What You Need To Know: Buffs Vs. Bruins

COLORADO BUFFALOES (3-6, 2-4 Pac-12)

at UCLA BRUINS (5-4, 3-3)

KICKOFF: 7:10 p.m., Rose Bowl (93,000)

TV, RADIO: The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Ted Robinson (play-by-play) and Yogi Roth (color). The radio broadcast will be carried by KOA (850 AM, 94.1 FM) with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth and Bob Pesavento on the sidelines. KOA's coverage begins at 5 p.m. with the pregame show.

ON THE INTERNET: The game can be heard on the internet at CUBuffs.com, and www.850koa.com in the Denver-Boulder metro area. Live statistics will also be available at CUBuffs.com.

THE COACHES: Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell is in his second year at the Buffs' helm. Last year's Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Dorrell is 7-8 at CU and 42-35 overall as a head coach. Dorrell played his college ball at UCLA and also served as the Bruins' head coach from 2003 through 2007, where he compiled a 37-25 record, including a 2003 loss to Colorado.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is in his fourth year with the Bruins, where he is 15-25. Kelly, who previously served as Oregon's head coach, is 61-32 in the college ranks.

Dorrell is 1-0 against UCLA while Kelly is 3-2 against Colorado, including two wins at Oregon.

THE SERIES: UCLA leads the all-time series 11-5, including a 5-1 edge in Pasadena. Colorado won the last meeting, a 48-42 decision in Boulder last season when CU jumped out to a 35-7 lead in the second quarter, then held off a UCLA rally in the second half.

The home team has won the last six meetings.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Buffs need a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. The Bruins need one more win to become bowl eligible.

LAST OUTING: The Buffaloes beat Oregon State last weekend in double overtime, 37-34. UCLA is coming off a bye week and lost 44-24 the previous week at Utah.

TEAM LEADERS: Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis has thrown for 394 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions in CU's last two games, and has 1,186 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. RB Jarek Broussard is coming off a season-high 151-yard effort against Oregon State, and wide receiver Brenden Rice leads Colorado in receiving with 18 catches for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, safety Isaiah Lewis has been a mainstay on the back end with 63 tackles, second-best on the team, and a team-best two interceptions. Defensive end Carson Wells has 41 tackles, including 10 for loss, with three sacks.

For UCLA, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is expected to play this week after missing the last game with an injury. Thompson-Robinson, who threw for 303 yards and ran for 109 last year against Colorado, has thrown for 1,639 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, and rushed for 363 yards. The Bruins average nearly 200 yards per game on the ground and have have a solid one-two punch in RBs Zach Charbonnet (813 yards, eight touchdowns) and Brittain Brown (565 yards, six TDs).

Defensively, DB Qwuantrezz Knight leads the team with 49 tackles, including 5.5 for loss. Seven different Bruins have at least one interception, with DB Jay Shaw the leader with two. Defensive lineman Datona Jackson leads the Bruins with 3.5 sacks and also has one interception.

KEY MATCHUP: Buffs linebackers vs. Bruins run game. Maybe the most telling stat for the Bruins is this: UCLA is 5-0 when rushing for at least 200 yards; 0-4 when they don't hit that mark. The Buffs must find a way to keep the Bruins run game in check, then make sure Thompson-Robinson stays in the pocket when UCLA is forced to the air.

UP NEXT: The Buffs return to Boulder next Saturday for their home finale, a 1 p.m. matchup with Washington (Pac-12 Networks).

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu