The UCLA Football team is 2-1 after they completed the non-conference portion of their 2017 schedule and here are 5 things we learned from it.
The non-conference portion of UCLA Football’s 2017 schedule is over and there are several things we have learned about the Bruins in their first three games.
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As the Bruins prepare for their conference opener at Stanford next week, we look at some of the things that have and have not been working early in the season. Here are 5 things we learned from the non-conference schedule:
1. The defense has taken a step back
When a team has all of their best players healthy and raring to go, they will make that team’s style that much better.
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But when that style is based on “bend but don’t break”, essentially allowing lesser yards to avoid giving up huge chunks of yards, and that team has many of their best players injured, that team could essentially break.
Tom Bradley’s defense probably suffered one of their worst performances this weekend after they gave up 559 yards to Memphis. The surprising things is that it wasn’t the run defense (which hasn’t been tops under Bradley) that underperformed, it was the pass defense.
UCLA has had some of the best secondaries since Mora took over. They did well against Texas A&M and Hawaii, but got completely cut up by Memphis who threw for 398 yards.
Injuries had a huge impact on the defense. Jaleel Wadood and Kenny Young did not play against Memphis while Boss Tagaloa and Adarius Pickett eventually ‘returned from injury’. But it got even worse as standout freshman Jaelan Phillips got his ankle rolled and was in a walking boot after the game.
That means a lot of young inexperienced players are going to get a chance to play and possibly get a lot of experience all at once. Though they have talent, they need direction. Unfortunately, that direction is down unless the coaching staff can turn things around.
2. OC Jedd Fisch is quite innovative
They said it couldn’t be done. They said there is absolutely no way UCLA could improve their passing game, their run game and their offensive line. Not after last season anyway.
In three games, we have seen very active and aggressive offensive play calling. And why not? Especially if Josh Rosen is your gun slinger.
With Rosen as his main weapon, first year offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch has been able to get the Bruins down field in a hurry and put a lot of points on the board. 48.7 points and 564.0 yards per game, to be exact. UCLA is 2nd in the Pac-12 in both stats.
A lot of that has to do with not only knowing how to use his personnel but being deceptive while doing it. That has to do with the fact that Fisch has thrown a variety of looks on the field.
We have seen tight formations, receiver bunch formations, spread formations and against Memphis, we saw something very innovative. A few times, the offense lined up in an “I” before breaking into their formation. Quite deceptive and I approve. Especially if the Bruins keep putting up big numbers.
3. Injuries are slowing the Bruins’ development
The injury bug just hasn’t bit the Bruins, it has given them a severe limp. UCLA was without several starters against Memphis and incurred a few more during that game.
Before the game, Boss Tagaloa, Jaleel Wadood and Adarius Pickett had all suffered injuries (and this is nothing compared to what the Bruins incurred during fall camp). After the game, Jaelan Phillips and Nate Starks were added to the list of the injured.
The Bruins have depth at several positions but it doesn’t change the fact that several of their best players have not been on the field and as we saw late in the game against Hawaii and the entire length of the Memphis game, there are weaknesses with the second string.
At this point, two things have to happen: (1) the injured have to make quick recoveries and (2) the youth has to get better. Unfortuatenly, pending a miracle, neither might not happen.
With that being said, UCLA is going to try to hold on for dear life the next few games.
4. Stefan Flintoff is an insane punter
UCLA has made improvements in many areas and punting is one of them. Special teams really needed the boost and walk-on punter Stefan Flintoff (who was backup to Austin Kent last season) has given it to them.
In three games, the walk-on has averaged 43.2 yards per punt (with a long of 63), giving the Bruins excellent field position every time they have to give the ball away.
It is a minor thing, but it is helping the defense immensely as opponents have been backed up behind their own 20-yard line several times this season.
Against Memphis, 4 out of 5 punting attempts were inside the 20, though that doesn’t say much to the true nature of his punts. Flintoff’s punt placement against Memphis was as follows: 9, 18, 6, 5, 22.
Now that is scholarship-worthy punting!
5. Josh Rosen is one of the best quarterbacks in the country
We here at Go Joe Bruin have been shouting it from the rooftops all off-season long: Josh Rosen is an amazing quarterback! And guess what, he is proving us right.
Last season’s offense was ill-fitting and made everyone uncomfortable. Even the strong-armed Rosen could not hide the glaring deficiencies on offense. It also did not help that he got injured six games in, which gave the perception that he was not an elite quarterback.
That perception is changing as Rosen is not only playing like a top-tier QB, but he has the early stats to back that up.
Here is a comparison between his stats from last season and this season, keep in mind that Rosen only played six games in 2016 and has only played three so far this season.
2016: Comp. % – 59.3, Passing Yards – 1,915, TDs – 10, QB Rating – 138.9
2017: Comp. % – 65.0, Passing Yards – 1,283, TDs – 13, QB Rating – 169.8
After Week 3 of the college football schedule,. Rosen is #1 in both passing yards and touchdowns. He is also 45th in the nation in completion percentage. That alone is an amazing stat considering the trouble the Bruins had in the receiving game last year. This year, Rosen has several players that have stepped up and made the UCLA passing game one of the most potent in the nation.
Rosen might have had two crucial interceptions against Memphis, but it did not take away from the 483 yards he collected through the air and the four touchdowns. On top of that, he had a rushing touchdown, which was his first of the season.
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In all, there have been a lot of positive storylines coming out of the non-conference schedule, but there have also been some bad ones. If that is their goal, then changes need to be made with certain parts of the Bruins’ game. Hopefully they can work on those flaws while the offense continues to shine. We will see how that goes as the Bruins head to Stanford to open up Pac-12 play this weekend.