This post was updated Sept. 5 at 7:39 p.m.
UCLA football (1-0) opened its 2022 season with a 45-17 win over Bowling Green (0-1) on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins found themselves down 17-7 early in the second quarter but scored 38 unanswered points en route to the victory. Sports Editor Sam Settleman gives his five main takeaways from the blue and gold’s first game of the year.
Big win on paper but nothing more
While most blowouts are cause for celebration, this one will require some recalibration.
Coach Chip Kelly will tell you a win is a win regardless of what it looks like, and the stats will even tell you this was a dominant win for the Bruins at that – but Saturday’s performance certainly didn’t pass the eye test.
UCLA put up 626 total yards of offense, limited Bowling Green to 162 yards and scored 38 straight points in a span of three quarters – a commanding performance on paper by all measures. But let’s not forget the scoreboard read 17-7 Bowling Green at one point.
The Bruins looked like a mess to start this game. Despite having eight months to prepare, they went three-and-out on their first drive and made an inexcusable mistake on special teams that put the Falcons up seven barely a minute into the matchup.
More special teams miscues, an embarrassing interception from redshirt senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and inconsistency across the offensive line plagued UCLA for the rest of the contest, despite the Bruins ultimately settling in and taking control.
The benefit of an easy nonconference schedule is a near-guaranteed 3-0 start to the season. But against a team like Bowling Green, you can’t make the mistakes UCLA made Saturday.
Struggling special teams
Every time redshirt senior wide receiver Jake Bobo went out to receive a punt, he put on a No. 87 jersey over his standard No. 9 jersey – because the Bruins already had a No. 9 on their punt coverage team.
While Kelly said the jersey switch was an anticipated problem, the unorthodox sight serves as a microcosm of UCLA’s special teams performance as a whole. You could easily make the argument that the Bruins would have this game by 44 points instead of 28 if their special teams simply did its job.
On the first drive of the game, a free rusher came right up the middle and gave redshirt junior kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira no chance to get off his punt before a Falcon defender took it back for a house call the other way. Seven points.
Then, Bobo muffed a punt at UCLA’s 10-yard line that went straight through his arms, leading to three free points for Bowling Green. Make that 10 free points for the Falcons.
Tack on Barr-Mira’s two missed field goals – one from just 28 yards out – and there’s your 16-point swing.
UCLA might be able to get away with poor special teams play against a team like Bowling Green, but just one of those mistakes could doom the Bruins against a stronger opponent.
Charbonnet cooking
Zach Charbonnet looked NFL-ready Saturday.
The senior running back didn’t put up huge numbers or break a big run, but he certainly looked like the real deal. The combination of his size and speed alone makes him a constant threat, but add an above-average level of agility and impressive patience behind the line of scrimmage and Charbonnet becomes one of the top backs in the country.
Even with a new offensive line that had far from a great day, Charbonnet was able to rush for 111 yards with relative ease as he routinely bounced off, ran through and dragged Falcon defenders for extra yards.
Perhaps the most intriguing part about Charbonnet’s performance is that he tied for second on the team in receptions with five catches Saturday. If he can become a consistent receiving threat out of the backfield on top of his ability to control the game on the ground, watch out.
The former Michigan transfer entered this season with a chance to prove himself as one of the best running backs in all of college football. If Saturday was any indication, Charbonnet will be a household name soon enough.
An unexpected WR1?
The buzz all offseason was that Bobo was going to be Thompson-Robinson’s go-to target in 2022.
And while it’s not fair to make any harsh judgments four quarters into the season, that didn’t look to be the case Saturday. Bobo was targeted just three times, making three catches for all of 38 yards. While Thompson-Robinson has raved about the 6-foot-5 Bobo’s ability to make contested catches, he didn’t really take any chances on 50/50 balls.
Instead, redshirt junior wide receiver Kazmeir Allen looked to be the centerpiece of UCLA’s offense. The converted running back was targeted 13 times on the afternoon, making 10 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.
While Thompson-Robinson admitted after the game that he’s still trying to figure out how to best use his new weapons on offense, the chemistry between the pair of long-time Bruins and Allen’s comfort in the blue and gold’s offense seemed to have an impact.
One of the fastest and most versatile players in the country, Allen is no longer just a home-run hitter for UCLA. He could easily be the Bruins’ top receiver in 2022.
Transfers lead the way on defense
Much was made this offseason about the turnover across UCLA’s defense.
With a new defensive coordinator in Bill McGovern and a bevy of transfer additions starting on defense, the Bruins were largely a question mark on that side of the ball. But with the defense conceding just 162 yards and one touchdown, the future looks bright for this group.
Senior linebacker Darius Muasau – a transfer from Hawai’i coming off back-to-back 100-tackle seasons – looked like everything he was advertised to be. He played with speed and control and made his presence known in the middle of the defense.
In addition to his four tackles, Muasau scooped up a fumble and took it 42 yards to the house before a penalty nullified the return. He should certainly anchor the UCLA linebacker corps this year.
Redshirt sophomore defensive linemen Gabriel and Grayson Murphy also looked the part, with both finding their way into the backfield on multiple occasions and the latter recording one of UCLA’s two sacks on the afternoon.
It’s a new group that hasn’t been truly tested yet, but the early returns look good for the Bruins’ defense.
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