2019 UCLA Bruins football team

2019 UCLA Bruins football
2019 UCLA Bruins football
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
	South Division
Record	4–8 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach	Chip Kelly (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Justin Frye (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Azzinaro (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Rose Bowl
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

The 2019 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bruins play their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. UCLA competed as a member of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was led by second-year head coach Chip Kelly. The Bruins began the season 1–5 before winning three straight games. However, the Bruins then lost their final three games of the season. They finished the season 4–8 overall and 4–5 in Pac-12 play, tying Arizona State for third place in the Pac-12 South Division, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 417 to 320. The Bruins' average attendance at home was 43,848, their lowest since 1982 when they moved to the Rose Bowl.^[1]

2019 Pac-12 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
North Division
No. 5 Oregon x$	8	–	1	12	–	2
California	4	–	5	8	–	5
Washington	4	–	5	8	–	5
Oregon State	4	–	5	5	–	7
Washington State	3	–	6	6	–	7
Stanford	3	–	6	4	–	8
South Division
No. 16 Utah x	8	–	1	11	–	3
USC	7	–	2	8	–	5
Arizona State	4	–	5	8	–	5
UCLA	4	–	5	4	–	8
Colorado	3	–	6	5	–	7
Arizona	2	–	7	4	–	8
Championship: Oregon 37, Utah 15
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Offseason

Coaching changes

Outside linebackers and special teams coach Roy Manning left to become the cornerbacks coach at Oklahoma. He was replaced by Jason Kaufusi.

2019 NFL Draft

Bruins who were picked in the 2019 NFL Draft:

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Team
7	254	Caleb Wilson	Tight end	Arizona Cardinals

Preseason

Pac-12 media days

Pac-12 media poll

In the 2019 Pac-12 preseason media poll, UCLA was voted to finish in a tie for third with Arizona State in third place in the South Division.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (South Division)
1	Utah	206 (33)
2	USC	167 (2)
3	Arizona State	118
3	UCLA	118
5	Arizona	85
6	Colorado	46

Position key

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Bruins signed a total of 15 recruits during the Early Signing Period.^[3]^[4]^[5]

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Sean Rhyan OT	San Juan Capistrano, California	San Juan Hills High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	302 lb (137 kg)	Dec 4, 2018
Sean Rhyan OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Shamar Martin CB	San Diego, California	Morse High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 23, 2018
Shamar Martin CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Charles Njoku WR	Wayne, New Jersey	Wayne Hills High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)
Charles Njoku WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
William Nimmo S	Santa Ana, California	Mater Dei High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 25, 2018
William Nimmo S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Duke Clemens OT	Honolulu, Hawaii	Punahou School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	268 lb (122 kg)	Jul 18, 2018
Duke Clemens OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
John Ward LB	Palmdale, California	Palmdale High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	227 lb (103 kg)	Jul 21, 2018
John Ward LB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Datona Jackson DE	Union City, Ohio	College of the Desert	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Datona Jackson DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Beau Taylor OG	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bishop Gorman High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	286 lb (130 kg)	Jun 27, 2018
Beau Taylor OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Chase Griffin QB	Hutto, Texas	Hutto High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	Jun 15, 2018
Chase Griffin QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Siale Liku DT	Oakland, California	Oakland High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	323 lb (147 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Siale Liku DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jahmon McClendon RB	Spring Valley, California	Monte Vista High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sep 18, 2018
Jahmon McClendon RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Carl Jones S	Bakersfield, California	Bakersfield High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Dec 13, 2018
Carl Jones S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kain Medrano WR	Pueblo, Colorado	East High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jul 25, 2018
Kain Medrano WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jaylen Erwin WR	Charlotte, North Carolina	Hutchinson Community College	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Jaylen Erwin WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Noah Keeter OLB	Gainesville, Florida	Buchholz High School	N/A	N/A	Dec 19, 2018
Noah Keeter OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Hayden Harris ATH	Sammamish, Washington	Eastside Catholic School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Hayden Harris ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Josh Carlin OG	Chatsworth, California	Sierra Canyon School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	277 lb (126 kg)	Dec 19, 2018
Josh Carlin OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Keegan Jones RB	Sammamish, Washington	Eastside Catholic School	N/A	N/A	Dec 19, 2018
Keegan Jones RB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Michael Martinez TE	Santa Ana, CA	Mater Dei High School	N/A	N/A	Dec 19, 2018
Michael Martinez TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "UCLA Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at UCLA	Alma mater (year)
Chip Kelly	Head coach	2nd	New Hampshire (1990)
Justin Frye	Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach	2nd	Indiana (2006)
Dana Bible	Quarterbacks coach	2nd	Cincinnati (1976)
Jerry Azzinaro	Defensive coordinator	2nd	American International College (1982)
DeShaun Foster	Running backs coach	3rd	UCLA (2002)
Jimmie Dougherty	Wide receivers/Passing game coordinator	3rd	Missouri (2001)
Vince Oghobaase	Defensive line coach	2nd	Duke (2010)
Don Pellum	Linebackers coach	2nd	Oregon (1985)
Paul Rhoads	Defensive backs coach	2nd	Missouri Western (1988)
Jason Kaufusi	Outside linebackers coach	1st	Utah (2004)
Derek Sage	Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator	2nd	Cal State Northridge (2003)

