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UCLA Football: Chip Kelly looks to start tenure strong vs. Cincinnati

By Connor Muldowney

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Chip Kelly speaks to the media during a press conference after being introduced as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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The Chip Kelly era has officially begun for UCLA football and Cincinnati will be first up on the docket. Will he be able to lead the Bruins to victory?

Let’s face it, college football needed Chip Kell just as much as he needed college football. Luckily for fans everywhere, especially UCLA football faithful, the former Oregon head coach is back and ready to lead the Bruins to the promised land.

Kelly’s tenure has gotten off to an interesting star after a pretty pedestrian spring game which didn’t reveal too much about the offense. Then, he brought in former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight after spring ball to compete with the favorite to start, Devon Modster, and talented youngster Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Surprisingly, Kelly named Speight the starting quarterback on Thursday — this news actually shocked the nation.

Will Speight be able to handle his business against Cincinnati in the opener? It shouldn’t be too difficult for him to look like the right choice as Cincinnati may be one of the worst teams from the AAC this season.

In fact, Cincinnati finished just 4-8 with two conference wins a season ago. This one could get ugly early on, but you never know with a new coach and starting quarterback in place.

Here’s how to watch the game online:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 1
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Pasadena, Calif.
Venue: Rose Bowl
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

While getting Speight comfortable in the new offense is key, developing a run game and stepping up on defense are even more important. The Bruins haven’t had an adequate run game in years, but Kelly is here to change that. If the Bruins set the tone on the ground, that’ll take the pressure off Speight. As for the defense, just show improvement. It shouldn’t be too difficult to look like an improved unit against a lackluster Cincinnati offense.

For Cincinnati, you hate to say there’s no chance at victory, but the odds are not looking to be in the Bearcats’ favor. Still, if they want to pull off this massive upset at the Rose Bowl, they’ll need to make Speight uncomfortable in the pocket and get some pressure on him. While at Michigan, Speight’s offensive line was a major problem and he made plenty of mistakes when getting pressured by opposing defenses. Add pressure on Speight and he could be a turnover machine.

Next. 5 reasons UCLA will be better than USC in 2018. dark

Prediction

The Bruins will be coming into this one with some confidence in a new era with a Kelly-run offense. Cincinnati, on the other hand, is searching for its identity and Hayden Moore hasn’t really taken that next step at quarterback just yet. Plus, the Bearcats’ defense isn’ anything to write home about. They went 4-8 for a reason last year and they’ll start the season 0-1 this year with more questions than answers.

Final Score: Cincinnati 14, UCLA 35

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