2017 UCLA Bruins football team

Summary

The 2017 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bruins played its home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. They began the season coached by sixth-year head coach Jim L. Mora. They competed as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

2017 UCLA Bruins football
Cactus Bowl, L 17–35 vs. Kansas State
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionSouth division
Record6–7 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJedd Fisch (1st season)
Offensive schemePro spread
Defensive coordinatorTom Bradley (3rd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumRose Bowl
Uniform
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 20 Stanford xy   7 2     9 5  
No. 16 Washington x   7 2     10 3  
Washington State   6 3     9 4  
Oregon   4 5     7 6  
California   2 7     5 7  
Oregon State   0 9     1 11  
South Division
No. 12 USC xy$   8 1     11 3  
Arizona State   6 3     7 6  
Arizona   5 4     7 6  
UCLA   4 5     6 7  
Utah   3 6     7 6  
Colorado   2 7     5 7  
Championship: USC 31, Stanford 28
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

On November 19, one day after UCLA lost its third consecutive match-up against its crosstown rival USC, Jim Mora was fired. He finished the season 5–6, with a 3–5 record in Pac-12 play. Following Mora's dismissal, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch was chosen to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The Bruins won all six of their home games and lost all six of their road games during the regular season. In all, they were outscored by their opponents by a combined score of 476 to 422.

Recruiting edit

Position key edit

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 edit

The Bruins signed a total of 18 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kanan Ray
OG
Chatsworth, California Sierra Canyon School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Mar 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jaelan Phillips
DE
Redlands, California Redlands East Valley HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Apr 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jaylan Shaw
CB
Corona, California Centennial HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 3, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jimmy Jaggers
TE
Roseville, California Roseville HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 244 lb (111 kg) Aug 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Quentin Lake
CB
Santa Ana, California Mater Dei HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Austin Burton
QB
Winter Garden, Florida Winter Garden HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Aug 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Greg Rogers
DT
Las Vegas, Nevada Arbor View HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 305 lb (138 kg) Nov 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Rahyme Johnson
LB
Los Angeles, California Salesian HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jan 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Martin Andrus
DT
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 280 lb (130 kg) Jan 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Darnay Holmes
CB
Calabasas, California Calabasas HS 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jax Wacaser
OG
Scottsdale, Arizona Saguaro HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 260 lb (120 kg) Jan 11, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Moses Robinson-Carr
TE
Lancaster, California Antelope Valley HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jan 15, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Odua Isibor
DE
Phoenix, Arizona St. Mary's HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jan 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Morrell Osling
CB
Lancaster, California Antelope Valley HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Zack Sweeney
OG
Fort Lauderdale, Florida St. Thomas Aquinas HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 270 lb (120 kg) Jan 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Elijah Gates
CB
Buena Park, California Buena Park HS 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 23, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Sean Seawards
OG
Scottsdale, Arizona Saguaro HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 315 lb (143 kg) Jan 31, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Stephan Zabie
OT
Austin, Texas Westlake HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Feb 1, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
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 January 25, 2017.
  • "2017 UCLA Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 25, 2017.

Personnel edit

Coaching staff edit

Name Position Joined staff
Jim Mora Head coach 2011
Tom Bradley Defensive coordinator 2015
Jedd Fisch Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks 2017
Rip Scherer Senior associate head coach / tight ends 2015
Jimmie Dougherty Pass game coordinator / wide receivers 2017
Hank Fraley Offensive line 2017
Angus McClure Recruiting coordinator / defensive line 2007
DeShaun Foster Running backs 2017
Scott White Special team coach / Linebackers 2015
Demetrice Martin Assistant head coach – defense / defensive backs 2011
Sal Alosi Strength and conditioning coordinator 2012

Roster edit

2017 UCLA Bruins Roster

Quarterback

  •  3 Josh RosenJunior
  • 12 Austin Burton – Freshman
  • 17 Matt Lynch –   Freshman
  • 18 Devon Modster –   Freshman
  • 19 Craig Myers –   Junior
  • 25 Justin Saleh –   Freshman

Running back

  •  1 Soso Jamabo – Junior
  •  4 Bolu Olorunfunmi – Junior
  • 20 Brandon StephensSophomore
  • 23 Nate Starks – Senior
  • 28 Kahlil Muhammad –   Sophomore
  • 30 Zachary Byrge –   Sophomore
  • 32 Jalen Starks – Sophomore

Fullback

  • 40 Justin Rittman –   Junior

Receiver

  •  2 Jordan Lasley  Junior
  •  6 Stephen Johnson III –   Sophomore
  •  7 Darren Andrews  Senior
  •  9 Dymond Lee –   Freshman
  • 10 Demetric Felton  Freshman
  • 11 Audie Omotosho –   Freshman
  • 11 Trae Smith –   Junior
  • 14 Theo Howard – Sophomore
  • 21 Mossi Johnson – Senior
  • 24 Damian Alloway –   Freshman
  • 26 Alvoid Bennett –   Freshman
  • 27 Xan Cuevas –   Junior
  • 29 Brad Sochowski –   Junior
  • 31 Will McClure –   Junior
  • 39 Ethan FerneaSophomore
  • 82 Eldridge Massington –   Senior
  • 83 Alex Van Dyke – Senior

