UCLA football is not in as good of shape as it was a few weeks ago after a big upset loss to the Memphis Tigers.
The UCLA Bruins were knocked out of the AP Poll just one week after they barely cracked it. Head coach Jim Mora seemed to have UCLA on the track to compete in the Pac-12 before what happened in Week 3. Expectations were high for one of the better games of last weekend between UCLA and the Memphis Tigers.
However, junior UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was unable to carry his team to victory on the road. Memphis barely topped UCLA by the final score of 48-45. It was not only a tremendous disappointment for UCLA fans that finally saw their star quarterback live up to the hype, but for Mora staying off the hot seat.
Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson kept with Rosen every step of the way. Ferguson tossed six touchdowns with nearly 400 passing yards and only one interception. Meanwhile, Rosen played well but threw two costly interceptions. Ferguson outplayed Rosen in almost every aspect.
This loss does not bode well for a team trying to compete in a strong Pac-12 this year. The USC Trojans are solid and will be hard to knock off in the Pac-12 South. UCLA also still has the Colorado Buffaloes, Oregon Ducks, Stanford Cardinal, Utah Utes and Washington Huskies on tap. It could be a long season ahead for the Bruins.
Both UCLA and Stanford are looking to get back on track as they face each other in their Pac-12 opener this weekend. Stanford is coming off losses to USC and San Diego State.
Now, let’s take a look at 10 bold predictions for the Bruins in conference play.
10. Jim Mora won’t make it through Week 5
There’s two key chances that Jim Mora has to save his job for the rest of the 2017 college football season. The first is this weekend against Stanford. Next is the Colorado game on Sept. 30. Losing both of those would likely cost Mora his job.
Stanford and Colorado are both teams that will be extremely difficult to defeat. Even though Stanford has slipped up in recent weeks they still have a running back in Bryce Love that is a true Heisman contender.
Colorado got off to an undefeated start and are primed to make another run at the PAC-12 this year behind running back Phillip Lindsay and head coach Mike MacIntyre. Both teams will have a chip on their shoulder against UCLA, especially facing a quarterback like Rosen.
Starting out 2-3 would also expose the UCLA win over the Texas A&M Aggies as fluky. Texas A&M held a 34-point lead and had to have everything go wrong to lose, and that’s what happened. Mora needs to change something soon to keep his job.
9. Josh Rosen’s Heisman campaign is done
After the Texas A&M win, Rosen was mentioned among the top Heisman contenders. Three weeks later, he is still among some of the favorites, but few consider him to have a real chance to win this year.
The problem with Rosen winning the Heisman this season is that he would have to lead UCLA to a good record in 2017. That is not something that looks possible right now. There’s too many good teams left on the schedule for UCLA to win more than seven games.
Quarterbacks like USC’s Sam Darnold, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield are the current favorites for the Heisman. It might stay that way for a couple weeks. If Rosen continues to toss four touchdowns each week, he will stay among the favorites.
The keys to Rosen actually continuing his Heisman campaign are staying healthy and getting UCLA back on the right track. Rosen had a perfect chance to shine in the spotlight against Memphis. Yet, he ultimately fell short.
8. UCLA finds an answer in the run game
Part of the problem for UCLA’s offense is too much reliance on Rosen. The run has largely been nonexistent this year. One reason for the lack of production on the ground has been injuries all over the place.
Presumed starter and former four-star recruit Soso Jamabo should return this weekend but has not played since the season opener. If Jamabo returns in Week 4, he has to face the physical run defense from Stanford.
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However, San Diego State ran all over the Cardinal last weekend, including a 175-yard performance from Rashaad Penny. Jamabo does not possess the same pedigree as Penny, but he could eclipse the 100-yard mark if Mora gives him that type of workload.
Another devastating blow for UCLA came from a season-ending injury to backup running back Nate Starks. The running back depth is quickly fading for the Bruins and they should hope that Jamabo stays healthy moving forward.
7. Defense continues to cost the Bruins
In any matchup that has mattered so far, the UCLA defense has given up at least 44 points. The run defense has proved to be miserable, giving up 105 rushing yards on only 14 attempts to Memphis running back Darrell Henderson.
Not to mention what the Texas A&M rushing attack did to the UCLA front seven before Rosen sparked the huge comeback. The pass defense was just as bad against Memphis. They only forced one turnover while giving up nearly 400 yards through the air.
The only time the UCLA front seven and pass defense looked good was when the odds were against Texas A&M and their true freshman quarterback Kellen Mond. Against Riley Ferguson, the UCLA defense looked helpless.
When it comes down to it, Mora might end up losing his job because of this defense. Bryce Love could rip apart this porous front seven as well. The only part of the Stanford offense that has been unstoppable so far has been Love.
