UCLA football is looking to got on track against Stanford in Week 8 but it’ll take a herculean effort to upset Stanford on the road.
The Chip Kelly era isn’t going nearly as planned. The former Oregon turned NFL coach was expected to turn UCLA around, but the Bruins have been nothing more than a bottom-dweller for two seasons now.
Fans aren’t happy with the product currently, but there’s still time to turn things around. The Bruins are just 1-5 on the season but the best turnarounds take more than two years. That should be the theme of the 2019 campaign as many are already turning on Willie Taggart, Scott Frost and Jimbo Fisher even though the future is likely to be bright at each program.
On Thursday, the Bruins will have an opportunity to turn the season around with a win at Stanford. The Cardinal aren’t having the best season, sitting at 3-3, but they’re looked at as the clear favorite in this matchup.
Let’s get bold ahead of Thursday’s big game.
3. Joshua Kelley rushes for 150 yards
Demetric Felton has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins this season as a runner, but Joshua Kelley was expected to be the real bell-cow. So far, he has struggled.
Through five games, Kelley has rushed for over 100 yards just once and is averaging a mere 3.9 yards per carry on the season. He averaged 5.5 a year ago, so it’s clear his production has taken a hit and effectiveness has gone with it. He still has the talent to be one of the Pac-12’s best backs, but he’s still looking for that breakout game to get him going.
This will be it.
Kelley is going to get the ball early and often against the Cardinal, picking up over 150 yards on the game with a touchdown, averaging over 7.0 yards per touch.