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UCLA Football: What Joshua Kelley can do for the Bruins in 2019

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Running back Joshua Kelley #27 of the UCLA Bruins looks over his shoulder as he heads for the end zone during the first second of a football game at Rose Bowl on November 17, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Running back Joshua Kelley #27 of the UCLA Bruins looks over his shoulder as he heads for the end zone during the first second of a football game at Rose Bowl on November 17, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /
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UCLA football running back Joshua Kelley had a standout season in 2018, which will set him up to have an even better 2019, thusly solidifying his name in Bruin lore. Fingers crossed.

A few weeks ago when news broke that UCLA football‘s top rusher from last season, Joshua Kelley, was toying with the idea of declaring for the NFL Draft, the collective heart of the Bruin faithful sank.

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Last week, when it announced that Kelley would be returning, that collective heart started beating with full fervor. The Bruin that ran for 1,243 total yards would be back to help UCLA continue to develop the offense that progressively got better and deadlier as the season went on.

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Though he did not make his mark until a fourth of the way through the season, what he did in the last nine games set him on a path for UCLA legendary status.

It is no secret that the Bruins’ run game has suffered in the last few seasons. Before Kelley, the last Bruin to run for over 1,000 yards in a season was Paul Perkins during the 2015 season (1,343 yards). And let us be honest, the way the season started out, no one expected the Bruins to have a 1,000-yard rusher, especially if it was Kelley.

In the Bruins’ first three games, he logged, 20 yards, 7 yards and did not play in Game 3. But something changed by Game 4.

Game 4 did not end ideally for the Bruins, but it was substantial for Kelley. UCLA lost at Colorado, 38-16, but Kelley ran for 124 yards. It was the first of four consecutive 100-yard games and the first of six total for the season. By mid-2018, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, and Bruin fans everywhere knew they had their primary rusher.

The zenith of his season came against USC when he ran all over the Trojans for 289 yards. Not only was it the most yards he would accumulate in a game for the 2018 season, but it was also the most yards anyone has collected in the history of the UCLA-USC rivalry.

Joshua Kelley’s Rushing Averages When Dividing the Season into Quarters

  • 1st Three Games: 9.0 yards
  • 2nd Three Games: 135.3 yards
  • 3rd Three Games: 124.0 yards
  • Last Three Games: 141.0 yards

Now that is all good, but what should we expect for 2019? Here are two things to consider: (1) UCLA’s offense will be a lot more organized at the start of the season than it was at the start of 2018 and (2) Kelley will already be a seasoned veteran.

So not only can we expect him to start off 2019 with a few 100-yard games, they amount fo 100-yard games should increase throughout the season. On top of that, we can also project that he will increase his total rushing yards for the season. If we average what he did over the last nine games, and spread that over 12, mathematically, it is possible that Kelley can run for over 1,600 yards in 2019.

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If Kelley has that kind of production, then not only is UCLA going to have a better running game, but with those type of numbers, the senior running back could very well cement himself in the annals of UCLA football history. No pressure though.