The UCLA football team has had quite the adventure through the first part of the season and in that time we have seen a few players shine. Go Joe Bruin honors those players in our midseason awards.
It has not been pretty, but it is getting better for the UCLA football team. And even though they had to endure a five-game losing streak, we have seen flashes of greatness among several individual players
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Today, Go Joe Bruin honors several players that have made a huge impact in the first half of Chip Kelly’s first season as we give out our midseason awards.
Most Valuable Player
Offense: Joshua Kelley
This was the consensus with the writers of Go Joe Bruin. It took some time for the run game to get going, but once everything started to click, so did Joshua Kelley. This is a huge feat for a player that was a former transfer walk-on who is not only the starting running back but has helped to get the Chip Kelly machine running. Kelley solidified this honor this past weekend when he not only ran for a career-high 157 yards but had his third consecutive 100-yard game.
Honorable Mention: Boss Tagaloa, Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Defense: Adarius Pickett
Pickett has not only been the backbone of the defense but he is leading by example. With the Bruins taking on some of the best teams in the nation (as they have one of the toughest schedules in the nation), the defense had to endure a lot of pressure early in this first season. The team as a whole has had to adjust to a new system and though it started off slowly, it is finally coming together and Pickett is one of the reasons why. Because Pickett is all over the field, he has accumulated a team-high 70 total tackles. To show how big of a contribution he has made, the player with the second most tackles on the team is Krys Barnes with 45. Bless you, Pickett.
Honorable Mention: Krys Barnes