No. 15 Oregon State Beavers vs. No. 18 UCLA Bruins football preview, matchups, time, TV channel, odds, how to watch

Oregon State homecoming features a top 25 matchup, as the No. 15 Beavers play No. 18 UCLA at 5 p.m. Saturday in Reser Stadium. Oregon State is looking to become bowl eligible as it heads into its bye week.

• WATCH NOW: UCLA vs. Oregon State football game live for free with Fubo (free trial), or with Sling(promotional offers, cheapest streaming plans).

No. 18 UCLA (4-1, 1-1) at No. 15 Oregon State (5-1, 2-1)

Time: Reser Stadium

Coaches: OSU’s Jonathan Smith (sixth year, 31-32), UCLA’s Chip Kelly (sixth year, 31-30)

Latest line: Oregon State by 3½ ()

TV Channel: FOX (KPTV 12 in Portland)

If you have a HDTV antenna, you can watch locally on channel 12.1. If you need to get one, this Gesobyte brand HDTV antenna is currently the top selling HDTV antenna product on Amazon. Itgoes for under $30 and ships quickly with Prime. If you already have a Prime account, you should be able to get it and be watching college football, Timbers matches, network TV and local news as soon as it arrives.

How to watch live stream online: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo(free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (promotional offers, cheapest streaming plans). If you already have a provider, you can also watch this game live on FOX Sports Live with your cable or satellite provider login information.

On the air: Radio on KEX (1190), KPOJ (620), Sirius 129 or 17, Sirius XM 132 or 197, Sirius XM App 959

Oregon State offense vs. UCLA defense

There’s little question this is the best defense Oregon State has faced this season. The Bruins have held four consecutive opponents to fewer than 300 yards offense. UCLA’s defense has given up 61 points, a total that in recent years compares only to 2006, when the Bruins gave up 62 over their first five games. The last time UCLA held five consecutive opponents to fewer than 20 points was 2001, when the Bruins did it six consecutive times. Saturday’s game features a battle of wills. UCLA’s run defense is No. 2 nationally, holding opponents to 64.6 yards per game, while Oregon State’s running game averages 205.5 yards, No. 15 in the country. The Bruins are unforgiving through the air, too, as their pass efficiency defense ranked seventh nationally. Overall, UCLA is giving up 254.2 yards a game, No. 5 in the country. UCLA’s defense standouts are DL Laiatu Lutu (5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), LB Darius Muasau (389 career tackles), DL Gabriel Murphy (6½ TFLs), and DB Alex Johnson (3 interceptions, 6 passes defended).

Oregon State is coming off a 52-point performance and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s best outing of the season in a win at California. In an outing many Beaver fans have been waiting to see, Uiagalelei passed for 275 yards and a career high-tying five touchdowns against the Bears. Can he back it up? The Bruins haven’t been kind to opposing quarterbacks of late. Oregon State hopes to keep UCLA’s defense busy with a running game that has generated at least 190 rushing yards in five of six games. Sophomore Damien Martinez has rushed for 586 yards through six games, while Deshaun Fenwick has 330. Silas Bolden (27 catches, 369 yards, 3 TDs) and Anthony Gould (20-356-2) are a formidable 1-2 receiving punch. Tight end Jack Velling is coming off a three-touchdown performance against California.

Oregon State defense vs. UCLA offense

Call UCLA’s offense good enough because of its defense. The Bruins aren’t built to get in a track meet; they’ve scored 25 and 7 points in two Pac-12 games. The numbers are fine: a total offense averaging 459 yards per game (26th nationally) and a running game that generates 200.2 ypg (No. 22). In four of UCLA’s five games, it produced 400-plus yards, including 550 against San Diego State (a common foe with OSU) and 614 against NC Central. But in its lone road game of the season, the Bruins managed only 243 yards offense – and only nine rushing yards. Oregon State’s defensive strategy will be interesting. Do the Beavers load up and try forcing freshman quarterback Dante Moore into mistakes? Or try to stop the run and make Moore beat them? Moore, the 5-star freshman, has five turnovers this season, and gave up pick-6s the past two weeks to Utah and Washington State. Moore is 69 of 130 for 1,134 yards and nine touchdowns this season. UCLA’s offensive centerpiece is running back Carson Steele, the Ball State transfer who has rushed for 413 yards and two touchdowns. The Bruins’ big play receiver is Cal transfer J. Michael Sturdivant, who has 16 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon State gave up 40 points to California, but the Beavers were hamstrung missing starting cornerbacks Ryan Cooper Jr. and Jaden Robinson. Both could return to action Saturday. The Beavers run defense ranks No. 15 nationally, giving up 96.2 yards a game. UCLA’s rushing attack is probably the best OSU has faced this season. The Beavers will challenge UCLA with a defensive front that is effective in making plays behind the line of scrimmage. OSU is averaging 6½ tackles for loss and three sacks a game. The Beavers’ top playmakers are Sione Lolohea (7½ TFLs), Isaac Hodgins (5½ TFLs, 3 sacks), Andrew Chatfield (3 sacks), Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (50 tackles, 2 interceptions) and Kitan Oladapo (34 tackles).

• This is only the second time the schools have played since 2016. In 2019, Oregon State won 48-31 in Pasadena, Calif. UCLA’s last appearance in Corvallis was 2015.
• This is the first time Oregon State has been the higher ranked team heading into this matchup since 2000. That year, No. 19 Oregon State beat No. 23 UCLA 44-38.
• Gray has 39 consecutive starts. He needs one more to become the eighth player in OSU history to start 40 consecutive games.
• Kelly, in his sixth at UCLA, hasn’t coached a game in Reser Stadium since 2012, his final year at Oregon.
• Kelly is 4-1 as a head coach against Oregon State, the one loss coming as Bruins coach.
• OSU is 22-of-22 in converting red zone opportunities into points. Beavers are one of five FBS teams to convert 100%.
• UCLA quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson played for Oregon State from 2003-07.
• This is UCLA’s third consecutive game against a top 25 opponent. The first two were No. 11 Utah and No. 13 Washington State.
• UCLA has won 12 consecutive games when it forces multiple turnovers.
• Washington State is the only team to score on its opening drive against Oregon State this season.