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SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
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… Previews for CU’s opponents will be posted each week leading up to the start of Fall Camp … Previous posts: Oregon State … Washington State … New Hampshire … Nebraska …
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Game Four – CU v. UCLA – Friday, September 28th (7:00 p.m., MT, FS1)
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Last game between the two schools … September 30, 2017 – UCLA 27, Colorado 23 …
The Colorado defense “held” UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen to 372 yards and one touchdown passing, but the Buffs could not make a play late, with UCLA holding on to defeat Colorado, 27-23.
CU quarterback Steven Montez went 17-for-36 for 243 yards and a touchdown, and also led the Buffs in rushing, going for 108 yards on 15 carries. Running back Phillip Lindsay posted 83 yards on 19 carries, including a two-yard touchdown run. Lindsay also had a 21-yard touchdown reception.
UCLA out-gained Colorado, 467 yards to 434, with the most important 79 yards coming on the Bruins’ final drive. The Buffs had pulled to within a point, at 24-23, with 6:49 remaining, but the Bruins pieced together a 15-play, 79-yard drive, icing the game with a 31-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining.
“Our kids will bounce back but I was really proud of the way they fought and really proud of the way they played,” said Mike MacIntyre. “Had a couple plays here or there that could have gone either way, that was the difference in the game, that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
… The full game story and You Tube video of the game, along with the essay for the game, “It’s Real Frustrating, Actually“, can be found here …
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2017 UCLA results – 6-7 (4-5 in Pac-12 play)
– Returning starters, Offense: 4 … Returning starters, Defense: 6
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– 2017 UCLA National Rankings (Offense)
— Scoring – 36th … 32.5 points per game (Colorado scoring defense – 74th … 28.2 points per game)
— Rushing – 116th … 113.4 yards per game (Colorado rushing defense – 108th … 208.0 yards per game)
— Passing – 4th … 344.5 yards per game (Colorado passing defense – 94th … 242.6 yards per game)
— Total – 22nd … 457.8 yards per game (Colorado total defense – 109th … 450.6 yards per game)
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– 2017 UCLA National Rankings (Defense)
— Scoring – 117th … 36.6 points per game (Colorado scoring offense – 81st … 26.4 points per game)
— Rushing – 130th … 287.4 yards per game (Colorado rushing offense – 74th … 157.2 yards per game)
— Passing – 31st … 196.3 yards per game (Colorado passing offense – 39th … 260.4 yards per game)
— Total – 123rd … 483.7 yards per game (Colorado total offense – 48th … 417.6 yards per game)
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UCLA storylines …
– All Hail, Chip Kelly!! ….
For CU’s second Power-Five conference game of the 2018 season (and Pac-12 opener), the storylines will be fairly similar.
UCLA, like Nebraska, is coming off of a losing season.
UCLA, like Nebraska, likes to think of itself as an elite national program.
UCLA, like Nebraska, believes it has found a new coach who will restore their programs to greatness.
When the Buffs face UCLA on Friday, September 28th (7:00 p.m., FS1), it will be the first conference game for each team, and the first Pac-12 game for new Bruin head coach Chip Kelly.
It’s a brave new world for Kelly, who will coach a team who went 6-7 last season, and comes into the 2018 campaign with only ten returning starters. In 2009, when Kelly took over for Mike Bellotti at Oregon, he inherited a team which had gone 10-3 the previous season, finishing with a No. 10 final ranking.
Still, great things are expected of Kelly. Athlon rated the Kelly hire as the second-best move of the 21 schools with new coaches this season (with Nebraska’s Scott Frost being considered the best hire). Said Athlon:
“UCLA made a major statement about its commitment to football by spending big money to fire Jim Mora and to hire Kelly, the biggest free agent on the coaching market … With a fertile recruiting base, and a system that players will want to play in, Kelly should have the Bruins competing for Pac-12 South titles on a regular basis in the near future”.
Lindy’s chimed in:
“UCLA hit the jackpot. This season will be all about UCLA’s transition to Chip Kelly … the Bruins may be dark-horse contenders in a Pac-12 South that doesn’t appear to have a dominant team”.
The consensus appears to be that Chip Kelly will make the Bruins winners. That it’s a question of “when”, not “if”.
