Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Coming into the 2012 season, Joseph Fauria was ranked as the No. 1 Tight End in the country. ULCA was hoping to get big things from him this year.
Last year, Joseph Fauria bursted onto the scene, racking up 481 yards and 6 touchdowns. It should be noted that the offense was ran in the pistol formation. Quietly, Joseph made his presence felt, he stands at 6’7 which is huge for a receiver in college, and it gives his QB the advantage to loft the ball up there and have “Big-Joe” go up and make a play.
This year, Fauria caught 46 passes for 637 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those look like good numbers, but his play was a roller coaster this whole season. With the spread offense being installed, the offense is literally spread between eight to 11 receivers. Many thought that he would be the focal point of the offense, but Mazzone didn’t necessarily go to Fauria consistently. Don’t get me wrong, he did make some spectacular plays down the stretch, but his play wasn’t overwhelming. There’s no doubt that UCLA is gonna miss him, but there will be a bevy of players to replace him.The one thing that damaged Fauria’s production was his speed. At 6’7, its difficult to get the wheels turning and torch defensive backs. Brett Hundley did all he could to target Fauria, but UCLA had a lot of success running the ball, which sometimes made them go away from the passing games. Joseph Fauria had big games, and he also had very bad ones, just like every other player does.