No. 15-ranked Washington's road game at UCLA has the Pac-12 spotlight simply by being the lone game on the schedule Friday night.

But this matchup of 4-0 teams is probably the marquee game on the entire conference slate regardless.

After a promising 2021, the Bruins are off to an exciting start, rolling to 4-0 with relative ease (mostly). Both UCLA’s offense and defense have been effective, with the team’s stars on each side of the ball stepping up and delivering as expected.

The caveat worth noting however is the ease of the schedule they’ve played, with the Bruin’s four opponents so far having been the Pac-12's worst team (Colorado), an FCS squad (Alabama State), and two unranked Group of 5 teams (Bowling Green and South Alabama). And South Alabama took UCLA to the wire and almost dealt them a home loss in Week 3, with the Bruins barely surviving on a last-second field goal to win 32-31.

Now, UCLA faces the toughest stretch of its season with consecutive matchups against No. 15 Washington, No. 12 Utah and No. 13 Oregon starting this Saturday. These three weeks will show us what the Bruins are really made of and whether or not they’re competitors for a Pac-12 Title.

The Huskies will be UCLA’s first real test this weekend -- 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.

Let's take a closer look at what Washington is up against ...

Coach Chip Kelly: (5th season, 22-25; 68-32 career)

2021 Record: 8-4

2022 Record: 4-0

Scoring Offense: 41.8 PPG (20th nationally)

Scoring Defense: 18 PPG (29th)

Total Offense: 508.2 YPG (12th)

Total Defense: 295 YPG (20th)

What the Bruins do well: The UCLA offense is legitimately explosive both on the ground and through the air. Dynamic dual-threat QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has steadily improved each year of his career and is playing at his best level yet so far this season. DTR has always had a deep toolkit at his disposal -- a powerful arm, great elusiveness, serious juice as a runner and an inherent confidence in his arm talent to get the ball into tough spaces. His Achilles heel in the past has been his propensity for turning the ball over at inopportune moments, usually resulting from a lack of pocket awareness or rushing his process to miss downfield defenders. However, so far this year DTR has been much more careful with the football and the results have paid off big for UCLA.

He’s off to his best career start, having thrown for 896 yards and 8 touchdowns while completing an eye-catching 74.8% of his passes. He’s only turned the ball over twice, with 1 interception and 1 fumble lost. UCLA’s offensive line has kept him clean, allowing just 3 sacks, and the team’s talent at the pass-catching positions has been getting the job done. Though the receiving corps isn’t stacked with top-level performers, the Bruins have a variety of playmakers able to keep the chains moving.

On the ground however, the Bruins may be at their most dangerous. Lead running back Zach Charbonnet might be the best runner in the Pac-12 and among the best in the country, having racked up over 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns 2021 after transferring from Michigan. He’s been just as good this season, with 380 scrimmage yards and 4 touchdowns to show for his efforts despite touching the ball just 51 times through 4 games. Thompson-Robinson’s impact on the ground can’t be understated either, as the mobile QB has already rushed for 170 yards and 2 scores on only 21 carries. The Bruins are running the ball with exceptional efficiency, logging over 200 rushing yards per game at a clip of 5.7 yards per carry.

As a whole, this is a well-rounded offense that primarily relies on dismantling and beating down its opponents on the ground. Thompson-Robinson’s efficiency as a passer and capability as a runner puts defenses in difficult situations when he drops back to throw. So far none of UCLA’s opponents have been able to really hold this offense back. Washington will seek to be the first, and the way that goes will have significant implications for assessing both teams going forward.

Where the Bruins are vulnerable: The UCLA defense is something of a conundrum to understand right now. Statistically, the group appears pretty impressive, having allowed averages of only 210.8 passing yards and 84.3 rushing yards to their opponents and giving up just 18 points per game. They’ve managed to wrangle 11 sacks and forced 8 turnovers as well, presenting the visage of a well-rounded and capable defense. Indeed, there’s a lot for the Bruins to be excited about on that side of the ball. They’ve got some real playmakers both in the secondary and front seven, and the group has largely played sound team defense. However, it once again bears mentioning that the Bruins have played a very poor slate of offenses with their only Power 5 opponent to this point fielding perhaps the worst offense in the country (sorry Colorado). The strongest offense of the four they’ve played actually caused real problems for UCLA, as South Alabama took them to the brink in a 32-31 thriller that the visitors would have likely won were it not for an ill-fated fake field goal attempt on their final drive.

In that game the Bruins struggled to stop South Alabama on the ground, allowing their two lead backs to take 21 carries for 153 yards and a score. The Jaguars were also able to move the ball through the air, managing 237 yards and 1 touchdown on an efficient 72% completion rate. Given that, it’s hard to trust the UCLA defense to stand up to tougher competition at this point; we’ll find out this week what they make of against the Pac-12-leading Washington offense.

