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UCLA Football: We Need To Talk About The O-Line…

By Mike Regalado

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Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

Adding Power

After former Offensive Coordinator Noel Mazzone bolted for Texas A&M, UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora promoted Running Backs Coach Kennedy Polamalu to OC. With that came a change in the offensive philosophy.

The Bruins appeared to be heading to a more power-based offense which would include the use of the fullbacks and tight ends. The reasoning for this seems to be that the Bruins can match up better against other power teams like Stanford and USC. Though we learned during spring practice that these changes were going to be “tweaks” rather than a complete offensive overhaul, it still brought up some concerns about the change.

Related Story: 3-Star JUCO OL Ronald Rudd III Commits to UCLA

Mora stated in spring that they were more or less adding to the offense they already had. Instead of settling into the power formations for every play (which was the conclusion many jumped to), the Bruins are simply making adjustments to help add power to their spread offense. This is what Go Joe Bruin writer Jake Merrifield calls the “Amoeba Offense”. Simply put, it is an offense that can utilize the aspects of spread and power.

We saw signs of this new offense during the Spring Showcase where the Bruins continued to use four-receiver sets as well as use fullbacks for a power running game. This could be effective, depending on the teams they play, but it still draws some concern.

Next: A Philosophical Gamble