Roster

2019 UCLA Bruins Roster

Quarterback

1 Dorian Thompson-Robinson – Sophomore
3 Chase Artopoeus – Freshman
4 Blake Kirshner – Freshman
7 Colson Yankoff – Freshman
11 Chase Griffin – Freshman
12 Austin Burton – Sophomore

Running back

15 Martell Irby – Sophomore
19 Kazmeir Allen – Sophomore
22 Keegan Jones – Freshman
24 Sitiveni Kaufusi – Freshman
27 Joshua Kelley Senior
28 Cole Kinder – Sophomore
32 Christian Grubb – Freshman
33 Jahmon McClendon – Freshman

Receiver

2 Kyle Philips – Freshman
9 Dymond Lee – Junior
10 Demetric Felton – Junior
14 Theo Howard – Senior
15 Jaylen Erwin – Senior
17 Josiah Norwood – Freshman
18 Kain Medrano – Freshman
20 Charles Njoku – Freshman
21 Michael Ezeike – Sophomore
23 Chase Cota – Sophomore
26 Ashton Authement – Freshman
29 Delon Hurt – Sophomore
36 Ethan Fernea – Senior
37 Hudson Habermehl – Freshman

Tight end

81 Matt Lynch – Junior
82 Josh Harris – Sophomore
83 David Priebe – Freshman
85 Greg Dulcich – Freshman
86 Devin Asiasi – Junior
87 Jordan Wilson – Junior
88 Mike Martinez – Freshman
89 Michael Churich – Freshman

Offensive lineman

53 Luke Young – Freshman
55 Michael Alves – Junior
56 Brad Whitworth – Freshman
57 Jon Gaines II – Freshman
62 Duke Clemens – Freshman
64 Sam Marrazzo – Sophomore
65 Stephen DeFranco – Freshman
66 Mohamed Khalil – Freshman
66 Josh Carlin – Freshman
70 Alec Anderson – Freshman
71 Baraka Beckett – Freshman
72 Zach Cochrun – Sophomore
73 Jake Burton – Junior
74 Sean Rhyan – Freshman
75 Boss Tagaloa – Senior
76 Christaphany Murray – Sophomore
77 Beau Taylor – Freshman
78 Lucas Gramlick – Freshman

Defensive lineman

44 Martin Andrus, Jr. – Junior
50 Tyler Manoa – Sophomore
51 Ethan Matus – Freshman
53 Winston Polite – Freshman
55 Steven Mason – Junior
56 Atonio Mafi – Sophomore
58 Datona Jackson – Junior
61 Carson Drake – Freshman
90 David Vardanian – Junior
91 Otito Ogbonnia – Sophomore
92 Osa Odighizuwa – Junior
93 Ulysses Aburto – Freshman
94 Dovid Magna – Freshman
97 Odua Isibor – Sophomore
99 Elijah Wade – Sophomore

Linebacker

2 Josh Woods – Senior
11 Keisean Lucier-South – Senior
12 Rahyme Johnson – Sophomore
14 Krys Barnes – Senior
25 Tyree Thompson – Senior
26 Leni Toailoa – Junior
29 Adam Cohen – Sophomore
33 Bo Calvert – Sophomore
39 Barret Albright – Freshman
41 Jayce Smalley – Sophomore
43 Je'Vari Anderson – Senior
43 James Dinneen – Freshman
45 Anthony James – Freshman
46 Hayden Harris – Freshman
47 Erich Osteen – Freshman
47 Shea Pitts – Sophomore
48 Noah Keeter – Freshman
49 Jonny Garnett – Freshman
52 Lokeni Toailoa – Senior
54 John Ward – Freshman
57 Connor Barbato – Freshman
81 Kayden Hoal – Freshman
95 Jason Harris – Graduate Student

