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From weather to injuries, it seems like it's been a slew of weird, hard-to-predict games for Utah football lately.

That should continue this week, as 3-4http://bit.ly/2dnm6ax";> UCLA, once predicted to win the Pac-12 South, hosts the beat-up Utes (6-1). Who will prevail? While Vegas seems to think the Bruins, who are 7-point favorites, UCLA has struggled recently to move the ball with a disjointed offensive line and http://bit.ly/2e7Mbyq";>an injured star quarterback. And yet, UCLA's athleticism is among the conference's best, and the defense has been salty, to say the least.

What can Utah fans expect from the Bruins this week? To answer some questions, I asked for help from Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Daily News. http://www.dailynews.com/ucla-sports";>You can find her stories covering UCLA here, and you can follow her on Twitter @thucnhi21. Here we go:

1. The burning question for the week http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161014/josh-rosen-questionable-as-ucla-faces-critical-game";>is if Josh Rosen can play. What is your sense of his status, based either on what you've seen or heard about Rosen? And if he can't play, how is Mike Fafaul different as a quarterback?

Thuc Nhi Nguyen: I think Josh Rosen will play. He was weirdly absent from practice Tuesday, but Wednesday — the team's last day of real practice before Friday walkthrough — he was out on the field as what looked like a full participant. He seemed to be throwing the ball fine, which was a huge concern with the injury to his throwing shoulder.

If it does have to be Mike Fafaul again, it's not a completely dissimilar look, but Fafaul just doesn't have the same physical talents as Rosen. He doesn't have the arm strength to stretch the field in that way. He's going to have a conservative offense with short to intermediate throws as the team tries to move the pocket. Getting him to roll out is less an indication of him and more a sign of a struggling offensive line, though.

2. http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161017/ucla-looks-to-rediscover-running-game";>Why can't this team run? Is it offensive line? Running backs? Both? And how much of a surprise is it internally?

TNN: It's been a little bit of both at different times of the season, but lately, it's been mostly the offensive line. Replacing three starting offensive linemen has been a lot harder than the coaching staff thought it would be. They didn't have a lot of depth to start with, and then one of their best offensive linemen, Kolton Miller, went down when he when his own running back rolled up on his ankle. That's how things are going for the Bruins.

I think it is a surprise for the team. During spring, the offense had some success running the ball against a defensive front that is now one of the team's strengths. Even with the changeover on the offensive line and the loss of Paul Perkins, it's hard to think a team from any Power 5 conference that wants to run the ball could only get 91.1 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry.

3. UCLA has the seventh-best pass efficiency in the country. What elements have gone into helping the Bruins limit the passing ability of their opponents, such as when Washington State's Luke Falk failed to throw a touchdown last week?

TNN: The greatest thing the Bruins have working for them on defense is experience and nowhere is that more obvious than in their secondary. They returned all of their starters from last year (when UCLA also led the conference in pass defense efficiency) and then added Fabian Moreau, who is their best corner, but missed most of last season due to a broken foot. They have depth at all positions and can mix coverages between zone and man.

4. We saw some footage recently of http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161020/ucla-coping-with-freshman-punters-sharp-learning-curve";>Jim Mora getting heated at UCLA's punter. What is the status of UCLA's special teams, and are they living up to expectations?

TNN: UCLA was a little worried about its special teams because the three specialists were all true freshmen. Like you would expect out of freshmen, they've been hot and cold. The punting game has been frustrating, especially lately, for UCLA because it's a new face, but same bad result going from Matt Mengel to Austin Kent, who had a minus-1-yard punt last week. However, the team does believe in Kent's talent, and I think he will turn into a good weapon for them in the future.

At placekicker, fans grew accustomed to consistency after Lou Groza Award winner Ka'imi Fairbairn. J.J. Molson had big shoes to fill and he's been underwhelming to start as well. He missed three field goals in two games, which opened the door for redshirt freshman Andrew Strauch to start making a move on the starting spot. I think Molson will end up keeping the starting spot, though.

5. Mora is off to his worst start in Pac-12 play since coming to Westwood. Are Bruins fans getting restless with a bit of a stretch without a South Division title and not reaching annual expectations?

TNN: My inbox is definitely getting a little hotter with all these fan takes coming in every day. The coaches went out on a limb by changing the offense and it burned them. People are frustrated with the disappointing results on offense when so much was promised, but I think some fans are also willing to wait for personnel and recruiting to catch up with the scheme. I think there's a small minority of fans that's growing louder in terms of asking for Mora's job, but there's been more heat on offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, whose unit is one the main reasons for the run game struggles, and receivers coach Eric Yarber, who has an exceptional talent in freshman Theo Howard sitting on the bench.

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Thanks Thuc Nhi, appreciate the time.

See you Saturday.

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon