UCLA Football Spring Practice Preview 2018: Quarterbacks
UCLA Football Spring Practice Quarterback Preview (cont.)
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Devon Modster, So-R, 6’2, 210 lbs.
Matt Lynch, So-R, 6’4, 218 lbs.
K.J. Carta-Samuels, 6’2′, 221 lbs.
Let us start with Modster, not because I believe he will be the starter, because he has the most experience as a UCLA quarterback. Last season he was the #2 guy behind Josh Rosen and played in two full games (Utah and Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl, both were losses) and backup time in a handful of games (cleanup time versus Hawaii and filling in for the injured Rosen at the end of the Washington and Cal games).
Despite the losses, he actually put up some decent numbers. Modster had a 64.6 completion percentage, 671 passing yards, had four touchdowns and not a single interception. But all that happened with former offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch’s power/spread hybrid offense.
Things will be different under Kelly who is looking for a QB that can quickly make decisions and act accordingly with zone read and run-pass option schemes. Modster, as well as the other two QBs, will have to adjust to this type of offense quickly, though it might not be that tough.
Modster needs to improve on his decision making and needs to get his legs in shape because the quarterbacks will be running a lot. That’s something he didn’t do much of last year, but did in high school, which is a big reason he could be a starter for Kelly.
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But Modster is not the only QB on the Bruins’ roster that can run. Lynch has played less time than Modster as back ups to Rosen, but both have similar talents.
During last year’s backup QB competition, Lynch was neck and neck with Modster for the majority of spring as he impressed the coaching staff throwing the ball around.
As for actual playing time, he only played in one game as he threw the ball three times (connecting on two) for 11 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 15 yards on two runs. Not a large sample size to make any proper anysis of, but knowing that he was also a bit of a dual-threat QB in high school is good news for Kelly.