Defensive back

1 Darnay Holmes – Junior
3 Rayshad Williams – Freshman
4 Stephan Blaylock – Sophomore
7 Morrell Osling III – Junior
12 Elijah Gates – Sophomore
19 Alex Johnson – Freshman
19 Jelani Warren – Freshman
23 Kenny Churchwell III – Freshman
24 Jay Shaw – Sophomore
27 Patrick Jolly, Jr. – Freshman
28 Shamar Martin – Freshman
30 Elisha Guidry – Freshman
31 Zack Huffstutter – Freshman
31 Kaleb Tuliau – Freshman
32 William Nimmo, Jr. – Freshman
35 Carl Jones – Freshman
37 Quentin Lake – Junior

Punter

49 Collin Flintoft – Freshman
88 Wade Lees – Graduate Student
99 Carson Olivas – Junior

Kicker

2 Nicholas Barr-Mira – Freshman
17 JJ Molson – Senior
21 Quentin Wallace – Freshman

Long snapper

30 Johnny Den Bleyker – Senior
51 Jack Landherr IV – Freshman
58 Koby Walsh – Junior

Sources: [1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	4:00 p.m.	at Cincinnati*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ESPN	L 14–24	38,032
September 7	1:15 p.m.	San Diego State*	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	P12N	L 14–23	36,951
September 14	5:00 p.m.	No. 5 Oklahoma*	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	FOX	L 14–48	52,578
September 21	7:30 p.m.	at No. 19 Washington State	Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	ESPN	W 67–63	32,952
September 28	7:30 p.m.	at Arizona	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	ESPN	L 17–20	38,283
October 5	6:00 p.m.	Oregon State	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	P12N	L 31–48	48,532
October 17	6:00 p.m.	at Stanford	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	ESPN	W 34–16	31,464
October 26	4:30 p.m.	No. 24 Arizona State	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	P12N	W 42–32	39,811
November 2	6:00 p.m.	Colorado	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	P12N	W 31–14	47,118
November 16	5:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Utah	Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	FOX	L 3–49	47,307
November 23	12:30 p.m.	at No. 23 USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)	ABC	L 35–52	64,156
November 30	7:30 p.m.	California	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (rivalry)	FS1	L 18–28	38,102
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Pacific time

Sources:^[6]

Game summaries

At Cincinnati

UCLA at Cincinnati – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	0	7	7	0	14
Bearcats	7	3	7	7	24

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

Date: August 29
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C); sun, clear
Game attendance: 38,032
Referee: Jay Edwards
TV: ESPN
[2]

Game information

San Diego State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aztecs	10	0	10	3	23
Bruins	7	0	7	0	14

Oklahoma

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Sooners	17	17	7	7	48
Bruins	0	7	7	0	14

At Washington State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	10	7	21	29	67
No. 19 Cougars	7	28	14	14	63

At Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	7	0	10	0	17
Wildcats	0	6	7	7	20

Oregon State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Beavers	21	6	14	7	48
Bruins	0	10	14	7	31

At Stanford

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	14	7	6	7	34
Cardinal	10	0	0	6	16

Dorian Thompson-Robinson returned from a leg injury the month before to throw for two touchdowns and run for another to lead UCLA to a 34–16 win over Stanford, ending their 11-game losing streak against the Cardinal. It was the Bruins longest against any opponent in their first 100 years of football. Joshua Kelley ran for 176 yards on 18 carries for the Bruins. Their defense limited Stanford to a season-low 198 yards and totalled seven sacks, almost equalling their previous season total of nine.^[7]

Arizona State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Sun Devils	7	0	3	22	32
Bruins	14	14	14	0	42

Joshua Kelley ran 34 times for 164 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 42–32 upset over No. 24 Arizona State.^[8]

Colorado

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffaloes	0	7	0	7	14
Bruins	17	0	7	7	31

The Bruins won 31–14 over Colorado for coach Chip Kelly's first three-game winning steak with the team. It was their fourth win of the season, exceeding their total from a year earlier. Thompson-Robinson returned from a knee injury the previous game to pass for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and added 38 yards rushing. Kelley rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns.^[9] UCLA had 426 yards in total offense;^[9] they ran for over 200 yards for five consecutive games for the first time since 1978.^[10]

At Utah

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	3	0	0	0	3
No. 7 Utes	7	21	7	14	49

