K-State Football Bowl Preview: Another Bear Hunt

Well what had been expected is now official. The #11 K-State Wildcats will take on the #14 Bruins of UCLA in the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl on January 2nd, 2015 in San Antonio, TX.

It's official! @KState_Football will play @UCLAFootball in this year's Valero Alamo Bowl. #EMAW #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/f4ZDHO9s2U

— Valero Alamo Bowl (@valeroalamobowl) December 7, 2014

Lets take a quick look at the 2014 UCLA Bruins.

Opponent

Compared to the last two three bowl games, K-State will face a relatively familiar foe on January 2nd. Though these Bruins aren't the Slick-Rick Bruins of 2009/10. Jim Mora has really brought UCLA back to prominence and respectability in his third year in Pasadena. UCLA finished 9-3 and second in the Pac-12 South. Their three losses have all come at home, to Utah and Oregon in consecutive weeks, then to Stanford in their regular season finale. Also, the nine wins means the Bruins have won at least nine games for a third straight year, which a first in the history of UCLA football.

That last lost should give Wildcat fans some hope, as Stanford plays in plodding methodical style that should be all too familiar to Wildcat fans. UCLA is a big boom-or-bust team, and it appears you either have to be able to score lots (Oregon), or disrupt their pace (Stanford, Utah) to really get them off their game. Also good study would be their game against Texas, which took some late-game heroics by UCLA to come out of Arlington with a win.

The Bruins are led offensively by Jr. QB Brett Hundley, but there have been major appearances by Soph. Jerry Neuheisel (yes, Rick's son) thanks to injuries. Sr. LB Eric Kendricks and First Team All Pac-12 Soph. DB Ishmael Adams lead the defensive unit. Overall, the Bruins placed nine on the All Pac-12 first or second teams.

Fri, Jan 2, 2014 Valero Alamo Bowl Alamodome, San Antonio TX
5:45 PM CT	UCLA	vs	Kansas State

Be sure and check back with Bring On The Cats throughout December for breakdowns of the upcoming game, as well as a report on San Antonio and all the great things in the city made famous by the Alamo.