Stanford to face UCLA’s super QB
When David Shaw discusses Josh Rosen, he makes it clear why the UCLA quarterback will be one of the top players in the NFL draft, assuming the junior turns pro.
The Stanford head coach started watching Rosen in his junior year at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower (Los Angeles County). He quickly noted that Rosen’s passes were “beautiful.”
“It’s how you’re supposed to throw a football,” Shaw said. “Quick release. The ball has the perfect trajectory. He pulls out the howitzer only when he needs it, the cannon that he’s got. A lot of his passes are great touch passes. They’re thrown right in rhythm where a guy doesn’t have to break stride. He can put the ball between defenders. He’s an underestimated athlete as far as moving in the pocket.”
Both Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold are expected to be franchise NFL quarterbacks. Stanford (1-2, 0-1 Pac-12) didn’t have much success against Darnold two weeks ago. The Cardinal hope to fare better against Rosen and the Bruins (2-1, 0-0) in Stanford’s home opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Everything he does translates to the top pick in the NFL draft,” UCLA radio analyst Matt Stevens said. Both Rosen and Darnold are top-drawer pro prospects, but Stevens thinks Rosen has a slight edge. “Darnold is more like (the Eagles’) Carson Wentz in that he’ll move around. Rosen sits in the pocket; he’s more like (the Packers’) Aaron Rodgers.”
Rosen once dreamed of attending Stanford, but that didn’t happen, possibly because he might have been considered too brash for the coaches’ liking. People around the UCLA program say he has been a dedicated game-video student, a brilliant economics major and a fine teammate.
On the field, he has been mostly dazzling, but for one game. The comeback that he led against Texas A&M, which led by 34 in the third quarter only to lose to 45-44, was considered legendary. Rosen threw four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of the secondbiggest comeback in college football history.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, he tossed a few extremely ill-advised passes at Memphis on Saturday, two resulting in his first interceptions of the season. UCLA lost 48-45 in a setback to Rosen’s efforts to become the school’s second Heisman Trophy winner, after Gary Beban 50 years ago.
Rosen threw a pass that was picked off and returned 60 yards for a touchdown. He threw another interception after UCLA had reached the Memphis 19. Another pass was thrown into such tight coverage that his receiver had to commit pass interference to prevent a pick.
“I just made some stupid mistakes,” Rosen said. “I made about 10 points worth of really bad plays. ... I just can’t make really, really, silly mistakes like that. It’s just trying to play hero ball. It’s not needed. You’ve got to play within the system.”
Sharpening his ability to read through progressions under new offensive coordinator Jeff Fisch, Rosen leads the nation in passing yardage (1,283) and TD passes (13).