The Chip Kelly era of UCLA football got off to a miserable start, but does the 2019 season offer much in the way of hope for the Bruins?
The 2018 UCLA Bruins marked the first season under new head coach Chip Kelly. With plenty of outgoing talent and a roster that wasn’t all that great, to begin with, Kelly was going to have his hands full his first year.
It certainly ended up being the case after Kelly and the Bruins lost their first five games. Michigan transfer Wilton Speight didn’t prove to be much help at quarterback and Kelly’s vision certainly was going to need a couple of recruiting classes at least to show what they can potentially grow into.
The Bruins went 3-9 in the first season under Kelly.
The biggest feather cap in the season for Kelly was defeating rival USC. They closed out the season with a competitive loss to Stanford and perhaps gave a glimpse that the program is taking meaningful steps forward.
With Kelly entering his second season, the expectations are that the program will hopefully improve and make a bowl game. It may not necessarily translate into a big five or six-win jump, but showing continued progress and some signature wins is what Kelly needs.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Austin Burton could each see time at the quarterback spot and Kelly will need to find a signal-caller he’s comfortable with quick. With some of his own recruits in, he can start to execute his vision a little more this season.
Here’s how the Bruins stack up in 2019.
Game-by-game predictions
Game 1: at Cincinnati
The Bruins kicked off their season last year with a loss to Cincinnati on the road. The Bearcats were a big surprise last year going 11-2. This is a tough game for the Bruins to open their season.
Result: Loss
Game 2: vs. San Diego State
The first game at the Rose Bowl on the season is a tilt against San Diego State. The Aztecs have been a tough program under Rocky Long. This is a game the Bruins could serve themselves winning after not picking up a conference win last season.
Result: Win
Game 3: vs. Oklahoma
The toughest game of the season for the Bruins is a non-conference game at home against Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. The Sooners now are led by former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will likely keep them a contender. If the Bruins can hang around and at least make this fun, that would be an achievement in itself.
Result: Loss
Game 4: at Washington State
This game could be a fun one. If Kelly’s offense can start to produce points, this is a game to pound the over as Mike Leach’s squad is going to score a lot. The Bruins probably won’t keep pace at Pullman, but if they can continue to develop chemistry on offense, this could go a long way toward future success on the season.
Result: Loss
Game 5: at Arizona
The Bruins edged out a one-point loss at home against Arizona last season. This year, Khalil Tate and company are at home. Conventional wisdom says here to take the team with the more experienced quarterback but don’t discount the Bruins either.
Result: Loss
Game 6: vs. Oregon State
Back at home against Oregon State, the Bruins should try to flex some muscles here. The Beavers are the one team in the conference that UCLA might be able to get right against and get a necessary win. A loss here would be one that doesn’t inspire confidence.
Result: Win
Game 7: at Stanford
These two programs played a close game last year at the Rose Bowl. UCLA, however, is still a ways off from being good enough to win on the road against a David Shaw-coached program. The Cardinal take this one.
Result: Loss
Game 8: vs. Arizona State
UCLA and Arizona State has been an interesting battle as of late. It’s hard to predict who’s going to come out on top in this battle. Defeating Arizona State and Herm Edwards at home might be a nice win to build on. The Sun Devils have plenty of questions of their own with Manny Wilkins no longer under center.
Result: Win
Game 9: vs. Colorado
At home again, the Bruins pick up consecutive wins for the first time on the season. Mel Tucker’s going to need time to revamp Colorado and Kelly’s squad at this point in the year could be building toward turning a corner.
Result: Win
Game 10: at Utah
A road game at Utah could be tough sledding late in the year in a cold environment. Even if UCLA is turning a corner, they could have a game where they get blown out and the Utes haven’t exactly struggled against the Bruins in recent history.
Result: Loss
Game 11: at USC
The rivalry game between USC and UCLA has been unpredictable. It’s really hard to gauge what USC could be this year as the cloud that is Clay Helton’s job hangs over the program. If things go south, UCLA could be in a position to uproot their rival. If not, the Trojans squeak one out at home.
Result: Loss
Game 12: vs. Cal
The final game of the season is at the Rose Bowl and much like last season, they will want to build momentum heading into the next season. With a team that might just miss out on bowl eligibility, closing out strong against a team UCLA blew out in 2018 would be a nice way to finish things out.
Result: Win