6. Darren Andrews continues his breakout season
One of the most overlooked part of this UCLA offense has been the receiving corps. Rosen has himself quite the set of weapons to work with. Led by senior wide receiver Darren Andrews, this UCLA receiving corps has quietly become one of the best in the conference.
Fellow wide receiver Jordan Lasley is having himself a big season as well. Andrew has caught 26 passes for 409 yards and six touchdowns through only three games. Meanwhile, Lasley has 162 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The fact that Andrews has already caught two more touchdown passes than he did last year, signifies the amount of progress he has made. Andrews could end up being an NFL level talent that one team takes huge advantage of.
If nothing else, this UCLA offense will continue to be fun to watch with players like Rosen, Andrews, and Lasley. Even tight end Caleb Wilson has been great this year. Wilson has 280 receiving yards and one touchdown.
5. UCLA does pull off the upset against Washington
Aside from USC, the Washington Huskies are the highest-ranked team that UCLA faces in Pac-12 play. They have to play cross-conference against what might be the two toughest opponents in the Pac-12 North in Washington and Oregon.
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Washington’s junior quarterback Jake Browning started to put some good performances together in the last two weeks against Fresno State and Montana. The way the UCLA pass defense has looked he could have a field day.
However, we do not know much about Washington yet since they had such an easy non-conference slate. The Huskies could wind up finishing outside the top 25 and we would not be able to tell that from their out-of-conference schedule.
The loss of players like wide receiver John Ross and defensive back Kevin King could be too much for head coach Chris Peterson and UW to recover from. Their young secondary has looked good but they have not had to face a quarterback like Rosen yet.
4. Arizona pulls off the upset of Bruins
Two of UCLA’s easier games in conference come against the Arizona schools. The Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils each do not look ready to compete in the Pac-12 South this year. Yet, one team could end up heating up through the middle of the season.
Arizona has won two of their three games so far. They lost to a good Houston Cougars team that edged them by only a three-point margin. The Wildcats took down UTEP and Northern Arizona, putting up at least 60 points in both victories.
Junior quarterback Brandon Dawkins will end up being a bright spot for Arizona’s offense. Dawkins has racked up nine total touchdowns without throwing a single interception. His dual threat ability could keep possession in the hands of the Wildcats in almost any game.
One game that UCLA could end up overlooking is Arizona. It comes right after Colorado and right before Oregon and Washington. This will be a tough one, either way, for the Bruins to deal with come Oct. 14.
3. Bolu Olorunfunmi runs for more than 750 yards
Junior running back Bolu Olorunfunmi has one of the craziest names in college football and he put together a solid 77 yard rushing performance in Week 3. When Soso Jamabo returns to the lineup, he will get the bulk of the carries again.
However, with the season ending injury to Nate Staks, Olorunfunmi now has a huge chance to be established as the backup right now. Ultimately, he does have a chance to overcome Jamabo in the starting role, but that could take a few weeks.
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The run game is the most lacking part of the UCLA offense and could continue to be a problem. However, as long as Jamabo and Olorunfunmi both stay healthy and productive, Rosen could actually have some of the offensive pressure taken off his shoulders.
Olorunfunmi has already totaled half the amount of rushing yards he had in 2016. So far, he’s rushed for 140 yards and one touchdown. Compare that to last year where he totaled 280 yards and four touchdowns. He’s on a good pace right now.
2. Octavius Spencer leads the way on defense
Defensive back Octavius Spencer notched his first career interception last week against Memphis. Both Spencer and junior cornerback Adarius Pickett could end up leading this UCLA secondary if they plan on stopping any Pac-12 offenses this year.
Picking off Riley Ferguson is no easy task and Spencer and Pickett each intercepted one of his passes. They ended up not faring so well over the course of the entire game but at least showed some signs of making big plays.
This UCLA defense needs players to step up from somewhere, and the secondary could be the area that happens. The front seven is not showing any signs of life and could be gashed once again by Stanford in Week 4.
Spencer is a junior that saw his role increase this year. Watch out for him to take full advantage of the opportunity and become a leader on this defense.
1. UCLA does not make a bowl game — again
The fact that UCLA only won four games last year and just lost to Memphis does not make for a comforting feeling for Bruin fans. Their head coach is on one of the hottest seats in the country and their team relies too heavily on the quarterback.
With the emergence of so many teams in the Pac-12 like Colorado, Cal, Utah and Oregon, it could be a rough season for the Bruins. The Pac-12 could be dramatically improved from one season ago, forcing out some of the more mediocre teams.
The only games that UCLA is likely to be favored are their matchups with the Arizona schools. Even Arizona and Arizona State have the capability to pull off an upset against almost any team.
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UCLA would need a big improvement from their defense and signs that a more balanced offense is just around the corner. A change in coaching might provide a spark, but it’s hard to see UCLA coming away with four conference wins this year, which is required for bowl eligibility.