UCLA Football: Play call/outcome analysis from the Oregon game

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PASADENA, CA – OCTOBER 06: Running back Joshua Kelley #27 of the UCLA Bruins runs into the end zone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Washington Huskies at the Rose Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Personnel

There were really only 2 personnel groups used this week. 11 (1 RB 1 TE 3 WR) split time with 12 (1 RB 2 TE 2 WR) personnel so that Chip could run the ball on the Ducks. 12 personnel almost always had those two TEs attached to the line together on the same side and was generally much more successful than 11 personnel. While Utah was prepared for our 2 TE sets, Oregon was susceptible to them. The fact that they could run the ball so well when the personnel basically announces whether the play is a run or a pass is incredible. Both personnel groups had better success when they went against tendency (11, the passing personnel had 83% success running while 12, the run personnel had 46% pass success rate on a bad passing day). That Chip Kelly blur approach to announcing intentions pre-snap more often than not is still ingrained in what UCLA is doing today.

21 (2 RB 1 TE 2 WR) brought both Joshua Kelley and Martell Irby into the game together to run a straddled triple option for 16 yards. Who else saw that play call coming from a mile away? Why can’t they run this play 5-10 times a week?

RB Alignment

Continuing the theme of obvious pre-snap declarations, when the QB gets the ball from under center, they continue to almost always run the ball. I am astounded that this doesn’t bite them more.

The RB’s really need to clean up how they walk up next to the QB when they know they aren’t getting a hand-off (this is mostly a thing Irby does in 2-minute drill and super obvious passing downs). Could have a healthy debate about whether this is Chip’s design or player execution.