Five reasons for optimism for Penn State against UCLA

After a heartbreaking stunner of a game in the Whiteout environment, the Nittany Lions need a get-right game in Big Ten play. They get it this week as despite having to travel across the country, they play a floundering 0-4 UCLA Bruins squad that can seemingly do nothing right. They thought bringing in Nico Iamaleava would bolster a moribund offense, but he has done the exact opposite. The defense is seemingly nonexistent. Furthermore, they can't even seem to find wins outside of conference play either. Therefore, Penn State should be going into this game fresh and rejuvenated against a squad that shouldn't be able to hang with them. Here are five reasons for optimism for the Nittany Lions against UCLA.

Devonte Ross emerging as potential WR1

One of the silver linings to their loss against the Ducks for the Nittany Lions was the emergence of Devonte Ross late in the game. If it weren't for his big play abilities, Penn State would have most likely gone down with a whimper. Instead, he gave them the fight and spirit they had been lacking for three quarters. Against a much inferior pass defense, look for his YAC abilities and his versatility out of certain alignments to play a massive role for a passing game looking to get things right once and for all. He may not be the biggest WR for Penn State or have the most yards, but he could be the most dangerous.

Run D will almost certainly dominate

Last week was not the best for the Nittany Lions in terms of stopping the run. The Ducks used most of their depth at the position to gash the Nittany Lions on the ground to the tune of 176 rushing yards. That does not reflect well on a defense that going in, held opponents to 119.5 rush yards per game and had 26 tackles for loss. Fortunately for them, while UCLA has similar depth to Oregon at the running back position, the problem is no one has emerged as a true No. 1 threat and the O-line has practically been a turnstile, giving up 9 sacks. Expect the front seven to have a field day in this one.

Run game will also dominate

The formula for the Nittany Lions this week is quite simple: Set the tone in the run games along both fronts. The O-line must be locked in to establish the run on offense, and inversely, the defense must key in on the run. To say that the running backs last week underwhelmed as much as the run defense did is an understatement. On the ground, Singleton rushed for a paltry 21 yards and Allen was not much better, with 54. That may not cut it against the Big Ten's elite, but against UCLA, there will be no excuse if they don't produce. I tend to think that won't be the case as they get back on track.

Nico Iamaleava has not been the guy for the Bruins

When Nico Iamaleava chose UCLA in his offseason transfer saga, there was a little glimpse of hope that UCLA may look somewhat competent this year. After all, the former five star recruit had led the Tennessee Volunteers to a CFP appearance the year prior. However, after setting foot in LA, all the positive vibes have dissipated with his poor play. While Drew Allar has had his struggles, they have been nothing like Nico's. He has only thrown for 788 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions to start the year. To top it all off, he has taken 9 sacks and his QBR is an atrocious 54.6. If their is any quarterback that can heal the wounds of a heartbreaking loss that the Nittany Lions would absolutely love to face right now, it's Nico.

UCLA's losses have been bad

While some may partly disagree with this statement, as they have played a solid Big 12 squad in Utah and one of the best Group of 5 teams in UNLV, the fact of the matter is they didn't just lose these games, they didn't even look competitive. To top it all off, in a battle of perhaps the two worst teams in the Big Ten, they blew their chance at potentially getting their only win of the season against Northwestern. They now have to face three ranked opponents the rest of the season and most importantly don't play another team under .500. The Bruins are in a deep hole that they may not be able to dig out of, and a ticked off Penn State squad will be the first squad to pile on the misery.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Five reasons for optimism for Penn State against UCLA