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UCLA Football: Dorian Thompson-Robinson should stay in the game

By Mike Regalado

BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 28: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins throws in the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 28, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 28: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins throws in the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 28, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Despite what many are suggesting, freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson should remain UCLA football’s starting quarterback and fight, fight, fight, through all issues that arise this season.

Benching a quarterback sends a message to them that they are not doing what is required for the team. Unfortunately, sometimes you should let a player fight through their struggles. This is the path the UCLA football team should take in light of mediocre quarterback play.

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There is a reason freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been starting the last three games. Okay, two reasons. First off, grad transfer Wilton Speight is recovering from an injury sustained in Game 1. Secondly, DTR is clearly the best player for the job.

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It might be hard to fathom keeping him in the game considering how unimpressive the Bruins’ offense has been, but it cannot be ignored that UCLA has shown signs of life. The Colorado game, as a whole, cannot be used as an example of the Bruins’ failing to execute. The second half, yes, but what happened before halftime has to be acknowledged.

DTR finished the game completing 17/35 passes for 138 yards. Not impressive in the least, but that was due to the fact that the Bruins ran out of gas after halftime. In the second half, Thompson-Robinson was having a hard time connecting with receivers. Whether it was dropped balls or bad passes, it led to the offense stalling. In the second half, DTR went 5/16 for 42 yards, averaging 2.6 yards per attempt.

That is not the way you want to end a game, but the way the game started was otherworldly and MUST NOT be ignored.

In the first half of the Colorado game, which was arguably the best half of football put together by UCLA this season, DTR completed 12/19 passes for 96 yards, which averaged out to be 5.1 yards per attempt. When the freshman is on, he is on, so DTR and Chip Kelly have to find a way for the Bruins to stay “on”. Replacing him with Speight (who is not 100%) or one of the two backups, Austin Burton and Matt Lynch, is probably not the way to go.

Kelly wants to win now, but he is building for the future and if Thompson-Robinson is the future, he has to get as much experience as possible. The freshman needs to grow with this team and figure out how to get this machine going. Bench him for a drive or two after some impressive play, but do not completely replace him. The offense is inconsistent enough and throwing another QB in the mix just because the starter has a few bumps in the road might make things worse.

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Though we still have to trust the process, we also have to be patient. This is a young team with a tough schedule in a head coach’s first year. It will take some time and the players that are put into action should stay in action, if only for consistency, which this team is in desperate need of.