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UCLA Football: 5 bold predictions for the Bruins in 2017

By Matthew Bartlett

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: UCLA Bruins prepare to walk on to the field befoe the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Rose Bowl on September 24, 2016 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: UCLA Bruins prepare to walk on to the field befoe the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Rose Bowl on September 24, 2016 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – Josh Rosen misses time with injuries

Cracking that scoring plateau will be all the more difficult without the help of quarterback Josh Rosen. Coming off of shoulder surgery puts him at significant risk for reinjury in 2017.

Connor McDermott, the rock of a sturdy UCLA offensive line last season, was drafted by the New England Patriots this offseason. He led a unit that allowed only 24 sacks last season, second best in the PAC-12. The loss of McDermott will make it more difficult for the Bruins to keep Rosen upright, at least at the beginning of the year when all the moving parts are still working to coalesce.

The Bruin offense wasn’t effective last season. That included the first half of the season with Rosen leading the attack. UCLA doesn’t have much depth at the backup quarterback position. If Rosen goes down they’ll have to rely on redshirt freshman Devon Modster.

Modster brings more mobility to the quarterback position than Rosen and has a strong-arm. If Rosen does go down the Bruins should still manage a serviceable offense in his stead. If Rosen does get nicked up, even ever so slightly, expect the junior quarterback to be conservative with his insertion back into the starting lineup.

UCLA isn’t contending for a conference title this season and Rosen has a promising NFL career ahead of him. It does him no benefit to play at 60 percent health with that paycheck at risk. Even if it’s a just a few dings, Rosen isn’t playing 12 full games for the Bruins this year.

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