Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the UCLA Bruins season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– UCLA Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 3-9 overall, 3-6 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Chip Kelly, 2nd season, 3-9
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UCLA OFFENSE
– It wasn’t exactly 2010 Oregon all over again when Chip Kelly got ahold of the UCLA offense, but it improved, and there were signs of life as the season went on. Overall, the O averaged just 393 yards and 24.6 points per game, it couldn’t run, and the passing game wasn’t efficient. However, the three of the top five scoring games of the year game in the final three games, and again, it started to look stronger late. But …
– Nothing is happening or improving unless the offensive line is better. What’s been the program’s biggest problem over the last several years? The front five – even with some decent talents – hasn’t been nearly good enough. The Bruins struggled at keeping defenses out of the backfield, and it didn’t do enough for the ground attack on a consistent basis.
On the plus side, all five starters are back, and top recruit Sean Rhyan is going to be a star. Now everyone has to stay healthy and keep improving. As this unit goes, so goes the 2019 season.
– Even with the mediocrity on the line, RB Joshua Kelley still managed to crank out 1,243 yards and 12 scores, Martell Irby is a nice-looking second option, and speedy backup Kameir Allen averaged well over six yards per carry. Overall, running back should be the offense’s biggest strength.
– Is Dorian Thompson-Robinson really the guy? The talented quarterback recruit got his feet wet right away, but it was a rocky year before missing time through most of the second half. Freshman Chase Griffin is an interesting option, and watch out for a transfer – hello, Washington Huskies – to potentially step in.
Top target TE Caleb Wilson is gone – he was the NFL Draft’s Mr. Irrelevant – but Theo Howard and five of the top six wide receivers are back. Junior Devin Assai should be the top new tight end after catching six passes, averaging close to 22 yards per grab.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UCLA DEFENSE
– The problems on offense took center stage, but the defense didn’t to its part to help, allowing 445 yards and 34 points per game. The pass defense was a problem, but the run defense – a massive issue over the last few seasons – was worse.
– It was a really, really young front three, but there’s good beef – starting with 380-pound bowling ball Antonio Mafi on the nose – and enough depth to form a better rotation. The versatility and experience are in place, but everyone has to hold up a whole lot better, and maybe get into the backfield once in a while.
– There are more than enough veterans to expect this group to shine. Second-leading tackler Krys Barnes is back after making 85 tackles, Tyree Thompson was fourth on the team with 55 stops, and Keisean Lucier-South is back after finishing sixth in stops … maybe.
Lucier-South wasn’t around for the second half of spring ball to work on the academic side of things. Josh Woods is back on the inside after missing all of last year with a leg injury – he’s versatile enough to step in anywhere.
– Blame most of the problems in the secondary on the lack of a pass rush. Leading tackler Adarius Pickett is gone, but the other three starters return starting with the corner tandem of Elijah Gates and Darnay Holmes – Holmes is the better of the two. Quentin Lake is back at one safety gig after finishing third on the team with 67 tackles.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP UCLA PLAYERS
Best UCLA Offensive Player
RB Joshua Kelley, Sr.
The JUCO transfer turned into the main man for the Bruin running game as exactly what the team needed. He didn’t do much in his first three games, and then ripped off six 100-yard games in the final nine, including a 289-yard day against USC. The 5-11, 204-pounder has good speed and can bring the power, averaging 5.5 yards per carry with 1,243 yards and 12 scores. He can catch, too.
2. WR Theo Howard, Sr.
3. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Soph.
4. OG Michael Alves, Jr.
5. RB Martell Irby, Soph.
Best UCLA Defensive Player
CB Darnay Holmes, Jr.
The best all-around UCLA defensive player is LB Keisean Lucier-South, but he missed part of spring ball to up the academic side and is still a wee bit of a question mark.
The 5-10, 198-pound Holmes isn’t all that far behind – if at all – among the top Bruin defenders with a great combination of quickness and hitting ability. Good enough to be used as a return man, he can move – with a kick six last year – finishing with 48 tackles and three picks, taking one for a touchdown.
2. LB Keisean Lucier-South, Sr. (if eligible)
3. LB Krys Barnes, Sr.
4. P Stefan Flintoft, Sr.
5. S Quentin Lake, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The UCLA Offense
Broken record time … the offensive line has to be better. The Bruins have had way, way, way too many problems with the consistency on an offensive front that started to get better for the ground game, but struggled at keeping defenses out of the backfield.
UCLA gave up 32 sacks and 75 tackles for loss, but there was a big improvement in the average yards per carry after a horrible previous two seasons on the ground. This year’s line has experience, talent, and the upside to make a big step forward.
Biggest Key To The UCLA Defense
Broken record time … the run defense has to be better. To be fair, it was vastly improved after the 2017 disaster, and the line is big enough and experienced enough to be even stronger. However, after finishing 11th in the Pac-12 again the run, and after allowing three touchdown runs or more in eight games – losing all of them – the stop have to come.
Going back to the Josh Rosen Miracle against Texas A&M to start the 2017 season – giving up five touchdown runs to the Aggies – the UCLA run defense allowed three rushing scores or more 13 times. The team lost all 13 games.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Soph.
For this whole Chip Kelly thing to work, he needs to find the quarterback who can become a statistical superstar. Wilton Speight did what he could at times last season, but it’s Thompson-Robinson who needs to take over the team and make it his.
On the schedule is Jalen Hurts. Khalil Tate, KJ Costello, Steven Montez, Tyler Huntley, JT Daniels, and most likely at Washington State, former Eastern Washington star Gabe Gubrud. The Bruins might miss Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Washington’s (maybe) Jacob Eason, but UCLA needs to be able to at least hold its own at quarterback.
Key Game To The UCLA Season
at USC, Nov. 23
Assuming the two programs bounce back in a big way after disastrous seasons, this might turn into a battle for the Pac-12 South – at least, it will if everything goes right. More than that, depending how the Trojan season is going, it could be for the future of the program.
If USC is struggling at all, a UCLA win might seal Clay Helton’s fate and mean a coaching change to someone – oh yeah, let’s wildly speculate here – like that Urban guy working over at FOX. But it would also mean a 2-0 record for Chip Kelly against the team UCLA coaches have to beat.
– UCLA Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 UCLA Fun Stats
– 2nd & 3rd Quarter Combined Scoring: Opponents 239 – UCLA 135
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:26 – UCLA 27:34
– Penalties: UCLA 82 for 684 yards – Opponents 65 for 570 yards
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. UCLA WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
It was a really, really young team under the new coaching staff, and it showed.
By the end of the season, seven underclassmen were starting on defense, and five were starting on O – and that doesn’t count then-freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. While that was a good thing to build for the future, and it’s a positive that Chip Kelly continues to go young to find the right guys to fit his systems, it led to a whole lot of mistakes.
The Bruins committed way too many penalties, were miserable in kick and punt coverage, and rarely came up with a clutch play or drive to take over a winnable game.
This will hardly be an air-tight team, but it’ll be far sharper, and it’ll start to look and play the part after losing four games by a touchdown or less. A few more of those will go the other way, so …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
The schedule is hardly easy – especially with at Cincinnati, San Diego State, and Oklahoma in non-conference play – but the Bruins should be good enough to win at least two of those.
There’s a trip to Stanford, and dates at Washington State, Arizona, Utah and USC are all losable, but expect the Bruins to start to get the schemes together to win a few of those. Both the Stanford and Utah games come after a week off.
Oregon and Washington aren’t on the schedule, and there’s only one game outside of California after the end of September.
This is where the Chip Kelly era really starts to kick it in.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