The Bruins committed a season-high five turnovers in a 49–3 loss to No. 7 Utah. They fell behind 28–3 in the first half, when Thompson-Robinson committed two of his four turnovers. Three times in the half they were inside the Utes' 30-yard line, but managed just three points. They went scoreless in the final 51:55 of the game. Utes running back Zack Moss had 181 of his 200 all-purpose yards by halftime. For the contest, UCLA scored just once in four trips to the red zone, turning it over the other three times. They established a season low for points, and were held without a touchdown for the first time since a 50–0 loss to USC in 2011.^[11]

The Utes outgained the Bruins 536–269 in total yards. UCLA gained just 50 yards rushing against a defense that entered No. 1 in the nation against the run. Kelley had 78 yards rushing on 4.1 yards per carry.^[11]

At USC

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bruins	7	7	14	7	35
No. 23 Trojans	10	14	14	14	52

UCLA surrendered 643 total yards to No. 23 USC as the Bruins lost 52–35.^[12] Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis set a USC school record with 515 passing yards,^[12] which was also the most in the rivalry's history.^[13] The Trojans established a school record with four receivers each catching for over 100 yards.^[12] The game began well for UCLA, who scored on their opening drive, like they had in their four previous wins on the season.^[14] They were up 7–3 late in the first quarter and driving on the USC 27 when Thompson-Robinson was intercepted.^[15] The Bruins were behind 24–14 at halftime.^[13] They drew to within 45–35 with 12:16 remaining in the game after scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half.^[12]

Kelley was held to 45 yards rushing after gaining a rivalry-record 289 a year before against the Trojans.^[14]^[15] With the defense focused on the Bruins running back,^[15] Thompson-Robinson compiled 431 yards in total offense along with four touchdowns. He was 26-of-44 passing for 367 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and ran for 64 yards and another touchdown.^[15] The loss pushed UCLA out of contention for a bowl game, and assured them of four straight losing seasons for the first time since 1924.^[14]

Vs. California

California Golden Bears vs UCLA Bruins

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Bears	7	7	7	7	28
Bruins	7	3	8	0	18

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

Date: November 30, 2019
Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C)
Game attendance: 38,102
Referee: Michael Mothershed
TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Petros Papadakis, Shane Vereen

Game information

First Quarter

UCLA – Jaylen Erwin 19-yard pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson (JJ Molson kick), 8:26. UCLA 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:35.
CAL – Makai Polk 44-yard pass from Chase Garbers (Greg Thomas kick), 3:04. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 91 yards, 2:33.

Second Quarter

CAL – Chase Garbers 1-yard run (Greg Thomas kick), 9:56. CAL 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:57.
UCLA – JJ Molson 31-yard field goal, 0:00. CAL 14–10. Drive: 14 plays, 54 yards, 3:33.

Third Quarter

CAL – Chris Brown Jr. 1-yard run (Greg Thomas kick), 05:38. CAL 21-10. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 5:56.
UCLA – Joshua Kelley 1-yard run (Delon Hurt pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson), 02:26. CAL 21-18. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:04.

Fourth Quarter

CAL – Chris Brown Jr. 10-yard run (Greg Thomas kick), 14:53. CAL 28-18. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:33.

Statistics	CAL	UCLA
First downs	22	24
Total yards	412	401
Rushing yards	182	58
Passing yards	230	343
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	30:38	29:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing	Chase Garbers	17/29, 230 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Christopher Brooks	18 carries, 111 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Makai Polk	4 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD
UCLA	Passing	Dorian Thompson-Robinson	23/39, 278 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Joshua Kelley	19 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Devin Asiasi	8 receptions, 99 yards

UCLA lost 28–18 to California to end their fourth straight losing season and second under coach Kelly. The Golden Bears, who entered with the worst offense in the Pac-12, were led by quarterback Chase Garbers's 230 yards passing and running back Christopher Brown Jr.'s 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns. UCLA lost their last three games, allowing an average of 43 points per game.^[16]

Kelley ran for 76 yards to become the eighth Bruin to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. The attendance of 38,102 gave UCLA an average home crowd of 43,848 for the season, its worst since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982. Their previous low was 49,107 in 1995.^[16]

Statistics

Statistics	UCLA	OPP
First downs	269	263
Plays–yards	916–4868	816–5475
Rushes–yards	490–1802	411–1746
Passing yards	3066	3729
Passing: comp–att–int	260-426-12	269-405-5
Time of possession	364:22	355:36

Awards and honors

September 23, 2019 – Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, running back Demetric Felton was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week, and wide receiver/returner Kyle Philips was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	91	Devin Asiasi	TE	New England Patriots
4	110	Darnay Holmes	CB	New York Giants
4	112	Joshua Kelley	RB	Los Angeles Chargers

References

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

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