UCLA Football: What would the Bruins’ 2018 record be with Josh Rosen?
Though Josh Rosen was destined for the NFL, he could have made a difference for the UCLA football team if he stayed in Westwood an extra year.
UCLA football has been spoiled the last 2 1/2 seasons with quarterback Josh Rosen leading the offense. Though he had one more season of eligibility, everyone knew he was heading to the NFL after three years.
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But what if Rosen decided to stay in blue and gold one more season to play with Chip Kelly? Well, that would change the entire landscape of 2018.
This year, the offense has not been able to create consistent drives and that is due to many factors: a young offensive line, receivers dropping passes, running backs not being able to get into the open and possibly the most important issue, the lack of a top-tier quarterback (no disrespect to Dorian Thompson-Robinson).
That is where Rosen would change things. Despite losing key players on the line and among the receiving corps, the Rosen factor boosts this team’s chances of success under Chip Kelly. Right now, there are a lot of new players to the program, but if they had a leader like Rosen, the Bruins would have no trouble collecting wins.
Here is what UCLA’s results might look with the Chosen One leading Kelly’s offense:
UCLA’s Projected Record with Josh Rosen
- Vs Cinncinati – WIN
- At Oklahoma – LOSS
- Vs Fresno State – WIN
- At Colorado – WIN
- Vs Washington – LOSS
- At California – WIN
- Vs Arizona – WIN
- Vs Utah – WIN
- At Oregon – LOSS
- At Arizona State – WIN
- Vs USC – WIN
- Vs Stanford – LOSS
With Rosen, UCLA could finish the 2018 regular season 8-4. His strengths would hide a lot of the weaknesses plaguing the team right now. This may be an outlandish statement, but let us consider what he had and did not have last season and what he could do in 2018.
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UCLA’s offense was stellar in 2017, one of the best in the nation. The thing that held UCLA back was their defense. Now that Jerry Azzinaro is implementing an aggressive attack (which in fact has made the defense better than last season), UCLA would be a lot more balanced, helping out time of possession and overall productivity.
As for the offensive gameplan, this season the Bruins are having trouble moving the ball. A lot of that has to do with passing inaccuracies when the ball is being thrown.
With Rosen, not only would improve the passing game, but its success would have defenses overcompensating and not putting as much emphasis on the run game. That would allow the Bruins’ running backs to thrive (at least more than they have this season).
So when you compare UCLA with Rosen to the teams on the Bruins’ schedule, it does not seem that far-fetched to believe that he can help the Bruins have a solid 2018 campaign.
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Though it is a team game, one player can make a huge difference, especially one of Rosen’s caliber. If he came back to play with UCLA, not only would they be on the path to success, but they would also win the South Divison and compete for a conference title. Instead, we have to root for him as he tries to elevate the Arizona Cardinals this season. Good luck in your first start of the season, Josh!