It’s a tale of two teams.
The UCLA team we saw the first three weeks of the season did not make the trip to Pullman last week. And if it did, that team was on a plane back to Los Angeles at halftime and the new Bruins took over from there.
It was an impressive offensive explosion for an otherwise stagnant Chip Kelly squad from the first few games. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who had been very inaccurate, found a confidence and rhythm that we had not previously seen. He utilized the talent around him well, including running backs Joshua Kelley and the versatile Demetric Felton (also a receiver/returner).
What became very clear last Saturday night is that if UCLA’s offensive line performs well, the Bruins can be dangerous. Thompson-Robinson has tremendous ability, but the Bruins have struggled to run the ball consistently and they haven’t been able to give the quarterback time on passing downs. Those things slowly began to change throughout last week’s comeback in Pullman.
With that said, it’s time to look at five key things to expect this week from the UCLA offense based, primarily, off my review of the games against Oklahoma and Washington State.
1. Unknown
Call it the fear of the unknown, if you will. While every offense tweaks its playbook from week to week and sometimes installs a new package to exploit an opponent, few coaches do it as well or as often as Chip Kelly.
Every time you pull up a UCLA game, you’ll see some sort of formation or personnel package that you didn’t see in previous games. Sometimes this is a package the Bruins use to start a game, and they often have initial success executing their first series of plays. Other times, it’s something a little deeper in the playbook that they can turn to and make adjustments with later in the game.
In addition to a formation or specific package, Kelly is going to have one or two plays he can go to where success is expected. And he’s not afraid to go back to it later in a game even if it does not succeed the first time.
A prime example of this was last week against at Washington State. The Bruins dialed up a perfect misdirection play with everything, including the quarterback, moving to the right. Then, they slipped a receiver across the defense to the backside of the play, never being picked up by the Cougars. Thompson-Robinson overshot his wide-open target in the endzone, but the play was there the whole way.
Later in the game, UCLA went back to it, but flipped. The offense went left, the receiver tracked across the field and was again uncovered. This time, Thompson-Robinson delivered a perfectly thrown ball and it was an easy touchdown.
Simply put, Arizona is going to see a few things Saturday night that are not on film. Sticking to fundamentals and assignments, communicating and using football instincts are necessary.
2. Manipulation
Kelly is not running the blur offense in Westwood. He doesn’t have the personnel for it and he seems committed to establishing a new identity with the Bruins.
So what he tries to do – and his offenses at Oregon still did this, too – is manipulate the defense, primarily through motion and misdirection. Ultimately, he wants to win the numbers game and get a defense out of position.
Unlike the offenses in Eugene, the Bruins aren’t looking to run plays at tempo. Instead, there’s going to be a play called with a strong likelihood Thompson-Robinson will look to the sideline to either stay in the play, clarify the direction of the play call or get a new play altogether. Kelly wants to see the defense tip its hand, then use that to manipulate the defense with his final play call.
I would expect Arizona to use a similar game plan that it did against Texas Tech, especially in the second and third levels of the defense with a lot of late movement. If Kelly knows what you’re going to run, he will have successful play calls. But if the movement comes late, after the play is determined, it puts more pressure on Thompson-Robinson to make the right decisions.
3. Know The Personnel
This combines thoughts from the first two points, but it is critical the Wildcats identify the personnel on the field for the Bruins.
The prime example of this is if Demetric Felton is on the field. A natural receiver, he was moved to running back at the start of the season to fill the void left from Joshua Kelley’s injury. Felton is the most dynamic playmaker on the offense and, with Kelley back, they can use him all over the field.
UCLA is continuing to use him as an option at running back, but his most lethal position, in my opinion, is as a pass-catcher out of the backfield where he can get matched up on a linebacker. This was clearly evident last week in Pullman. It will be critical for Arizona to always know where No. 10 is and know that he is a pass threat.
Additionally, the Bruins are a tight end heavy offense, something that Kelly began to adopt in his NFL days in Philadelphia. They will almost always have one tight end on the field and will have as many as four – yes, four – in formation.
Last week’s specialty package was essentially a nine-man line of scrimmage with four tight ends – one each as the end man on the line and then two others off the line of scrimmage. All four of these players are eligible receivers, as is the running back in the backfield, whether it’s three to one side or if they are split two to a side.
Ultimately, the Bruins want to run out of this set, creating the look of an unbalanced line and attempting to get the defense to overload to one side of the line or the other. This is, again, where Arizona must get lined up and communicate. The corners and safeties will have to know who is covering who in case it is a pass play, for which there are numerous options out of this formation.
Lastly, when it comes to this four-tight end set, it doesn’t mean it will always be stacked into a nine-man line. They can run that one play, then spread out the tight ends into a four receiver set on the next play. It’s a versatile and potent group of tight ends.
4. DTR Factor
Thompson-Robinson is a dynamic player who, arguably for the first time in his college career, played free and fearless in the second half at Pullman. The result was that he displayed more accuracy and made more big plays with his arm than we have seen.
The Bruins do not want to utilize Thompson-Robinson as a primary runner, but he can run it very well when needed. There is some zone-read in the playbook, which gets utilized the most down near the goal line. They also have some speed option plays, which they seem to prefer running toward to short side of the field. And I have seen a few formations of a pistol wing-T, which brings in plenty of things for a defense to account for.
Thus far, they haven’t designed or called many quarterback lead runs, but that always remains a threat, especially if they empty the backfield.
One thing that seems clear watching Thompson-Robinson in an empty backfield: he is willing to pull the ball down and run. He will look for his first or second option, but if it’s covered or he senses pressure, he will pull the ball and run. He moved the chains several times at key moments last week.
To this point, Arizona needs to mix up its pass rushes. If the defensive ends pin their ears back and rush up field five yards every play, contain will be broken and Thompson-Robinson can escape. Middle pressure can be most effective to take away his vision over the middle of the field, both when he steps to pass or when he steps up to run. He’s at his best when the middle of the field is clear.
5. Stop Joshua Kelley
As mentioned above, Kelly wants to run the football. It’s how he controls a ballgame and manipulates a defense. Fortunately for the Bruins, one of the top running backs in the league is healthy again.
Kelley is an outstanding runner that is tough to bring down. If Arizona cannot stop the run and allows Kelley to pound away for five-plus yards per carry, it will be a long day.
Perhaps the biggest key to stopping – or slowing – Kelley will be to get to the football. Bringing him down in open space is difficult, and players have to wrap up to allow pursuit to get there.
Look Saturday night to see how many players the Wildcats have around the football when Kelley runs. If it’s one-on-one and empty space, the Wildcats are in trouble. If it’s constantly a group of defenders, Arizona will be in good shape.
The UCLA offensive line has had its share of struggles, but it did a nice job against the Cougars, especially in the second half. The performance of Arizona’s defensive front will be a determining factor in this game. The better they play and free up linebackers to make plays, the more likely it is the Wildcats can stop Kelley and put the pressure on Thompson-Robinson to win with his arm and decision-making.
ICYMI: What to Expect From UCLA’s Defense
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