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UCLA Football: Will Bruins live up to lofty potential in 2019?

By Gavin Jernigan

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins passes during the second quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rose Bowl on September 15, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins passes during the second quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rose Bowl on September 15, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Offense is Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Last season, Dorian Thompson-Robinson was shorted a full season due to a lower body injury in the Bruins’ seventh game of the year against the Arizona Wildcats. However, he may have only been afforded an opportunity to play valuable minutes because of an injury that grad transfer quarterback Wilton Speight suffered in the first half of UCLA’s very first game of the season.

Thompson-Robinson, who attended high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, suffered as much as any true freshman quarterback could in the FBS.

Related Story. UCLA Football: 5 reasons to be optimistic about 2019 season. light

He failed to earn the starting spot out of training camp, was thrown in the first game of the year against what turned out to be the best Cincinnati team in the school’s history, lost five straight game, and finally endured a season-ending injury the week after his first and only collegiate win.

Sound dramatic? Yes, a bit. However, the narrative of Thompson-Robinson’s first season explains why he will have worked so hard this off-season in order to prepare for this year.

Joshua Kelley will also have a major impact on the offensive side of the ball after breaking out in his first eligible year with the Bruins after coming in from UC Davis.

The Bruins have a handful of incoming freshman that may have a large impact on the offense. However, the ultimate success of the offense will be determined by Thompson-Robinson’s health and his ability to execute Kelly’s ingenious schematics.

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