Five Players to Know:

1. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (No. 1): As described above, DTR is an exciting dual-threat quarterback. His improved decision making paired with his special physical traits make him one of the Pac-12’s most dangerous at the position. He’s spent four years as the Bruins’ starter and his experience lends to an evident command of the offense. He’s very comfortable in UCLA’s system and has shown a lot of composure with the ball in his hands to this point. However, DTR has also shown a tendency to start coughing up the ball and make bad decisions when put under pressure in the past, something he hasn’t much dealt with this season. I’ll be curious to see how he responds if UW can start collapsing the pocket on him.

2. RB Zach Charbonnet (No. 24): Charbonnet is a fantastic back and likely an early NFL draft pick. He runs the ball with exceptional power and contact balance, bouncing off and plowing through would-be tacklers with ease. Charbonnet routinely creates extra yardage after the first contact, keeping his legs churning to generate serious drive down the field. His high-level vision allows him to consistently take the best of what the defense gives him, often stringing together moves in advance with remarkable prescience. Charbonnet is also the real deal as a receiving threat, averaging over 8 yards per catch in his time as a Bruin with 32 catches to his name during that span. He’s easily the best talent the team features at the skill positions and is capable of thriving as the focal point of the offensive game plan against most any competition.

3. WR Jake Bobo (No. 9): The Duke transfer has impressed by leading UCLA in yardage this season, with 221 yards to show so far. Though he’s never scored more than 1 touchdown in a season before, Bobo comes off an impressive 794-yard season on a putrid Blue Devils offense. The 6-foot-5 receiver has made the most of his opportunities as a Bruin, with a career-high average of 14.7 yards per reception in four games. Bobo’s exceptional size makes him a serious threat at the catch point, capable of boxing out most smaller defensive backs. He’s a smooth mover at that size, with long strides and the ability to power through arm tackles. Given the difficulties UW’s corners had containing Stanford’s crew of tall receivers, expect a big share of targets for Bobo this week against the Husky secondary.

4. DL Grayson Murphy (No. 12): Murphy transferred to UCLA after a breakout year at North Texas in which he racked up 8.5 sacks, 14.5 TFLs and 2 forced fumbles. He’s made an instant impact for the Bruins since his arrival, with 3 sacks and 4.5 TFLs to his name already. Murphy shows a high motor as a pass rusher as well as real quickness to work past blockers at the line. He’s gotten better in each year of college, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his play keep improving through his first season at UCLA. He could very likely to finish the year as the Bruins' top performer on the defensive line.

5. CB Devin Kirkwood (No. 3): The sophomore cornerback is off to a strong start to the season in coverage, with a team leading 4 passes broken up. Kirkwood flashed as a freshman for the Bruins, tallying a forced fumble and an interception while serving as a reserve for the entire season. Now tasked with starting duties, he hasn’t disappointed, playing coverage at a high level down the boundary. Standing at 6-foot-3, Kirkwood has rare size for the position. Paired with his athleticism, that makes him a unique challenge for opposing receivers to work against. His long reach makes it difficult to sneak the football past him, and he shows the necessary aggression when the ball is in the air to be a difference maker. Nonetheless, Kirkwood is still somewhat raw, and the UW passing offense will easily be the most capable he’ll have faced so far in his short time as a starter.

Key Stat: 295 Yards Allowed Per Game

As discussed earlier, the Bruins have been statistically stout on defense. They’ve held most of their opponents incapable of running the ball effectively and haven’t yet allowed a passer to throw for over 260 yards against them. However, the weak level of competition they’ve faced and the difficulty they had containing the South Alabama offense indicate that this defense isn’t all that it appears to be on paper. Against a UW offense that’s in the conversation for best in the nation, UCLA will find out where its defense stands for real. The Huskies’ approach to this game on offense will be curious to watch; will they respect the Bruins defense early or will they go into this contest guns blazing?

Key Matchup: UW's Front Seven vs. UCLA's Run Game

One of the great joys of college football is watching teams match strength with strength, and that’s what we should be prepared for as the dynamic UCLA ground game matches up with the Huskies’ powerful defensive front. The Bruins have been averaging over 220 rushing yards per game while Washington has held its opponents to an average of only 89 -- something’s gotta give here. Charbonnet and Thompson-Robinson will put UW’s front in a lot of difficult situations schematically, and the difficulties of bringing either down in the open field will no doubt cause the Huskies headaches. However, Washington’s host of playmakers on the defensive line will present the Bruins’ offensive line with by far its toughest challenge to date. It remains to be seen whether they’re capable of standing up to this kind of front and whether or not they are will go a long way toward determining the outcome of this game.