Depth chart no big deal to Mora
A UCLA football depth chart is kind of like a grocery list. You have to fill it out yourself.
Bruins Coach Jim Mora has been only so helpful heading into his team’s season opener at Texas A&M on Saturday, though fans and media yearning for clarity shouldn’t take it personally.
“It’s not to be sneaky, it’s not to try to confuse our opponents or not let them know who’s playing,” Mora said Wednesday. “As a matter of fact, that’s the furthest thing from my mind. I just don’t really care about a depth chart.”
Mora’s indifference is largely rooted in the probability that multiple players will shuffle through almost every position except quarterback, where Josh Rosen is entrenched as the starter. Mora also confirmed the starters on his offensive line as tackles Conor McDermott and Kolton Miller, guards Poasi Moala and Kenny Lacy and center Scott Quessenberry.
It’s probably safe to pencil in Nate Iese at tight end and Ainuu Taua at fullback, with Taua’s starting designation partially the result of an injury to Cameron Griffin that’s expected to sideline him for the opener.
On defense, Mora would name only tackles Eddie Vanderdoes and Eli Ankou , as well as safeties Randall Goforth and Jaleel Wadood ,as certain starters. The other positions figure to be manned by committee.
One of the most intriguing battles has been at middle linebacker, where Kenny Young and Isaako Savaiinaea have received the bulk of the reps in practice, but Mora has also thrown freshman Lokeni Toailoa into the running. Whoever wins the job will be flanked by Jayon Brown and Cameron Judge.
Some of the biggest uncertainty, as far as workload, remains on offense.
Mora has said that running backs Soso Jamabo, Bolu Olorunfunmi and Nate Starks would split the carries. There’s even more of a logjam at receiver, where Eldridge Massington, Ishmael Adams, Kenneth Walker III, Darren Andrews, Alex Van Dyke, Mossi Johnson and Theo Howard all figure to play.
Another mystery is who will get to wear the No. 1 jersey. Adams and Jamabo have both worn it in practice, but one of the players will have a different numeral against the Aggies. Mora appears to be leaning toward giving Adams the number because he’s a senior and Jamabo is a sophomore.
Just as with his depth chart, Mora wouldn’t be any more specific.
“You’ll be able to see it on Saturday at 2:39 kickoff, CBS,” Mora said with a chuckle, referring to the local start time in Texas.
Game’s mysteries
The unknowns in a season opener transcend the depth chart. For one thing, there’s no footage of previous games to give hints of how an opponent plans to implement any philosophical changes from the off-season.
It’s also impossible to know how newcomers will perform or how a team might respond to adversity after a month of mostly feel-good vibes in practice.
“There’s going to come a time in that game — and more than once — where we’re going to have to rebound,” Mora said of his team’s opener against the Aggies.
“We’re going to get hit in the mouth and have to recover, and so I’m anxious more than anything to see us respond, because I think we’ve made tremendous growth in that area. Not that I want to see it happen, but I know it’s going to happen and I want to see how we recover.”
Quick hits
Tight end Austin Roberts is expected to be available against Texas A&M after practicing full speed the last two days. … Griffin and defensive end Deon Hollins will most likely be held out against the Aggies, Mora said, because they’re still recovering from concussions.