UCLA Football 2014 – Better, Worse or about the Same?

OFFENSE

The offense will be better, and it’s not just because of returning QB Brett Hundley, though he’s a very big reason. There is no questioning Hundley’s athletic ability, and the coaching staff is raving about his mental development in the off season in terms of his understanding of the offense, seeing coverages, reading keys, and having confidence to audible or check down to his 2nd and 3rd and 4th options.  

But the main reason for the Bruins offensive improvement in 2014 will be the offensive line.  This is a group that had 3 true freshmen (Caleb Benenoch, Alex Redmond, Scott Quessenberry) and a sophomore (Jake Brendel) playing for much of last season.  The running game struggled some bit last season which put more pressure and focus on Hundley.  I expect those guys will make a big leap for having that year and that game experience under their belts.  

The better, stronger, and more confident O line will open up that running game again, give Hundley more protection in the passing game, and offer the coaching staff a lot more options and diversity from the playbook.

And this is from an offense that averaged 37 points a game with that young OL last season.

UCLA QB Brett Hundley (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

DEFENSE

The defense should be slightly better than last year.  They have some big shoes to fill as OLB Anthony Barr, ILB Jordan Zumwalt, DL Cassius Marsh will be in the NFL this fall, but they have a core of returning veterans with some great young talent to step in.  

Senior ILB Eric Kendricks will be starting for his 4th season and led the Pac-12 in tackles 2 years ago and was third last year, and soph OLB Myles Jack got headlines for his offense last year, but is a better linebacker than a running back.  Despite replacing Barr and Zumwalt, I think the linebackers won’t lose much as a unit.  

The DL gets a big boost from the return of senior DL Owamagbe Odighizuwa who missed all last year with a hip injury, and young stars Ellis McCarthy, Eddie Vanderdoes, and Kenny Clark are looking great.

The defensive backfield was vulnerable at times last year, but that unit returns tons of young talent and players like juniors CB Fabian Moreau and S Randall Goforth look ready to develop into a dominant part of the defense.

If the secondary improves the way I think it will, then the defense will indeed be improved over last year. 

Will UCLA be better, worse or about the same as last year? 

The Bruins will be a better team by having a more explosive and balanced offense behind a more consistent offensive line.  A solid defense that will be improved in the secondary will have a lot of leads to play with and will be able to be really aggressive.  

The kicking game has been steadily improving the last 2 seasons, as well, so all three phases of the game are looking up.  

The Bruins’ biggest advantage this year is the schedule.  After a tough “neutral field” game against Texas in Dallas in the pre-conference schedule, the Bruins will get their biggest hurdles, Oregon, Stanford, and Southern Cal, in the Rose Bowl this year.  Not to overlook anyone in the conference, especially with games at Arizona State and Washington that are always tough, but Oregon and Stanford have been the biggest roadblocks for the Bruins the last two years.  

However, the Bruins are returning their most talented roster at the most key positions in probably 25 years, Jim Mora kept all the key parts of his coaching staff and even upgraded with running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, too, and all this follows a 10 win season.  This could and should be the year that U.C.L.A. gets past the Ducks and the Cardinal and wins the Pac-12 title.

Every game looks winnable on paper, but footballs bounce funny, so I think 10-2 in the regular season, and 11-2 with a Pac-12 Title, is a lofty but reasonable prediction. 

Greg Burcham of Bruins Nation provided the information for our UCLA Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up. For more UCLA  football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Greg on Twitter @gbruin91.