Brett Hundley’s Good Bad Year

UCLA just beat Cal for the first time since 1998 at Memorial Coliseum and are now 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference. THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! Bruin quarterback Brett Hundley should have UCLA 7-0 and beating teams by 50 points. He also should have had the Heisman locked up by now because for throwing six touchdowns a game and getting three more on the ground. Hundley was suppose to beat Oregon and show the world that the shift in power has tipped toward Westwood. Unfortunately, that is not the case as college football is a harsh mistress.

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The Bruins have been taking flack for not accomplishing all of the things listed above. Sure it was nice to crown them Pac-12 and college football champions at the beginning of the year, but every week since the season started we have learned the realities of this UCLA football team. They are a good, but they are not elite. Not yet. That goes for Brett Hundley as well.

Hundley was suppose to lead this team to national prominence and instead, in the eyes of many fans, it has gone completely in the opposite direction. I understand the alarm but the year is not over.

They are not bad, they are just a football team that is inconsistent and needs to put penalties and turnovers in check. They are a team with issues like every other team in the nation. Have you seen Stanford? The back-to-back reigning Pac-12 Champions have already lost three games, two in conference. How do you think that fan base is doing?

But back to Hundley. Sure he has had some hiccups this season, but overall, he is doing one hell of a job.

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley (17) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. UCLA defeated Arizona State 62-27. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Brett Hundley, despite some drawbacks and issues with pass protection, is one fine QB doing what he can to lead these Bruins into the rumble that is the Pac-12 conference schedule. Let us look at his statistics for the last two years as compared to what he is doing now:

Brett Hundley Career Passing Statistics

* Through seven games

So let us examine some of these stats. Many armchair quarterbacks complain that Hundley is not making great decisions and holding onto the ball too long, which he might, but saying that he is not making good decisions is not completely accurate. If that it was true, he would not connect on 72.5% of his pass completions. Last season he was only completing 66.8%. Hundley has done all of this while sustaining an injury to his elbow which, up until last week, he was wearing a brace for.

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Additionally, Hundley has a pass efficiency rating of 166.1 which has improved every year he has played for UCLA, but the surprising  thing is that he has the sixth best rating among all quarterbacks playing Division 1 football. In order, here are the top five: Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Deshaun Watson (Clemson), J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Blake Sims (Alabama) and Jared Goff (Cal). Hundley is not only in good company, but he is currently among the best in college football, whether you believe it or not. Numbers do not lie.

But that is the truth, these are only numbers. It does not take into account touchdowns off of interceptions. It does not take into account fumbling in each of the last two games. It does not take into account that he has been sacked 26 times already, making the Bruins 118 out of 125 teams allowing sacks on their QBs.

The unfortunate thing is that things like that are overshadowing the fact that Hundley is having a pretty good year. Sure, the Bruins do not make winning easy, but the point is, they are winning. Aside from a close game against Utah and a blow out to Oregon, Hundley is doing better than previous years. Unfortunately for some, it is not good enough, but I believe we have not yet seen the best of Hundley. Hopefully there is a trajectory for this season that proves me right and he can lead UCLA to success.

Here’s hoping.