UCLA Football: Hawaii at UCLA post game wrap up

It was a continuation of the offensive explosion that started last week against the Aggies. The UCLA Football Bruins put up 56 points on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors but still need some work.

The UCLA Football Bruins notched their second win of the season in a much less dramatic fashion than last week but moving forward there are corrections to be made and the depth chart is going to be tested against much tougher opponents.

The offense started early and kept their foot down as they jumped out to an early 14-0 first quarter lead on the shoulder of QB Josh Rosen who was surgical today. Last week was huge for Rosen as he answered questions about the health of his shoulder especially as the NFL draft potentially looms. He was rusty but showed the national media that he is indeed back. Today he knocked the rust off completely. In case you need perspective he was an incredible 22/25 for 329 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.

Related Story: UCLA Football: Josh Rosen named the PAC-12 player of the week

At the half the Bruins were up 35-7 and then allowed only 16 more points during the rest of the contest. They didn’t surrender points but they sure did surrender yards.

The fact that Hawaii wanted to run the football and had the pieces to do it was no surprise. The fact that the UCLA Football defense allowed 281 yards at 6.7 yards per clip on the ground was a little eyebrow raising. Hawaii RB Diocemy Saint Juste was always going to be the featured runner for the Rainbow Warriors and he still went for over 150 yards.

Okay so the run defense continues to “porous” but that had to be the only bad news right? Wrong.

DT Boss Tagaloa did not play today and so a hefty portion of the beef on UCLA’s DL was absent. He wasn’t the only one missing. Both WR Jordan Lasley and RB Soso Jamabo sat this one out too and only a vague explanation was offered.

Then the injury bus just ran over the Bruins. DB Adarius Pickett seemed to suffer a leg injury and he didn’t return to the game. He tried to get on the trainer’s bike but couldn’t shake it and went back to the trainer’s tent. Then LB Kenny Young took a very questionable shot to the head on a peel back block. Despite it seeming to be very clear there was helmet to helmet contact there was evidently not enough to call it targeting. DB Jaleel Wadood went low on a tackle and took a knee to the helmet. He couldn’t stand after despite trying to get to his feet and was pulled out of the game.

LB Josh Woods won’t miss any time next week due to injury but to a likely suspension handed down by the PAC-12. His hit early in the fourth quarter was flagged for targeting and review of the play resulted in a confirmation and subsequent ejection. UCLA Football head coach Jim Mora was obviously upset and replays lacked the violence of the hit on Young leading many to voice their frustration.

We did get to see a little of backup QB Devin Modster but his performance was marred by poor line play and a seeming lack of chemistry with receivers. He is the backup QB but if Rosen goes down you have to hope OC Jedd Fisch has a package for him to run.

UCLA went over 130 yards rushing but again struggled to consistently run the football. They’ll have to find an answer in that part of the offense because the defenses are only going to get tougher from here on out.

There were a few standouts we had all been waiting to see get the ball in their hands, they finally did today. Theo Howard looked explosive out of his breaks and after the catch with seven catches for 115 yards and one score. He’s easily the most talented WR on the team and perhaps showed the coaches he’s capable of carrying the load out there with his performance today. Darren Andrews continued his stellar play with three touchdowns and over 90 yards. RB Nate Starks gained six yards per carry but only had seven carries. He’s been sort of an enigma during his time at UCLA and this game only adds to that feeling.

Demetric Felton lines up out wide but the Bruins found ways to get him the ball on sweeps and handoffs. He used his speed to gain 37 yards on three carries including one score and gives the Bruins another weapon. The UCLA Football team used former WR Kenny Walker III to clear out space for underneath routes and to take deep shots. Will Felton be used in the same way? That would be devastating given how good Caleb Wilson has been. Speaking of the TE, he only had three catches but had one throw for 39 yards to Nate Starks that got the attention of twitter.

Now besides the run defense some other parts of this UCLA Football team need work. The running game itself is still not pulling its weight and throwing it on almost every down plays into one of the other issues. LT Kolton Miller is having a rough start to the season. He’s had some missed assignments in the run and the pass game with the latter resulting in some big shots on Rosen. He isn’t alone in the offensive line blame either. Andre James had a big whiff today and that resulted in Modster taking a sack. The OL as a group was okay today with center Scott Quessenberry having one of the better days.

So where do we find this team? They’re heading into a tougher stretch of their schedule with a banged up defense, especially with some guys missing from the secondary against a team that wants to air it out. They have an improving offensive line but one that still isn’t trustworthy. The UCLA Football offense is explosive when it airs it out but is unreliable on the ground. They’ve found some potential big time contributors and are handcuffed with depth issues at positions where an upgrade would be nice.

There’s a lot to like about this performance including the offensive side of the action but everything regarding the idea of the run needs fine tuning. Hopefully the injured Bruins return next week and the UCLA Football LB group is able to survive any missed time by Woods. Still, the Bruins are 2-0, Rosen has already thrown nine touchdowns and no interceptions this season. The receiving group has seemingly put together the pieces. OL coach Hank Fraley looks like he has the best starting five on the field and they are beginning to come together albeit slowly.

Next: UCLA Football: Bruins vs. Hawaii Halftime Report

Finally, it looks like this UCLA Football coaching staff isn’t going to be the reason the wheels fall off this season and that has to give fans a reason to cheer.