are required to wear masks. They can only lower the mask between plays when they are social distancing but must “mask up” if anyone approaches or the next play is imminent.

The traditional whistle will not be allowed based on health concerns. Instead, each official will use an electronic whistle, recommended to be attached at the waist.