UCLA Football: The return of Rosen brings balance to the offense

The UCLA Football team made a statement last night with a strong showing by the offense which produced an equal attack through the air and on the ground.

The UCLA Football team got a gritty 44-37 win against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The defense held back ASU long enough to let the offense operate and the result was some of the most methodical football we have seen from the Bruins this season.

RELATED: UCLA vs. Arizona State – Post game wrap up and thoughts

Granted, Arizona State is not an elite team, but they gave the Bruins some fits. On the offensive side, the Bruins managed to control the line of scrimmage. The Sun Devils are used to rushing the quarterback and wrecking havoc in the backfield. Interestingly enough, UCLA did not allow one sack this game. The offensive line in general made several great pushes to allow holes for the running backs to run through, but also gave Rosen plenty of time to set up the pass.

Josh Rosen did not have his best performance of the season, but it was good enough to once again put up over 44 points, the fifth time UCLA has done that this season. This is after returning from a concussion suffered two weeks ago against Washington. That forced him to miss the Utah game last week as he went through concussion protocol.

Against Arizona State he was back. He threw for 381 yards on 25 for 45 passing. The receivers had several dropped balls and there were a few times Rosen was not accurate, but he was able to orchestrate several productive drives during this game. He might have only had one touchdown, but he did not need anymore the way the running game developed.

More from Go Joe Bruin

• UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
• UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
• UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
• UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
• UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show

The Bruins ran the ball 35 times and made good use of it with a variety of runs, some that had some trickery on display. UCLA was able to move the ball 5.8 yards per carry on their way to 192 yards on the ground. Another sign the Bruins have upped their run game from a year ago when they averaged less than 90 yards per game.

Bolu Olorunfunmi did most of the work with 15 carries for 79 yards. Using math, that is 5.3 yards per carry. Tack on a touchdown and Olorunfunmi had himself a fantastic game. Soso Jamabo was not a huge factor, but was able to get a touchdown on 19 yards. It is a little perplexing how the coaches are using the running backs, but Cleary they see something we do not.

Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch continued to throw some wrinkles into the Bruins’ game plan. Eldridge Massington and Christian Pabico were able to get rushing yards on a couple of reverses which got them 39 and 30 yards on their only recorded runs of the game, respectively.

After what the offense has gone through with injuries, it was a pleasant sight to see the players stepping up. Most notable was Jordan Lasley who returned after missing three weeks for disciplinary reasons. On 7 catches, he was able to get 162 yards and a touchdown. UCLA desperately needed Lasley as other receivers have gone down and he did not disappoint.

Next: A banner flies over the Rose Bowl calling out Jim Mora

Though it is late in the season, the game continued to show the progress with the offense. Fisch has done an amazing job getting this offense back in track, so can he continue that in the last two games of the regular season?

The next test, USC.