The UCLA Football team lost a number on contributors on defense last year but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about the guys lost on offense. Starting out on the offensive side of the coin I take a look at the quarterback situation in 2017.
Last year was one of the worst offensive performances for this UCLA Football team. While there were many factors contributing to this, one that was easy to focus on was the loss of Josh Rosen to a shoulder injury midway through the season.
Prior to his injury, this offense was still struggling to produce with an average of 26 points per game over the first six games.
After the injury the offense predictably struggled even more by averaging only 23 points in the final six games. On the season, the Bruins were held to 14 points or less five times.
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The man leading the charge in the final six games was Mike Fafaul but the lack of consistent offense cannot be laid at his feet. Just as Rosen struggled because of the offensive circumstances, so too was Fafaul a victim.
The Bruins had no running game to speak of and the line could barely protect. Receivers caught a case of the drops that could have rivaled the bubonic plague.
Now Fafaul is gone and it’s time to re-evaluate the depth as the Bruins search for a new number two and find out just how well healed Rosen is.
Who’s Gone: Mike Fafaul
Who’s New: Austin Burton
Breakdown:
All reports from spring seem to agree that Rosen’s shoulder is back as good as before. He’s demonstrating the ability to drive the ball and show touch when he needs it. His arm is a rare one and he can make every throw with deadly accuracy when given time in the pocket.
He can also throw from a multitude of platforms and arm angles. While not a particularly mobile QB, Rosen has quick and active feet that help him slide in the pocket. Rolling to his right he can be a surgeon but he will trust his arm too much and occasionally makes throws back across his body that are ill-advised.
Scanning the field isn’t a problem for him but he will get into streaks of locking onto a target early without looking off coverage. However, Rosen is still one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football and will likely have a bounce back year with an offense that is a little more tailored to his skill set and protecting him.
Depth At Quaterback
Devon Modster and Matt Lynch are locked in a battle for the number two job. The red-shirt freshmen got to experience the frustration and futility of the UCLA offense from the safety of the bench but should anything happen to Rosen, they both will need to be prepared to take the field.
Modster brings a strong arm and the ability to make plays with his legs to the equation. He fits in well with the roll out and bootleg concepts that new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch is installing and is a legitimate threat to keep the ball on any zone read play.
Lynch has improved his mechanics over the past off season to quicken his release. He’s an underrated athlete capable of running with the ball but is not the threat to run that Modster is. While Modster is listed as the number two QB in almost all the spring reports, Lynch has been splitting reps with him and so we can assume the competition will continue. I always root for the underdog and I feel like Lynch is that guy. He reminds me of Kirk Cousins in the way he came to the next level with a more highly touted player like when Cousins and RG3 went to the Redskins together.
Austin Burton is another dual threat QB that can make plenty of plays from the pocket. He reminds me of Marcus Mariotta in the way he moves and runs with the ball but has the “Warren Moon behind the ear” release. He will red-shirt this year and compete for a backup or starting spot in 2018. The Bruins have a couple big time QB recruits in their sights for the 2018 signing class so Burton will need to keep improving if he wants to stay relevant during his time at UCLA.
Next: UCLA Football: Survival of the Defense-Defensive Backs
Next time on “Survival of the Offense” I’ll be breaking down the RB depth and giving you a guy to keep your eye on for the 2017 season.