“One more year” were the words tweeted by Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Monday, Dec 21. These three words would give the Bruins faithful a sense of relief as their junior quarterback would be returning for his senior season.
Rumors had surfaced that the three-year starter could opt to put his name into the NFL draft after an impressive season but these notions would eventually be put to rest.
Despite a shortened season and missing action due to Covid, DTR posted improved numbers from his previous seasons with a career-high in passing percentage (65.2) and a 156.3 RTG.
In just five games, he was able to test opposing defenses with his improved decision-making and deadly running ability. He finished the season with 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions.
DTR will hope to leave the Bruins in a better fashion as he ended this past season with a knee injury in the second quarter of UCLA’s final game against Stanford. They would lose this game in double overtime, 48-47.
The Bruins’ offense ranked second in the PAC-12 after being ranked out of the top-5 in the first two years of Chip Kelly’s tenure as head coach.
UCLA brings back its entire offense besides running back Demetric Felton who announced his plans to enter into the NFL draft process at the end of the season.
In just a small sample size, Dorian was able to put NFL scouts on notice. He will look to use this season to show the doubters that he can be a quarterback in the National Football League.
It is worth noting that Thompson-Robinson only needs 166 passing yards to surpass the 3-time Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer quarterback Troy Aikman for seventh on the school’s all-time list.
UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) attempts a pass in the fourth quarter; Cal at UCLA, November 30, 2019, Los Angeles, CA. Photo Credit: Steve Cheng | Under Creative Commons License