UCLA Football: What Is Wrong With UCLA? Are They Quitting?

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Aug 30, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers offensive players line up against UCLA Bruins defensive players in the third quarter at Scott Stadium. The Bruins won 28-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Talking Point #2: The offensive line is not suited to run the more diverse offense: Reality: This O line would have trouble running in any offense.

As already noted, Mazzone fostered a very healthy running game while at UCLA. The play calling was balanced, and he was helped by some special talents like Hundley, Franklin and Perkins along with a number of productive offensive linemen. When starters Alex Redmond, Caleb Benenoch, and Jake Brendel all departed for the NFL last year and reserve Fred Ulu-Perry decided to transfer, some thought it would spell trouble for the UCLA running game.

It appeared that the losses would be mitigated in part by the pick up of Texas transfer center, Jake Raulerson, but a Dikembe Mutombo-style block from UCLA graduate admissions left the offensive line pretty thin. After four years of Brendel starting at center, the Bruins had Scott Quessenbury starting at center coming off of a one season layoff from injury. Not getting Raulerson severely limited the depth and potential experience of the interior of the line, and it looks like attrition has finally taken its tole from UCLA at a position they were able to take for granted during the previous Mora years.

Likewise, both returning tackles Connor Mcdermott and Kolton Miller were expected to be good, but depth behind them was also an issue coming into the season (and an injury to Miller may truly have undone things).

Why do the Bruins apparently have so little depth on the O-line? Well losing three mutli-year starters could certainly drain any team, but the loss of the players above also coincided with some shenanigans and suspensions by Bruin offensive line coach and star-recruiter Adrian Klemm. The coach was suspended during the 2015 spring and under investigation for the past two seasons.

Go Joe Bruin Recruiting Expert Michael Hanna noted:

"The 2016 offensive line class was a scrapped together three-man class consisting purely of projects and that the class in 2017 is shaping up to be similar. In a bumper year for west coast OL talent, UCLA has whiffed on all the elite names and is looking likely to bring in another group of developmental projects with nary a plug-and-play recruit in sight."

There’s no way to quantify the effect of Klemm’s ordeal on the development of the players already in the program or identify the recruits that UCLA may have missed out on, but certainly the offensive line is in the worst shape its been in since Mora was hired.

Another puzzling factor that has negatively affected the running game is the strange shell game that Mora played with the running backs at the beginning of the season. After losing Paul Perkins to the NFL and in light of the offensive changes, having a confident and determined back to carry the ball should have been a top priority for the Bruins. Unfortunatly for the Bruins, Nate Starks missed the first two games of the season for unknown reasons (Mora was petulant with the press over the situation).

When Starks returned, Soso Jamabo missed the BYU game after starting the season with a team high 181 yards and 34 carries (does anyone even remember a Bruin running that much?). The herky-jerky rotation of running backs has certainly also had a negative impact on the running game, and UCLA coaches noted early in the season that yards were being left on the field due to tentativeness by the backs.

Which is why blaming the scheme change on the running game struggles is severely overstated. Polomalu has tried every conceivable type of running play this year (which shows the flexibility of the playbook), and they have yet to find something that can be executed consistently. Man-blocking plays like trap, power and iso have been just as unreliable as the stretch and inside zone. They’ve tried under center, in the shotgun and even worked in the pistol and wildcat. UCLA will get 4 to 8 yards on one play and 0 to -4 the next; there has been no happy medium. The fact of the matter is that the 2016 UCLA offensive line and running backs would have trouble running the ball no matter what offense they were running, N-zone or otherwise.