Offseason edition looking back on the 2022 season

UCLA would go into the 2022 season with Dorian Thompson-Robinson using his COVID extra eligibility year. He was expected to take a big leap returning after a 8-4 season in 2021. One that saw him become a smarter quarterback and start to see his reads through instead of panicking and running if first option was taken. His growth also showed his ability to take care of the football. Turning the ball over less each year that he was in college. The 2022 team was one of the best offenses UCLA has ever had.

The defense struggled on the season as they gave up 29 points per game which was 92nd in the nation. The offense more than made up for it as they were a top 10 unit on the season. They averaged 39.2 points per game which was good for eighth in the nation. They could score the football in the blink of an eye. It looked similar to the Oregon offenses that Chip Kelly was putting together in the early 2010’s.

The Bruins broke out to a 6-0 start that included wins over No. 15 Washington and No. 11 Utah. That helped them reach No. 9 in nation as they had a top 10 matchup in Eugene with Oregon. A game in which they lost 45-30. They bounced back with two wins to get to 8-1 and started to insert themselves into possible playoff talks. After that they would drop two straight games against Arizona and USC ending that talk. They stumbled into the end of season and the lost the Sun Bowl to Pitt 37-35.

An 8-1 start turned into a 9-4 finish. As it again could not get over that hump and lost games they should’ve won. Thompson-Robinson would graduate out as he totaled 39 total touchdowns and over 3,800 yards. Zach Charbonnet also again was one of the best running backs in the nation as he ran for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns. This was the best season UCLA could make it happen in the Kelly era, and it all slipped away in the Arizona game.