The turnaround at UCLA in two seasons under Jim Mora Jr. has been nothing short of remarkable. He inherited a team that was going nowhere under Rick Neuheisel and went straight to the Pac-12 title game. It is true that Neuheisel's team in 2011 made it to the same title game the year before, but that was a 6-8 Bruins team that emerged from an awful South division thanks to the ineligibility of USC. Under Mora, they were there on merit, they look better coached, and are recruiting elite talent to the program. The Bruins look set to be a major factor in the Pac-12 for the foreseeable future, and that future may very well have arrived this year.
2013 UCLA Bruins Season
After opening the season with a routine victory over Nevada, UCLA endured an emotionally charged trip to face Nebraska, less than a week after the tragic death of wide receiver Nick Pasquale. The Bruins seemed devoid of energy at the start of the game and quickly found themselves down 21-3 to the Cornhuskers, before an electric Brett Hundley turned the match on its head. Hundley lead the Bruins to an astonishing 38 unanswered points in Lincoln. Back-to-back trips to Stanford and Oregon in the middle of the season were simply too much for UCLA, but they remained in the hunt for the Pac-12 south until they fell 38-33 at home to Arizona State. UCLA finished the season with two convincing victories to claim the Victory Bell and the Hyundai Sun Bowl, but they had been aiming much higher than that.
Offense
With a star under center in Brett Hundley, UCLA are sure to field a productive offense, but just how productive they can be depends upon the play of an offensive line shorn of its star player from 2013. They do return three starters, some experienced depth from a year ago, and welcome guard Matthew Bunche who has transferred from Miami. The interior of the unit looks strong and there is plenty of talent filtering into the rotation; of the seven 4-star (Rivals) linemen on the roster, six are in their first or second years in Pasadena. While the line play overall was solid in 2013, Brett Hundley was hit far too often last year giving up 35 sacks (which admittedly was a big improvement on the 52 sacks allowed in 2012). Hundley's tendency to hold onto the ball to try and make things happen with his feet elevates that figure, but the line bears a share of the blame and must do better in 2014.
Hundley is the unquestioned star of the offense. A genuine dual threat quarterback, he threw for 3,071 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 2013, while also leading the team in rushing with 748 yards and 11 touchdowns; 942 yards if you ignore yardage lost through sacks. Hundley can be inconsistent as a passer. When he is good, he is extremely good, capable of fitting the ball into tight spaces, but like many young quarterbacks he has made questionable decisions and struggles under pressure as a result. Now into his third year as a starting quarterback, and with another year of training under his belt, Hundley should be a more formidable passer in 2014. He remains a dangerous runner and a huge asset to the offense, but in an ideal scenario he will carry a little less of the load on the ground for his own protection, which requires the running backs to step it up in 2014.
It's not just the running backs who need to step it up, Hundley aside, the Bruins lacked true playmakers in 2013. There were a number of solid contributors at the skill positions, most of whom were young and return this year. The Bruins must hope that at least one of them emerges as a difference maker to take some of the pressure of Hundley. At running back, a healthy Jordan James looks likely to start with Paul Perkins in reserve. Both were good, but not great in 2013 and were outplayed by linebacker Myles Jack when he took snaps at running back, though Jack will once again play primarily on defense. Although the leading receiver from 2013 is gone, Devin Fuller and Jordan Payton return. Each has two years of playing experience and are dependable options for Hundley. Fuller, in particular, is expected to contribute more as a junior; however, Devin Lucien and Thomas Duarte are the players who may provide the x-factor they have been missing in the passing game. Lucien has flashed big play potential in his two seasons in Pasadena, averaging 18.2 yards per reception and showing a penchant for making spectacular catches, but failing to claim a significant role in the offense. Duarte is a bigger bodied receiver/H-back and the strongest candidate to reprise the Joseph Fauria role from the 2012 team, though he is smaller and more dynamic than Fauria. Duarte certainly has the physical skill set to be the teams chief target in the red zone, and a constant mismatch for Hundley to exploit.
Defense
While UCLA return a healthy number of starters and plenty of experience throughout the defense, they have lost several key performers, most notably Anthony Barr. Barr was the Bruins top pass rusher over the past two seasons, recording 10 sacks, countless pressures, and frequently making plays in the backfield. That sort of production is practically impossible to replace directly, so the Bruins will likely use a platoon of linebackers to cover for Barr with Kenny Orjioke, Aaron Wallace, and Deon Hollis all in contention to see playing time. Hollis possesses the greatest potential as a pass rusher, but is also the least experienced of the trio.
UCLA do still have two stud linebackers to lean on with Eric Kendricks and Myles Jack. Athletic and instinctive, Kendricks is the leader and tone setter for the Bruins defense, quick to diagnose plays and seemingly always around the ball carrier. Jack was a freshman sensation in 2013, as adept in coverage as he was defending the run, he is slated to play outside in the base 3-4 defense inside in the nickel defense that Jeff Ulbrich, the Bruins new defensive coordinator, plans to spend a lot time running in 2014.
Although the base defense remains a 3-4 front, the increased utilization of the 4-2-5 nickel unit will allow the Bruins to field their four strongest lineman at the same time. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, Eddie Vanderdoes, and Ellis McCarthy should make for a fearsome front four. Three of them are former 5-star recruits, while Clark, the odd man out, was hugely impressive as a freshman nose tackle. That first string quartet will need to play well as there is a complete absence of experienced depth, which means the two-deep will be filled out with talented, but very raw players.
The Bruins are in an unusual position in that they return both starting corners, Ishmael Adams and Fabian Moreau, as well as both starting safeties, Anthony Jefferson and Randall Goforth. Talented and reliable, Jefferson and Goforth are one of the very best safety tandems in the country, while Adams led the team with four interceptions in 2013 and possesses terrific athleticism. Promising safety Tahaan Goodman would likely feature in the nickel defense without causing any noticeable drop off in performance from the starting unit.
Special Teams
The Bruins return solid sophomore punter Sean Connington, and place kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn, as well as the majority of the returners who served them well in 2013. Ishmael Adams returned 10 kicks for an impressive average of 35 yards.
2014 Season Outlook
Given the quality of the opponents on the slate for UCLA in 2014, the schedule has fallen as favorably as they could have with most of the major contenders for Pac-12 glory have to visit Pasadena. Games against Virginia and Memphis give the Bruins time to work out the kinks before traveling to play Texas and Arizona State, after which the toughest away fixture is against Washington. Playing host to Oregon, Stanford, USC, and the potentially dangerous Arizona gives UCLA a great chance of securing the Pac-12 South, and they hope, a first Pac-12 Championship since 1998.
UCLA have to be considered serious contenders to win the Pac-12 and earn a place in the inaugural College Football Playoff. There are enough pieces around star quarterback Brett Hundley to ensure that the offense will be at least very good, and if one or two playmakers emerge they will be even better than that. A defense that was strong in 2013 should be even better this time around. They will miss Anthony Barr and the lack of experienced depth on the line is a concern, but the starting eleven is loaded with talent, and just enough talent to ensure it shines.