5 Themes for the First 5 Weeks of UCLA Football

Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) trails the play as running back Paul Perkins (24) breaks from BYU Cougars linebacker Sae Tautu (31) to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Bowl. Ucla won 24-23.Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Perkins Can Be Stopped

Paul Perkins is a beast but he cannot do it alone. In the first four games when the offensive line played to the best of their ability, Perkins also had good games. As we saw yesterday against Arizona State, when the offensive line is not getting things done, neither is Perkins.

The ASU game was by far the worst the offensive line has played. Arizona State did a good job of stacking the box and sending the house at the offense. It threw off the O-line and thusly threw off Perkins who was not able to get into any open gaps and make some plays.

Teams with aggressive defenses are going to take notes on this when they try to figure out how to stop Perkins. If the Bruins cannot adjust to that, then Perkins is going to be completely shut down and that’s something you don’t want from your best weapon.

Next: The Future Is Bright