36. Fewer and fewer penalties
I’m sorry to say, but Jim Mora was atrocious when it came to limiting penalties. His Bruins gave up 8.2 penalties per game in his final season. Last year, Kelly cleaned that up a bit with 6.8. Though it was not great, consider that fact that he was playing a lot of new and younger players. Impressive.
37. Can a receiver catch for over 1,000 yards?
Kelly is still focused on running the ball, but passing will continue to be a key element. Last season, Caleb Wilson led the team with 965 yards. Considering he was not a true receiver and was not the fastest on the team, this could mean that a WR like Theo Howard could kick things up a notch and collect over 1K in 2019.
38. Keisean Lucier-South, the senior leader we all need
KLS put the weight of the defense on his back last year with all the injuries and exits the Bruins sustained. This past spring, he was adopting another form of leadership. Lucier-South did not participate in the second part of spring as he was focusing on academics. Kelly said that he will be back by summer, which tells us that he is taking responsibility and working his way back to the team, which should fuel his return and lead to an exemplary season.
39. Navigating through the down Pac-12
The Pac-12 has not been doing so well. Collectively, they formed one of the worst Power 5 conferences in the nation. With that being said, could the Bruins take advantage of the wounded Pac? I would say more in the South, but they could surprise a few in the north.
40. Oregon State, a guaranteed “W”?
No disrespect to Oregon State, but they are still Oregon State.