UCLA Football: 5 bold predictions for the Bruins in November 2017

2. Is Soso just so-so?

The idea of having Rosen and Soso Jamabo together in the same UCLA backfield ignited great thoughts for Bruin fans all around the country.

That, though, hasn’t really happened.

Jamabo came to UCLA after rushing for 2,279 yards and scoring 44 touchdowns his senior season in Texas. That came after back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns as a junior and sophomore, giving him over 5,000 yards rushing and 78 touchdowns.

And it isn’t like he was competing in a small league in Texas. Jamabo came from Plano West and brought with him size and speed.

He was regarded as a top-10 running back and the best in Texas his senior season, standing 6-2, weighing 210 pounds and running a 4.5 40-yard dash.

But since arriving, Jamabo has struggled.

His first year, he rushed for 403 yards and scored four touchdowns on 66 carries, prompting some promise of better things ahead moving into 2016. It didn’t happen.

Even without Rosen playing much of the second half of the year, Jamabo had just 321 yards rushing, averaging under four yards per carry. This year, he sits at 343 yards with five touchdowns through six games after not playing vs. Hawai’i or Memphis.

It did appear as if he was gaining traction after recording 100 yards vs. Stanford on just 12 carries and 70 more the next week vs. Colorado, but Jamabo hasn’t surpassed 66 since.

This month could be a make-or-break one for the back, as there will be intense competition for carries next year among new players and those currently enrolled.