On Saturday, UCLA football pulled out a big-time victory over Hawaii. Take a look at some of the biggest overreactions from the win.
Yet another week of UCLA football is in the books and the Bruins are officially halfway to their win total from 2016. Sitting at 2-0 with plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball, the Bruins have jumped back into the AP Top 25 this week in the final spot.
The Bruins look to be turning the corner in 2017 and fans are hoping this isn’t false hope. A win over Hawaii didn’t tell us much about this team, but that hasn’t stopped the overreactions from hitting an all-time high.
After a huge comeback win over Texas A&M in Week 1, the Bruins looked to be on top of the world. They fell behind 44-10 before a furious comeback, led by Josh Rosen, gave them a one-point lead with under a minute left in which they held on to. Did that carry over into a Week 2 win? Well, the Bruins made quick, easy work of Hawaii after getting out to a 35-7 lead.
Let’s take a look at five of the biggest overreactions from the Bruins’ Week 2 victory over Hawaii.
5. Run game is regressing
Fans love to hate on the run game because, well, it underperforms just about every week. However, against Hawaii, it doubled its production from Week 1. In fact, the Bruins’ backfield combined for 132 yards on just 26 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per touch. That was even with Josh Rosen’s and Devon Modster’s sack yardage taken away (minus-23 yards).
Oh yeah, and Soso Jamabo was absent in the run game — he didn’t dress. He’s arguably the most talented back this team has, but he’s been under-utilized his entire career. It’s clear that the Bruins don’t focus much on the run, which leaves guys like Jamabo searching for roles.
The run game isn’t regressing, it’s actually getting better and deeper, but Jim Mora needs to figure out how to manage the ground attack. If UCLA wants to have a shot at the Pac-12 title, it needs to take a piece from USC’s and Washington’s books and balance the offense out.
4. UCLA has best receiving corps in the Pac-12
Have you been impressed with UCLA’s receivers through the first two weeks of action? You’re not alone as the Bruins seem to be impressing everyone with the aerial attack. Opposing coaches are left shaking their heads because there is no answer to the slew of wide outs UCLA runs out there every week.
Theo Howard, Darren Andrews, Eldridge Massington and top tight end Caleb Wilson. Combine all these guys, along with new contributors each week, and you have one of the scariest corps in the conference.
However, to call these guys the best in the Pac-12 is a bit of a stretch. Theo Howard had a big game, catching seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown and Andrews had four receptions for 92 yards and three scores, but everything seems to be made possible by Rosen. No, he’s not doing all the work since these guys have to get open, but without him, where would they be?
Let’s not dub this the best receiving corps in the conference just yet nor should we anoint Wilson as the top tight end in the country because there are some solid tight ends act Stanford and both USC and Washington have solid receivers as well.
3. Defense will doom Bruins in 2017
Should the defense be worried moving forward? No, the Pac-12 isn’t known for having elite defenses but rather featuring high-flying offenses that like to air the ball out early and often. Still, that doesn’t help the Bruins in their quest for the College Football Playoff.
The Bruins allowed 38 first-half points against Texas A&M in Week 1 before giving up one more score to fall behind 44-10. Obviously a furious comeback sealed the win for the Bruins and the defense held up throughout the remainder of the game, but Kellen Mond was just as responsible for the Aggies not scoring as the Bruins’ defense was.
Related Story: UCLA Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
On Saturday, UCLA looked to rebound and shut down a potentially potent Hawaii attack, but it never happened. The Rainbow Warriors gained about 515 yards of total offense against the Bruins, which is something that should concern the coaching staff moving forward.
It might be an overreaction to say this unit is in major trouble since it’s so early in the season, but the Bruins aren’t doing themselves any favors on this side of the ball.
2. Josh Rosen is the Heisman front-runner
If you’re not on the Josh Rosen for Heisman hype train yet, you’re probably a pretty rational fan. Getting too excited about the first two weeks of the season is a major no-no in the college football world, but that’s not stopping Bruins fans from dubbing him the September Heisman after two victories.
Sure, Rosen is one heck of a player and he very well may be the best quarterback in college football, but he’s far from the front-runner for the Heisman. He needs to prove he can put up video game-like numbers week in and week out against better defenses — like Stanford, USC or Washington, for example.
‘Chosen’ Rosen had yet another solid game against an inferior defense on Saturday, passing for 329 yards and five touchdowns on 22-of-25 completions. It’s always a good sign when your quarterback has more touchdown passes than incompletions. Still, too early for Heisman talk.
Don’t worry, folks, Rosen will get his opportunity to cement himself in the Heisman conversation in a couple of weeks when the Bruins take on Stanford. After that, he will get cracks at USC and Washington as well. There’s still time.
1. UCLA is back as a contender
Sometimes it’s the little things that can spark a team back into contention. For UCLA, that might imply that getting back into the AP Top 25 is the spark it needed to reach relevance yet again in the Pac-12. The Bruins are one of just five teams from the conference in this week’s rankings and there’s still plenty of room to grow.
It’s scary to say this team hasn’t even scratched the surface yet, but it’s true. However, to call them a “contender” after just two wins to start the year is extremely premature. The Bruins have seemed to correct some mistakes from last season, but to truly be contenders, they need to improve their defense and rushing attack.
Rosen might be the best quarterback in the nation and ever national contender needs a top-tier passer who also acts as a leader. He can do just that. Still, he can’t do everything for this team. The ground game needs to improve, but that has something to do with the coaching staff not managing it correctly.
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Is UCLA currently better than it was a season ago at this time? Probably. But are the Bruins officially back as contenders? It’s far too early to say, especially after a Hawaii win.