We’ll see …
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– Players make plays …
Bruin quarterback Josh Rosen was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the 10th pick of the NFL draft, leaving a significant void in the UCLA offense. Sophomore Devon Modster had 671 yards and four touchdowns passing in mop-up duty last season behind Rosen, but will be pushed by super recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson and former Michigan quarterback Wilson Speight.
Whoever takes the snaps will have a pair of talented (but as of yet unproductive) backs to hand off to – Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi. Despite having basks with clever names, the Bruins haven’t produced a running back with over 600 yards rushing in either of the past two seasons.
The UCLA wide receivers put up decent numbers in 2017, with the top returner being junior Theo Howard (56 catches, 594 yards, four touchdowns). Tight end Caleb Wilson posted 38 catches for 490 yards … in only five games last year before being injured.
The biggest issue for the Bruins on offense is the offensive line. UCLA was 116th in the nation in rushing last year (and 75th in sacks allowed), with only two returning starters back.
The UCLA defense is in transition as well, with the Bruins switching to a 3-4 alignment under defensive coordinator Jerry Azziarno, who has coached with Kelly before, both at Oregon and in the NFL
The strength of the defense is the secondary, where three of the six returning starters reside. The linebackers have great recruiting resumes, but will need to translate that talent into production on the field without All-everything linebacker Kenny Young, who is now a Baltimore Raven.
The defensive line, however, is a liability.
Last season, UCLA ranked 130th – out of 130 teams – in rushing defense, giving up 287.4 yards rushing per game. Until and unless strides are made along the defensive front, the Bruins will not be a factor in the Pac-12 race.
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… How the Buffs fit into the Bruins’ 2018 schedule …
As noted, the September 28th matchup between Colorado and UCLA will be the Pac-12 opener for both schools. The game will be nationally televised on FS1, and will be played on a Friday night.
Safe bet … there will be significant coverage that week on Chip Kelly’s return to Pac-12 competition.
Still, Kelly has his work cut out for him before setting his sights on the Buffs.
UCLA opens its Chip Kelly era with a fairly easy opponent, Cincinnati (4-8 in 2017). Thereafter, the non-conference schedule picks up in difficulty dramatically, with a road game against Oklahoma (a top ten team in most preseason publications), followed by a home game against Fresno State (10-4 in 2017).
Like Colorado, UCLA will enjoy a bye week after finishing up non-conference action. Both teams will have 13 days to prepare for their battle under the lights at Folsom Field.
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… Bottom Line …
Take Chip Kelly out of the equation, and you would have to like CU’s chances against UCLA this fall.
The Buffs beat the Bruins, 20-10 in 2016, the last time the teams played in Boulder, and wouda/coulda/shoulda beaten the Bruins in the Rose Bowl last season. Unlike a few other opponents in the conference, the Buffs have held their own against UCLA in recent Pac-12 play.
If Jim Mora were still the coach of the Bruins, and was bringing to Boulder a UCLA team with only ten returning starters … a team which was dead last in the nation in rushing defense in 2017 … a team which finished 6-7 last year with Josh Rosen at quarterback … for a late September game before a rowdy Friday night Folsom Field crowd …
You would have to feel pretty good about taking the Buffs.
The addition of Chip Kelly, however, alters the equation. While Kelly can’t suit up and play, he brings an aura with him which makes people believe that the Bruins will instantly respond.
Games against Oklahoma and Fresno State will be telling for Chip Kelly and his new team. If the Bruins are competitive against the Sooners, and take care of business against a talented Bulldog squad, it could be a difficult night for the Buff Nation when the Bruins come to town.
If, on the other hand, the Chip Kelly luster has been tarnished a bit before the Bruins enter Pac-12 play, and the Buffs are playing up to their potential, the Pac-12 opener could be a pivotal game for Colorado in the 2018 season. If the Buffs come into the UCLA game with a 3-0 record, and finish September 4-0, the Buffs could be looking forward to a winning season … and perhaps even more.
Conversely, if the Buffs come out of September with a 2-2 record (or, God forbid, 1-3), then the Buff Nation will be turning its attention to the 2019 season … and who will be its next head coach.
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Stuart
Continue reading...
