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UCLA Football: 5 reasons why the Bruins will struggle in 2017

By Matthew Bartlett

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Jim Mora of the UCLA Bruins reacts during the second half of the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Bruins 23-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 08: Head coach Jim Mora of the UCLA Bruins reacts during the second half of the college football game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Bruins 23-20. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

1. Josh Rosen can’t stay healthy

Ultimately the fate of the UCLA football season rests entirely on the shoulders of Josh Rosen. He suffered a shoulder injury during the Arizona State game last season. The injury required surgery, ultimately ending his season. The Bruins went 3-3 with Rosen under center last season and 1-5 without him. If he goes down for even a few weeks the Bruins are going down with him.

Last year’s backup Mike Fafaul has run out of eligibility. That leaves a pair of redshirt freshman behind Rosen on the depth chart. Whether it’s Devon Modster or Matt Lynch that gets forced into duty, neither will see much of the field if everything goes according to the plan this season.

Rosen has made news in recent weeks with his mouth, speaking out about the challenges of being a student athlete and more. His boldness has resulted in a fair amount of backlash from the sports media. If he does miss time don’t expect any kind words to be said on his behalf.

The USC Trojans end their season on November 18 against UCLA. That game is supposed to feature what could be the top two quarterback prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. If Rosen isn’t available for that game, not only will UCLA’s season likely be sunk, his draft stock will start to drop too.

Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017

There aren’t many teams that can withstand the lost of an NFL-caliber quarterback. Another bad season without Rosen would be forgivable, but it wouldn’t be any easier to suffer through for Bruin fans.

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