DTR, Bruins offense are set to make Kelly smile
LOS ANGELES >> Coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson are beginning their fourth seasons at UCLA this weekend, and Thompson-Robinson is quick to acknowledge how fast time has flown by.
“It really all feels like a blur being in college,” he said. “All the years kind of feel the same as you’re rolling through it, but obviously it’s a different feeling and guys know what’s at stake. We got the team, finally.”
Thompson-Robinson has watched many of the players on this year’s roster improve and progress along with him. Redshirt junior Kyle Philips has started at receiver since he was a redshirt freshman, and juniors Sean Rhyan and Duke Clemens are beginning their third season as starters on the offensive line.
The Bruins’ offense produced an average of 35 points per game in 2020, which ranked second in the Pac-12 Conference and 20th in the nation. The offense also finished second in the conference and 21st nationally in total yards per game (455), but Thompson-Robinson told reporters at the conference’s media day that “scoring touchdowns and winning games” is what makes Kelly smile.
The latter hasn’t come as easy. The Bruins are 10-21 over the last three seasons under Kelly, who lost just seven games in four years as Oregon’s head coach.
“(Kelly is) just as important as everyone else on this team,” Thompson-Robinson said when asked about wanting to win games for Kelly and prove he is the right coach for this team. “We’re going to go out there and execute and do what we have to do.”
A win against Hawaii in Saturday afternoon’s season opener at the Rose Bowl would give UCLA its first nonconference victory under Kelly.
The Bruins know they have to limit their turnovers if they want to produce a winning season. Twelve of their 13 turnovers in 2020 came in their four losses, and opponents scored on 11 of those 12 turnovers (71 points) in the losses. QUARTERBACKS >> Thompson-Robinson is locked in as the starter but Ethan Garbers has earned the backup job after transferring from Washington.
Garbers adds depth at a position that includes returning players Chase Griffin and Chase Artopoeus.
Griffin is the most experienced player outside of Thompson-Robinson in the quarterback room, after playing in four games last season and starting two of them.
Griffin kept the Bruins competitive in a losing effort at Oregon and earned his first victory as a college starter at home against Arizona.
RUNNING BACKS >> The backfield remains in good shape and is expected to pick up where things left off last season despite opening with a different starter for the third consecutive season.
UCLA’s rushing attack ranked second in the Pac12 and 30th in the nation at 135.7 yards per game. The Bruins’ 5.1 yards per carry average was their best mark since they averaged 5.4 during the 1976 season.
With Demetric Felton moving on to NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Brittain Brown will do more of the heavy lifting as the lead back. Brown served in a complementary role last season, working as part of a 1-2 punch with Felton.
Zach Charbonnet transferred in from Michigan and will move into the role Brown played last year. RECEIVERS >> Philips proved to be a reliable target each of the last two seasons, and there’s no question about the depth available at the position, even with the suspension of Delon Hurt, but there’s a drop-off in production after Philips.
Philips’ 38 receptions ranked second among Pac-12 receivers and first among the Bruins in 2020, when he finished with 370 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Cota (11 catches, 79 yards, two TDs) returns as the No. 2 option at the position.
Sophomores Matt Sykes and Logan Loya could take a step forward this year after their first full offseason as Bruins. Cota said he has noticed a significant difference in the duo already.
TIGHT ENDS >> Redshirt junior Greg Dulcich provides stability as the first returning starter at tight end since 2018, because Devin Asiasi (2019) and Caleb Wilson (2016-18) decided to forgo their respective senior seasons to enter the NFL draft.
Dulcich averaged 19.9 yards per catch (13th in the nation) and 73.9 receiving yards per game last year — both marks ranked second in the country among tight ends in 2020. Dulcich’s 167 receiving yards against USC marked the seventh consecutive season in which a UCLA tight end logged a 100-yard game, and he finished the season with a team-high 517 yards and five touchdowns on 26 catches.
Mike Martinez and Michael Ezeike have looked impressive throughout the offseason and will find ways into the rotation as contributors.
OFFENSIVE LINE >> The offensive line is one of UCLA’s biggest strengths, with all five starters and some key contributors returning.
UCLA might start the season without center Sam Marrazzo, who has been plagued by an injury suffered in the final game of the 2020 season. Redshirt junior Jon Gaines will start at center Saturday.
Gaines is the latest example of the versatility the line has because of its depth.
“That’s the convoy right there,” Brown said of the line. “I tell them all the time just give me a crease because those guys are some monsters up there. … I just know we have one of the most athletic lines in the nation.”