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UCLA Football: The good, the bad and the Bruins vs. Cincinnati

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins during warm up before his home opening debut against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Rose Bowl on September 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Go Joe Bruin is starting a new segment called ‘The Good, The Bad and The Bruin where we look at the highs and lows of their most recent game and name the top Bruin on offense and defense. So what happened against Cincinnati?

It was not what was expected, but there were some good moments for the UCLA football team in their loss to Cincinnati in Chip Kelly’s debut.

RELATED: Good and Bad Moments Define Chip Kelly’s Debut

Unfortunately, it was a loss which means there were also some bad moments to go along with the good. Not everything was clicking for the Bruins which led to a few blunders, which we will look at, but we also want to recognize those Bruins that put forth a solid effort on offense and defense.

The Good

The defense gave up yards way below their average from last season. UCLA might have allowed close to 200 rushing yards, but overall it was an improvement from 2017.

  • Rushing Yards Allowed:  287.4 (2017), 194 vs Cincinnati
  • Passing Yards Allowed: 196.3 (2017), 110 vs Cincinnati
  • Total Yards Allowed: 482.7 (2017), 304 vs Cincinnati

We have been telling you how the defense was going to be more aggressive and they were just that against the Bearcats. Sure, the gave up some big plays, but that was to be expected and if produces the results as we are seeing above, then that is something defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro will live with.

The Bad

I hate to put this on the coach, but there were a few questionable calls throughout the game, like forcing a pass on 4th and 1 in the middle of the 4th quarter, down 2 points. Instead of risking an incomplete, which is exactly what happened, Kelly should have gone to Bolu Olorunfunmi or Joshua Kelley and tried to grind out that one yard.

A few plays later, UCLA took a bad penalty for 12 men on the field. That turned a field goal attempt by Cincinnati into a 4th down touchdown attempt and it worked. If the Bearcats would have hit the field goal, they would have only been up, 22-17. Instead, the touchdown and extra point put the game out of reach at 26-17.

The Bruins

On offense: “The Bruin” on this side of the ball has to be freshman RB Kazmeir Allen. Though he only had five carries, he made the most of it as he ran for 103 yards (how about that Bruins fans, a running with over 100 yards!) which was highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown run in the first half. Everyone needs to keep an eye on this kid because he will be gone in a flash!

Next. 10 Bold Predictions for UCLA Football in 2018. dark

On defense: “The Bruin” in this side has to be DE/OLB Jaelan Phillips. With nine tackles, which included one sack, one tackle for a loss and one QB hurry, Phillips was a nuisance for the Cincinnati signal callers.