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
—
… Previews for CU’s opponents will be posted each week leading up to the start of Fall Camp … Previous posts: Oregon State … Washington State … New Hampshire … Nebraska …
—
Game Four – CU v. UCLA – Friday, September 28th (7:00 p.m., MT, FS1)
—
Last game between the two schools … September 30, 2017 – UCLA 27, Colorado 23 …
The Colorado defense “held” UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen to 372 yards and one touchdown passing, but the Buffs could not make a play late, with UCLA holding on to defeat Colorado, 27-23.
CU quarterback Steven Montez went 17-for-36 for 243 yards and a touchdown, and also led the Buffs in rushing, going for 108 yards on 15 carries. Running back Phillip Lindsay posted 83 yards on 19 carries, including a two-yard touchdown run. Lindsay also had a 21-yard touchdown reception.
UCLA out-gained Colorado, 467 yards to 434, with the most important 79 yards coming on the Bruins’ final drive. The Buffs had pulled to within a point, at 24-23, with 6:49 remaining, but the Bruins pieced together a 15-play, 79-yard drive, icing the game with a 31-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining.
“Our kids will bounce back but I was really proud of the way they fought and really proud of the way they played,” said Mike MacIntyre. “Had a couple plays here or there that could have gone either way, that was the difference in the game, that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
… The full game story and You Tube video of the game, along with the essay for the game, “It’s Real Frustrating, Actually“, can be found here …
–
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2017 UCLA results – 6-7 (4-5 in Pac-12 play)
– Returning starters, Offense: 4 … Returning starters, Defense: 6
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– 2017 UCLA National Rankings (Offense)
— Scoring – 36th … 32.5 points per game (Colorado scoring defense – 74th … 28.2 points per game)
— Rushing – 116th … 113.4 yards per game (Colorado rushing defense – 108th … 208.0 yards per game)
— Passing – 4th … 344.5 yards per game (Colorado passing defense – 94th … 242.6 yards per game)
— Total – 22nd … 457.8 yards per game (Colorado total defense – 109th … 450.6 yards per game)
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– 2017 UCLA National Rankings (Defense)
— Scoring – 117th … 36.6 points per game (Colorado scoring offense – 81st … 26.4 points per game)
— Rushing – 130th … 287.4 yards per game (Colorado rushing offense – 74th … 157.2 yards per game)
— Passing – 31st … 196.3 yards per game (Colorado passing offense – 39th … 260.4 yards per game)
— Total – 123rd … 483.7 yards per game (Colorado total offense – 48th … 417.6 yards per game)
—
UCLA storylines …
– All Hail, Chip Kelly!! ….
For CU’s second Power-Five conference game of the 2018 season (and Pac-12 opener), the storylines will be fairly similar.
UCLA, like Nebraska, is coming off of a losing season.
UCLA, like Nebraska, likes to think of itself as an elite national program.
UCLA, like Nebraska, believes it has found a new coach who will restore their programs to greatness.
When the Buffs face UCLA on Friday, September 28th (7:00 p.m., FS1), it will be the first conference game for each team, and the first Pac-12 game for new Bruin head coach Chip Kelly.
It’s a brave new world for Kelly, who will coach a team who went 6-7 last season, and comes into the 2018 campaign with only ten returning starters. In 2009, when Kelly took over for Mike Bellotti at Oregon, he inherited a team which had gone 10-3 the previous season, finishing with a No. 10 final ranking.
Still, great things are expected of Kelly. Athlon rated the Kelly hire as the second-best move of the 21 schools with new coaches this season (with Nebraska’s Scott Frost being considered the best hire). Said Athlon:
“UCLA made a major statement about its commitment to football by spending big money to fire Jim Mora and to hire Kelly, the biggest free agent on the coaching market … With a fertile recruiting base, and a system that players will want to play in, Kelly should have the Bruins competing for Pac-12 South titles on a regular basis in the near future”.
Lindy’s chimed in:
“UCLA hit the jackpot. This season will be all about UCLA’s transition to Chip Kelly … the Bruins may be dark-horse contenders in a Pac-12 South that doesn’t appear to have a dominant team”.
The consensus appears to be that Chip Kelly will make the Bruins winners. That it’s a question of “when”, not “if”.
