The last time the Bruins won their home opener, it took a 34-point second-half comeback.
UCLA football (0-1) will host California (0-0) on Sunday after its original matchup with Utah was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. Coach Chip Kelly has yet to win a home opener in his tenure in Westwood, with the last Bruin home-opening win coming in dramatic fashion with now-NFL quarterback Josh Rosen guiding a Jim Mora-led UCLA to a 45-44 victory over Texas A&M.
The 2017 matchup with Texas A&M was the only other game in the 21st century the Bruins played on a Sunday.
However, the team got off to a rocky start in 2020, losing the turnover battle four to zero against Colorado in just the first half. Junior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was responsible for two – a first offensive drive interception and an early second quarter fumble – but committed zero in the second half, where he had a 65-yard rushing touchdown to go along with 157 pass yards and two touchdown passes.
After watching the game back, the Maxwell Award watch list quarterback said the team put itself in bad positions with sloppy mistakes, creating its own deficit.
“Looking at the film, I think the offense played really well in the second half, and again the defense played really well too,” Thompson-Robinson said. “We gifted them 21 points, if you go back and look at the stats I think they only went 20 yards for those 21 points, so knowing that and knowing how well we executed on the ball on both sides really gave us momentum going into (practice) Monday.”
UCLA enters the game 1-1 against California during the Kelly era, with a win in his first season and a loss in the second.
Unable to watch film against Cal in 2020 – as the Golden Bears’ first game of the season was canceled because of COVID-19 – UCLA players said they have still been preparing rigorously regardless of the opponent.
Senior defensive lineman Datona Jackson said despite dropping a game in which the Bruins were favored to start their 2020 campaign, the team is still optimistic about the future.
“Our practice (is) always high tempo. We bring it every day,” Jackson said. “We got guys that bring juice every day. It gets guys going, so our practice mindset is pretty consistent – we still have a high morale – we’re not going to let anything stop us. Just like when Colorado came up on us, we fought back. We don’t let anything get in the way of what our ultimate goal is.”
That goal – which was beating Utah – now shifts to beating Cal with just a two-day notice.
Kelly said given the circumstances of the shortened season, his team is focused on improving day-to-day rather than worrying about an end outcome to the season.
“If you study people that are successful, people that focus on the outcome get distracted,” Kelly said. “When you focus on the process – and what I mean by the process is, how do we improve on a daily basis? How do we improve on a Wednesday and what do we do on Wednesday? So we’re not thinking about the game, we’re thinking about Wednesday. That’s what we mean about the process.”
Establishing the run game is something UCLA said it is looking to do early. The team finished last week with 175 rushing yards on 25 carries, 109 yards of which came from Thompson-Robinson. Kelly, however, is not as concerned with who gets the yards, so long as the yards are gained.
“We don’t care who gains the yards; we’re not playing fantasy football here,” Kelly said. “It’s can we rush the football effectively, and I think the added fact that we have a quarterback that’s as athletic as (Thompson-Robinson) that can help in the run game, whether the production comes from the running back or the quarterback, that’s inconsequential. It’s a team game, not an individual game.”
Kickoff at the Rose Bowl will be at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
