Season over for two concussed Bruins
UCLA suffered two additional losses before logging its first victory of the season.
Coach Chip Kelly said Monday the team learned late last week that sophomore linebacker Jaelan Phillips and senior tailback Soso Jamabo would be sidelined for the rest of the season because of concussions.
“Safety is our first concern,” Kelly said.
It’s the second consecutive injury-shortened season for Phillips, who did not play in either of the Bruins’ last two games.
He appeared in four games this season, making 20 tackles and one sack. A nagging ankle injury limited him to seven games last season.
Phillips also fought through an offseason wrist injury that required two surgeries, returning to the field in four months when doctors initially told him he could be sidelined for up to a year.
Jamabo played in three games this season, mostly on special teams. He sat out the season’s first two games while serving a suspension for violating unspecified athletic department rules before making his season debut against Fresno State. Jamabo had four carries for 12 yards in that game before getting one carry for no yards in his next game against Colorado.
But Kelly had praised Jamabo’s willingness to participate on special teams, where he helped the Bruins stop Washington deep in the Huskies’ territory on a kickoff return.
Phillips and Jamabo are both eligible to preserve a season of eligibility as part of a new rule that allows players who have appeared in four or fewer games to use it as a redshirt season. Kelly said he wasn’t sure whether the injured players intended to use the new rule to their benefit.
Bittersweet 16
There are times when going 16 for 16 does not qualify as perfection.
UCLA has converted all of its red-zone opportunities this season but would prefer a better touchdown-to-fieldgoal ratio; the Bruins have four field goals to go with their 12 touchdowns in those situations.
“We’ve left some points on the board,” Kelly said after his team had two field goals to go with its three touchdowns in the red zone during a 37-7 victory over California on Saturday.
“We know we have three automatically with J.J. [Molson] just because of how consistent he is as a kicker, but we’d like to be greedy and we’d like to get seven, so we have to do a better job of executing down there.
“And some of it is playcall things. I don’t think I called a real good game in the red zone the other night, so we’ve got to do a better job as coaches of putting those guys in positions to make plays.”
Kelly called for a sweep to receiver Michael Ezeike in the second quarter after the Bruins had a second-andgoal opportunity at Cal’s one-yard line. It went for a two-yard loss.
Kelly said he was trying to counter a new defensive alignment the Golden Bears unveiled.
“We kind of ran into the teeth of it,” Kelly said. “We still should have had it blocked up, but that’s part of it.”
There appeared to be some miscommunication on third down, when quarterback Dorian ThompsonRobinson momentarily looked like he might hand off to a tailback who was not there. Thompson-Robinson kept the ball and took a fiveyard loss on the play. Out came Molson for a 25-yard field goal.
Molson trotted onto the field for a 29-yard field goal later in the quarter after a UCLA drive stalled at Cal’s 12-yard line.
Etc.
Linebacker Keisean Lucier-South was selected the Pac-12 Conference’s defensive player of the week after posting a career-high 3½ tackles for loss, intercepting a pass, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble that he returned 38 yards for a touchdown against Cal. … Tailback Bolu Olorunfunmi and receiver Kyle Philips did not appear to be at practice Monday. … Offensive tackle Justin Murphy, long snapper Johnny Den Bleyker and defensive backs Nate Meadors and Colin Samuel wore yellow jerseys in practice to signify they are recovering from injuries. … Tight end Jordan Wilson, who suffered an unspecified injury against Cal, was working a stationary bike during the portion of practice open to the media.