The UCLA football team got their first win of the season with a complete game from all three facets of their team as they dismantled the California Golden Bears.
In this edition of “The Good, The Bad and The Bruins”, the UCLA football team showed that they could display a lot of good when they work as a whole and they did just that with a 37-7 win over Cal.
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There was so goodness in this game that it is hard to pin down the best (or worst), so I generalized. Enjoy.
The Good
Everything was good in this game. The fact that UCLA, who was a 7-point underdog, went on the road to Berkeley, a place they have only managed to get a win once in the last nine visits, stomped on the Golden Bears for a 20-point victory is huge. And by the way, this was the first road win UCLA has been able to record since September 17, 2016, when they beat BYU in Provo, 17-14.
UCLA didn’t just beat Cal, they beat them with IMPUNITY! The offense was running all cylinders behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Joshua Kelley. The defense was putting a lot of pressure on Cal with their pass rush. JJ Molson and Stefan Flintoft were doing their part with special teams. It was the perfect way to break their winless streak.
The Bad
If there was anything that was actually bad about this game, it might be the fact that Chip Kelly was getting a bit too cute with his play calling. There was a series in the second quarter where the Bruins were trying to do too much near the goal line and were stuffed on two plays, pushing them back on both. If they would have just tried to run ahead without trying to fake out the Cal defense, they would have gotten a touchdown rather than settle for a field goal.
I like that Kelly is experimenting, but when things are working well, keep going with what is working. Other than those few head-scratching moments, UCLA was in tip-top form.
The Bruins
Offense – The Top Bruin for this game has to go to Joshua Kelley who not only ran for over 100-yards in his third consecutive game, but he did it in the first half. In the second half, he finished the job with 157 yards, a career-high.
Defense – We keep saying, “KLS IS GOING TO ROCK YOU!” and he did just that against Cal. He was playing well the entire game, but he made a huge impact in the 4th quarter alone. In the final frame, Keisean Lucier-South had an interception, a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a strip sack. In one quarter!!! Bravo, KLS!
UCLA’s next game is Saturday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl as the Bruins take on the Arizona Wildcats.