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UCLA Football: Dorian Thompson-Robinson is cool under (a lot of) pressure

By Mike Regalado

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 08: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 hands off to running back Kazmeir Allen #19 of the UCLA Bruins 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: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 hands off to running back Kazmeir Allen #19 of the UCLA Bruins 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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UCLA football’s true freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson got his first start in his career and even though Oklahoma put a lot of pressure on him, he stood and delivered, which is a good sign going forward.

Who is the UCLA football quarterback for the 2018 season? That question did not have answer a few weeks ago, but after the Bruins’ game against the Oklahoma Sooners, the answer might have revealed itself

RELATED: Bruins Show Improvements in Loss to Oklahoma

Before last week’s season opener against Cincinnati, head coach Chip Kelly named Michigan grad transfer Wilton Speight the starting QB. Speight did an average job in a quarter and a half before having to leave the game with an injury.

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Though he was expected to play, Thompson-Robinson was injected into the lineup earlier than expected. In that game, he looked a little shaky at times but had a few gleaming moments.

That perspective changed (for the better) when he was given the start against Oklahoma on Saturday. It was his first collegiate start and one he would remember. Not only would it be UCLA’s toughest game of the season, but it would be one where he would turn some heads.

Imagine that. Last week you were a backup and this week you are leading your team into one of the toughest places to play in front of 83,000 screaming Sooner fans. Not everyone can handle that pressure. DTR did and a whole lot more.

The atmosphere was one thing, but the physical pressure that Oklahoma’s defense put on the Bruins would make many crack under pressure, but Thompson-Robinson took the hits and kept getting back up.

Oklahoma got into the backfield and sacked DTR six times. With UCLA running 76 plays in the game, that is a sack every 12.7 snaps. Stat-wise, it caused the young QB to accumulate -14 rushing yards. Not exactly the numbers you hope a running QB can get but on this day, DTR was not about using his legs, but his arm.

Against Cincinnati, he threw for 117 yards. Against the #6 ranked team in the nation’s defense, he threw for 254. DTR also added the first passing touchdown of his career and averaged 9.8 yards per pass, more than double then what he threw against Cincinnati.

So not only did Thompson-Robinson have to deal with more pressure, but he gave the pressure right back to his opposition. This was against one of the top teams in the country in his first start and his first full game under center.

Next. The Top 10 Bruin Quarterbacks of All-Time. dark

Now imagine what the future will be like as this young stud grows with this team. It is not just making the rest of the season tolerable, but making the next few years seem very promising.