UCLA offense: Better

The Bruins’ offense will be better because the Offensive Line will be better.  Part of the justification for that is that last year’s O line play shouldn’t be hard to top. The O Line was occasionally very good (RB Paul Perkins was the leading rusher in the Pac-12 with 1,575 yds), frequently marginal (the Bruins allowed a conference worst 41 sacks), and sometimes abysmal (the Bruins allowed 10 sacks against Utah in a loss which ultimately cost the team a spot in the Pac-12 Title game).  

This year, U.C.L.A. returns its most experienced and healthiest O Line in years. Seven players with a total of 129 starts among them will be coming back and there is depth behind those previous starters, too. Key is center Jake Brendel, a redshirt senior who is on the Rimington Watch List, and a true left tackle Conor McDermott whose late season return last year brought a stability and performance to that position the Bruins lacked.

Though the Bruins don’t have that big home run threat at receiver, they have a very good reliable crop who can run routes and catch the ball. 

The big question mark is at QB. The departure of Brett Hundley leaves some big shoes to fill, but the Bruins have some good candidates. Jerry Neuheisel has game experience and is a solid if not flashy option. Asiantii Woulard has tons of athleticism and upside but hasn’t taken a college snap yet.

But I believe that true freshman Josh Rosen, the #1 QB recruit in the country, will emerge as the starter. He is the best passer, he is a decent runner, and he already has command of the offense.

No matter which QB starts, the U.C.L.A. will likely rely more on the run game than before. That has been a clear strength for this team before and it should be even better this year. 

 

UCLA defense: Better

The Bruins’ defense will be better because of Tom Bradley, the new defensive coordinator. The defense returns 9 starters and has loads of talent, but unlike the previous DC Jeff Ulbrich, I expect Bradley will bring a much more creative, aggressive, and unpredictable defense that will maximize their skills.

The D Line will be anchored by juniors Eddie Vanderdoes and Kenny Clark, both of whom were excellent last season.

The linebackers will have to compensate for the graduation of MLB Eric Kendricks, the tackling machine who won both the Butkus Award and Lott IMPACT Award, but two way freak Myles Jack will join returning sophomore Kenny Young in the middle, and the new scheme should spread the responsibility across more of the defense.

The secondary is deep and experienced and should be helped by a better pash rush up front this year, particularly from OLB Deon Hollins. The return of big hitting redshirt junior safety Randall Goforth from injury will be a key addition to the unit.

 

Fore more UCLA Spring Practice info, please check out “Lessons from UCLA spring football.”

 

You buying or selling this team in 2015? (How many games they winning this year? Playoffs?)

If you are selling a Pac-12 South title, then I’m definitely buying. The Bruins look to be set up to win 11 games this year as the rotating schedule sees them miss both Oregon and Washington from the Pac-12 North, so U.C.L.A. should be in very good position to win the South and get a spot in the Pac-12 Title game.

Then, depending on whether Oregon comes back to the Pac following the departure of Marcus Mariota, the Bruins should have a good look at their first Pac-12 Title and that would put them in the mix for a playoff game.

However, the Bruins were a dark horse pick by many for the playoff last year but fell well short of that mark. The teams that fought for those playoff berths were generally excellent across the board. The Bruins still have some questions marks in terms of play calling and creativity from a coaching standpoint, and consistency and execution in the kicking game that aren’t at that playoff level yet.

If the Bruins can upgrade those couple areas, stay healthy, and if QB Rosen performs better than a true freshman, then they should have all the pieces needed for a deep run in 2015.

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Greg Burcham of Bruins Nation provided the information for our UCLA Football 2015 Spring recap. For more UCLA  football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Greg on Twitter @gbruin91.

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