We’ll see …
–
– Players make plays …
Bruin quarterback Josh Rosen was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the 10th pick of the NFL draft, leaving a significant void in the UCLA offense. Sophomore Devon Modster had 671 yards and four touchdowns passing in mop-up duty last season behind Rosen, but will be pushed by super recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson and former Michigan quarterback Wilson Speight.
Whoever takes the snaps will have a pair of talented (but as of yet unproductive) backs to hand off to – Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi. Despite having basks with clever names, the Bruins haven’t produced a running back with over 600 yards rushing in either of the past two seasons.
The UCLA wide receivers put up decent numbers in 2017, with the top returner being junior Theo Howard (56 catches, 594 yards, four touchdowns). Tight end Caleb Wilson posted 38 catches for 490 yards … in only five games last year before being injured.
The biggest issue for the Bruins on offense is the offensive line. UCLA was 116th in the nation in rushing last year (and 75th in sacks allowed), with only two returning starters back.
The UCLA defense is in transition as well, with the Bruins switching to a 3-4 alignment under defensive coordinator Jerry Azziarno, who has coached with Kelly before, both at Oregon and in the NFL
The strength of the defense is the secondary, where three of the six returning starters reside. The linebackers have great recruiting resumes, but will need to translate that talent into production on the field without All-everything linebacker Kenny Young, who is now a Baltimore Raven.
The defensive line, however, is a liability.
Last season, UCLA ranked 130th – out of 130 teams – in rushing defense, giving up 287.4 yards rushing per game. Until and unless strides are made along the defensive front, the Bruins will not be a factor in the Pac-12 race.
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… How the Buffs fit into the Bruins’ 2018 schedule …
As noted, the September 28th matchup between Colorado and UCLA will be the Pac-12 opener for both schools. The game will be nationally televised on FS1, and will be played on a Friday night.
Safe bet … there will be significant coverage that week on Chip Kelly’s return to Pac-12 competition.
Still, Kelly has his work cut out for him before setting his sights on the Buffs.
UCLA opens its Chip Kelly era with a fairly easy opponent, Cincinnati (4-8 in 2017). Thereafter, the non-conference schedule picks up in difficulty dramatically, with a road game against Oklahoma (a top ten team in most preseason publications), followed by a home game against Fresno State (10-4 in 2017).
Like Colorado, UCLA will enjoy a bye week after finishing up non-conference action. Both teams will have 13 days to prepare for their battle under the lights at Folsom Field.
—
… Bottom Line …
Take Chip Kelly out of the equation, and you would have to like CU’s chances against UCLA this fall.
The Buffs beat the Bruins, 20-10 in 2016, the last time the teams played in Boulder, and wouda/coulda/shoulda beaten the Bruins in the Rose Bowl last season. Unlike a few other opponents in the conference, the Buffs have held their own against UCLA in recent Pac-12 play.
If Jim Mora were still the coach of the Bruins, and was bringing to Boulder a UCLA team with only ten returning starters … a team which was dead last in the nation in rushing defense in 2017 … a team which finished 6-7 last year with Josh Rosen at quarterback … for a late September game before a rowdy Friday night Folsom Field crowd …
You would have to feel pretty good about taking the Buffs.
The addition of Chip Kelly, however, alters the equation. While Kelly can’t suit up and play, he brings an aura with him which makes people believe that the Bruins will instantly respond.
Games against Oklahoma and Fresno State will be telling for Chip Kelly and his new team. If the Bruins are competitive against the Sooners, and take care of business against a talented Bulldog squad, it could be a difficult night for the Buff Nation when the Bruins come to town.
If, on the other hand, the Chip Kelly luster has been tarnished a bit before the Bruins enter Pac-12 play, and the Buffs are playing up to their potential, the Pac-12 opener could be a pivotal game for Colorado in the 2018 season. If the Buffs come into the UCLA game with a 3-0 record, and finish September 4-0, the Buffs could be looking forward to a winning season … and perhaps even more.
Conversely, if the Buffs come out of September with a 2-2 record (or, God forbid, 1-3), then the Buff Nation will be turning its attention to the 2019 season … and who will be its next head coach.
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—–
Stuart
Continue reading...