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Amid a perfect 8-0 start to the season, the Bruins' newest test is a conference foe that has been one of the more underrated teams in the Big Ten this season.
As the Bruins prepare to head to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers in Week 10, here are three players I would keep a closer eye on in the matchup.
Ty Dieffenbach is always a player to watch for UCLA and will likely be in every game for the rest of the season. In this matchup against Minnesota, he has the chance to be especially important.
There's nothing quite like a road atmosphere in college football, and Dieffenbach will be tasked with silencing a loud crowd in Minnesota in his first start on the road. He got a taste of what a hectic environment can look like as he played in the second half against Oregon in Eugene, but by then the crowd had already died down quite a bit. We've seen Dieffenbach have a strong command of the overall offense so far.
However, after playing in his first three starts at the Rose Bowl, Minnesota will present a challenge he hasn't quite seen this season and could be impactful on the result of this game.
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Minnesota is coming off a close loss to Indiana, and a major reason the Golden Gophers weren't able to get it done against the Hoosiers was wide receiver Charlie Becker, who tallied eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown on Minnesota's secondary.
UCLA hasn't had a receiver put up near that level of production this season in any of its eight wins, though a strong performance through the air could be the key to putting this one away.
Semaj Morgan has clearly taken on the role of No. 1 wide receiver for this team and has been the most targeted player by Dieffenbach in the past three weeks. If Morgan can replicate the damage that Becker did to Minnesota's defense, it could be the key to improving to 9-0.
Last week we finally saw the explosiveness that Sahir West brings to this UCLA defense. He had been solid all season long, yet in the game against Nevada, it was by far his most productive outing to date. If West is able to continue with the momentum he gained last week and put pressure on Drake Lindsey, it could rattle the Gophers early and allow UCLA to run away with it.