The Coach
“I think everything goes through Joshua Kelley, in my opinion it should.” 18 carries, 176 yards, and a touchdown on the ground later, UCLA broke an 11-year losing streak against Stanford. I love me some Joshua Kelley and the Bruin running back made me sound a lot smarter than I actually am. Thanks to a couple of 50+ yard runs, the former UC Davis Aggie turned in his best game of 2019.
As great as Kelly played, this win needs to be largely credited to the defensive performance. Holding the Cardinal offense scoreless until a garbage-time touchdown run by Cameron Scarlett late in the fourth, coach Azzinaro had his Westwood boys prepared.
An early special teams touchdown had Stanford pull within 14-10 right before the second quarter. That, however, was the closest the contest would become after UCLA’s early 14-point lead.
I also said that UCLA needed to have a great gameplan that was executed to perfection. The defense played about as perfect as one could ask. They were money on third downs, forcing Stanford to only convert 5 of 16 attempts. Getting after the third stringer was also a part of the preparation that was carried out effectively. Jack West was sacked by UCLA seven times by a multitude of defenders. Overall? A really impressive bounce back showing by UCLA football. Hats off to you all!
The Don
Wow. What a win for the Bruins up at the Farm. The Coach and I talked about this game on the Bleav In LA Football podcast, and we kept harping on a couple of key points.
The defense needed to tackle much better and play sound football. The Offensive and Defensive line needed to play like a veteran group. The offense needed to keep the tempo and not let the game slow down. And Joshua Kelley. Lots and lots of Joshua Kelley.
Well, the Bruins pretty much checked every box as they shellacked the Cardinal on the road.
Kelley finished the game with 18 carries for 176 yards and one touchdown. We knew that this was the kind of back that he was capable of being, but we have been waiting for this kind of performance all season. I didn’t necessarily think that it would come against a David Shaw led unit, but I knew that it may need to if UCLA had hopes of pulling off this upset. Well, it came and came in a big way.
Yes, the Bruins are 2-5. Yes, we felt this way after they shocked Washington State in what was one of the greatest comebacks in college football history. But something about this game tells me that this team may be heading in the right direction.
Sure, this season is pretty much lost. The team would have to play near-perfect if they want a shot at a bowl game. But if they can string together a couple of wins and finish the season strong, I will feel much more confident about this team and this coaching staff moving forward.
Great win for the Bruins, now time to build upon it.
The Rose Bowl, Home Of The UCLA Bruins. Photo Credit: jcwpdx | Under Creative Commons License