UCLA Football: Three questions for the Oklahoma game

The UCLA football team has a tough contest coming up against #6 Oklahoma and after last weekend, Go Joe Bruin has three questions for the Bruins heading into this potential bloodbath.

Last week we saw the reincarnation of the UCLA football team under Chip Kelly and it was not what we were expecting. Aside from dropping a game against Cincinnati, a team they were two-touchdown favorites against, there was a myriad of problems the Bruins possessed.

We also saw UCLA’s next opponent, Oklahoma, dominate Florida Atlantic, 63-14. That does not exactly instill hope in the Bruin faithful that there will be a turnaround and will possibly lead the Bruins to a 0-2 start for the 2018 season.

Even though a loss seems inevitable, there are three questions we need to ask in regards to how the Bruins will (try to) progress in this game.

1. Who will start at quarterback?

Even if Wilton Speight did not get injured, I believe we would still be asking this question. In the quarter and a half that Speight played, he did not exactly look comfortable directing the UCLA offense.

During the time he was in the field, he only threw for 45 yards on 8/12 (66.7%) passing. What was even more disheartening was the fact that he averaged 3.8 yards per pass.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson did not do much better with only 117 yards on 15/25 (60.0%) passing. Despite the stats, DTR looked slightly better moving the offense at times. With Speight possibly out for Oklahoma, it seems the freshman will get the nod, but there is still Devon Modster who is in the mix. Will he make an appearance? Will he start?

Chip Kelly has a lot of work to do for the Oklahoma game and figuring out who is the best option to lead the Bruins is something he might mull over up until kickoff.

2. Will the defense be good enough to stop slow the Oklahoma offense?

More from Go Joe Bruin

One bright spot from the loss to Cincinnati was that of the defense which played like we hoped. UCLA had one of the worst run defenses last season and though they were not going to be made into an elite squad overnight, we were hoping for progress. That is what we got.

Aside from holding Cincinnati to below the Bruins’ 2017 defensive averages in rushing, passing and total defense, the Bruins put the pressure on the Bearcats as they logged 4 sacks and 7 tackles for a loss. That is something that we did not see in the Jim Mora era.

So there is progress, but will it be enough to slow down Oklahoma? It is possible, but the UCLA defense needs to play like their hair is on fire if they want to disrupt the well-oiled machine that is the Sooners offense. Last week, Oklahoma put up 650 yards on FAU, so that seems fun. Though the Bruins should be a better match up with the Sooners talent-wise (compared to FAU), they might have a rude awakening in terms of how far they still need to go.

3. Can the Bruins avoid a total embarrassment?

I guess this is the big question. Can UCLA avoid being embarrassed the way FAU was embarrassed? This will most likely be a loss for UCLA, but how bad will this loss be?

Oklahoma is favored by 30 points and if they come anywhere near that, UCLA fans will have words, especially on social media. The volume on the “Fire Chip Kelly” chants will be amplified and fans will be quite disgruntled going into UCLA’s final non-conference game against Fresno State.

The Top 10 Bruin Quarterbacks of All-Time. dark. Next

But what if the Bruins put up a fight? If UCLA can keep the loss to within 10 points, that might change the opinions of some Bruins fans. If they can avoid total embarrassment, the Bruins could inject some life into the fanbase.