UCLA Football: Cincinnati loss not the start Chip Kelly was looking for
By Dana Becker
The start of the Chip Kelly era with UCLA football got off to a rocky start with a 26-17 setback at home to Cincinnati Saturday.
Chip Kelly, hired to replace Jim Mora and get the Bruins into becoming perennial Pac-12 and national title contenders like his days at Oregon, dealt with the loss of his starting quarterback and several missed chances by the offense.
A guru on that side of the ball, one can only imagine how many things Kelly will break come Sunday when he reviews game film from the defeat. Especially considering his team let a 10-0 first quarter advantage turn into a 17-10 halftime deficit.
Wilton Speight, who earned the starting job over heralded recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson, was knocked out in the first half. Neither quarterback did much, mostly to the fault of dropped passes. The run game was pretty much non-existent for the Bruins, who were gashed by Michael Warren II and Desmond Ridder.
UCLA mustered just under 300 total yards on the night, averaging only 4.3 yards per pass and 4.6 yards per rush. That includes a 74-yard TD run by Kazmeir Allen that was the lone bright spot.
Yes, it is only one game, but when you coach at UCLA, every game is the Super Bowl. Here are three takeaways from Cincinnati’s win over the Bruins: