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UCLA Football: How An Unbalanced Offense Hurts the Defense

By Mike Regalado

Oct 15, 2016; Pullman, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Mike Fafaul (12) avoid the tackle of Washington State Cougars defensive lineman Ngalu Tapa (95) during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Pullman, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Mike Fafaul (12) avoid the tackle of Washington State Cougars defensive lineman Ngalu Tapa (95) during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Football team looks like they could make a shift to a pass-heavy offense, though that could spell doom for their defense.

With a non-existent running game, the UCLA Football team relied on their passing game to help them against Utah. This led to a shoot out that did not end in favor of the Bruins.

Agaisnt the Utes, the Bruins had backup QB Mike Fafaul throw the ball 70 times (a UCLA single-game record) in which he completed 40 of his passes (another UCLA single-game record).

Yes, the Bruins were clicking as they shifted to a pass-oriented offense, but it hurt the team in different areas.

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Against Utah, UCLA had 19 drives in the game. Sixteen of those drives were under two minutes long. Seven of those drives ended with scores while seven other drives ended in turnovers (downs, interceptions and fumbles). Four times, Utah scored on a drive that followed a UCLA turnover.

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As far as time of possession (which directly results from the majority drives that were under two minutes), Utah dominated, 36:11 to UCLA’s 23:49.

With UCLA going with a high-risk/high-reward, pass-heavy uptempo style (and abandoning the run), it put the defense at a disadvantage. This is very similar to what happened last season.

In several 2015 contests, especially at the end of the season, the Bruins lost the time of possession battle. There were even a few games where UCLA’s opponents held on to the ball twice as long as the Bruins.

This resulted in an exhausted defense that was not able to help the Bruins put games away (especially with the offense unable to). If this is the direction UCLA wants to go with their offense, then that could negatively effect the team as a whole.

If UCLA cannot control the clock, then the defense is going to be on the field a lot longer than they have to be.

As we saw against Utah, the defense was gassed toward the end of the game. Late in the 3rd quarter and half way thelugh the 4th, Utah’s Joe Williams ran for two long touchdown runs. He finished with a total of 332 rushing yards, by himself. Why? The run defense was tired and the secondary could not support them. It happens when a team is left on the field for longer than they need to be.

If the UCLA offense is going to play fast and not use the clock to their advantage, they need to be prepared for what this brings.

If they completely go against the run, not only will that break the confidence in the running backs, but they will not be able to pace the game on the ground. Passing will bring big yards, but it will also bring a lot of risk which will possibly lead to several three-and-outs  or turnovers and both are very likely with a backup QB.

Next: Missing: The UCLA Football Run Defense

If UCLA cannot control the clock, then the defense is going to be on the field a lot longer than they have to be. Is this the direction the UCLA coaches really want to go in?