UCLA Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

The UCLA Bruins are coming off a rough 2016 season, and unlike other years, will actually play a live game during their Spring Showcase.

Last season, the UCLA Bruins came into the year with aspirations of winning the Pac-12 South, only to finish with a 4-8 record. Their star quarterback, Josh Rosen, was hurt for most of the season, and they really could not generate anything on offense. The turn of the calendar means higher expectations for the Bruins, who will try to make it to a bowl game in what will likely be Rosen’s last season on campus.

The Bruins will have their Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 29, and here are five things to watch for.

5. How much will Josh Rosen play?

Heading into the 2016 college football season, many believed that Josh Rosen would lead the UCLA Bruins to the College Football Playoff. Rosen came into the year with so much hype surrounding him that, despite the lack of a running game, most people believed he would be in the Heisman talk by the end of the season. Well, injuries derailed his season, and he will now look to 2017 to finish what he started in Los Angeles.

As a true freshman in 2015, Rosen burst onto the scene, completing over 60 percent of his passes. He threw for over 3,700 yards for a Bruins team that finished 8-5. No one could have predicted how bad 2016 would be for Rosen and his Bruins teammates, but there is reason for hope in 2017. Rosen has both Jordan Lasley and Darren Andrews returning at wide receiver, giving him one of the better wideout tandems in the Pac-12.

The Spring Showcase is just an exhibition game, and with his injury-plagued past, do not expect Rosen to play a ton on Saturday. In fact, it would not surprise me if he just sat this one out, as the team cannot afford for him to do any damage to his shoulder. He may get a few snaps in, but I would not expect him to play more than a series or two.