Tight end

  • 44 Alex Rassool –   Junior
  • 45 Giovanni Gentosi –   Junior
  • 81 Caleb Wilson  Sophomore
  • 85 Moses Robinson-Carr – Freshman
  • 86 Devin AsiasiSophomore
  • 87 Jordan Wilson –   Freshman
  • 88 Austin Roberts  Junior
  • 89 Jimmy Jaggers – Freshman
 

Offensive lineman

  • 51 Markus Boyer – Senior
  • 52 Scott Quessenberry  Senior
  • 53 Nolan Dellibovi –   Freshman
  • 53 Jax Wacaser – Freshman
  • 54 Kanan Ray – Freshman
  • 55 Michael Alves –   Freshman
  • 56 Josh Wariboko-Alali –   Sophomore
  • 58 Gyo Shojima  Senior
  • 59 Zack Bateman –   Senior
  • 60 Zack Sweeney – Freshman
  • 63 Sean Seawards – Freshman
  • 65 Paco Perez –   Freshman
  • 66 Sunny Odogwu –   Senior
  • 68 Clayton Demski –   Freshman
  • 69 Najee ToranSenior
  • 70 Stephan Zabié – Freshman
  • 71 Poasi Moala –   Senior
  • 73 Jake Burton –   Freshman
  • 74 Alex Akingbulu  Freshman
  • 75 Andre James  Sophomore
  • 76 Kenny Lacy –   Senior
  • 77 Kolton Miller  Junior

Defensive lineman

  • 11 Keisean Lucier-South –   Sophomore
  • 15 Jaelan PhillipsFreshman
  • 35 Ainuu Taua –   Junior
  • 44 Martin Andrus – Freshman
  • 56 Greg Rogers – Freshman
  • 70 Jaypal Bedi –   Junior
  • 75 Boss Tagaloa – Sophomore
  • 90 Rick Wade –   Sophomore
  • 91 Jacob Tuioti-MarinerSenior
  • 92 Osa Odighizuwa  Freshman
  • 93 Chigozie Nnoruka –   Sophomore
  • 94 Nick Terry –   Senior
  • 95 Marcus Moore –   Freshman
  • 97 Igbinoghodua Isibor – Freshman
  • 99 Matt DickersonSenior
 

Linebacker

  •  2 Josh Woods – Junior
  • 12 Rahyme Johnson – Freshman
  • 14 Krys BarnesSophomore
  • 20 Leni Toailoa –   Freshman
  • 32 Mique Juarez –   Freshman
  • 40 Josh Chambers –   Freshman
  • 42 Kenny YoungSenior
  • 46 Donovan Williams – Freshman
  • 52 Lokeni Toailoa – Sophomore
  • 55 Breland Brandt –   Freshman

Defensive back

  •  1 Darnay HolmesFreshman
  •  3 Brandon Burton – Sophomore
  •  4 Jaleel Wadood – Senior
  •  6 Adarius Pickett  Junior
  •  7 Morrell Osling III – Freshman
  •  9 Elijah Gates – Freshman
  • 10 Colin Samuel –   Sophomore
  • 17 DeChaun Holiday –   Sophomore
  • 18 Octavius Spencer – Junior
  • 22 Nate MeadorsJunior
  • 23 Will Lockett –   Sophomore
  • 24 Jaylan Shaw – Freshman
  • 25 Denzel Fisher –   Junior
  • 26 Jason Baker –   Sophomore
  • 27 Tre Polamalu –   Freshman
  • 28 Keyon Riley –   Freshman
  • 37 Quentin LakeFreshman
  • 39 Michael Mapes –   Freshman

Punter

  • 20 Stefan Flintoft –   Junior
  • 92 Austin Kent – Sophomore
  • 99 Crawford Pierson –   Freshman

Kicker

  • 15 Andrew Strauch –   Sophomore
  • 17 JJ Molson – Sophomore

Long snapper

  • 30 Johnny Den Bleyker – Sophomore
  • 58 Koby Walsh – Sophomore

Sources: [1][2]

Schedule edit

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 34:30 p.m.Texas A&M*FOXW 45–4464,635
September 92:00 p.m.Hawaii*
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
P12NW 56–2350,444
September 169:00 a.m.at Memphis*No. 25ABCL 45–4846,291
September 237:30 p.m.at StanfordESPNL 34–5848,042
September 307:30 p.m.Colorado
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
ESPN2W 27–2361,338
October 146:00 p.m.at ArizonaP12NL 30–4748,380
October 211:00 p.m.Oregon 
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
P12NW 31–1455,711
October 2812:30 p.m.at No. 12 WashingtonABC/ESPN2L 23–4469,847
November 36:30 p.m.at UtahFS1L 17–4845,902
November 116:30 p.m.Arizona State
  • Rose Bowl
  • Pasadena, CA
P12NW 44–3753,847
November 185:00 p.m.at No. 12 USCABCL 23–2882,407
November 247:30 p.m.California
FS1W 30–2750,287
December 266:00 p.m.vs. Kansas State*ESPNL 17–3532,859
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Pacific time

[1]

Game summaries edit

Texas A&M edit

Texas A&M Aggies (0–0) at UCLA Bruins (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Aggies 17 21 6044
Bruins 3 7 72845

at Rose BowlPasadena, California

  • Date: September 3
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy • 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind S/SW 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
  • Game attendance: 64,635
  • Referee: John McDavid
  • TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft
  • Scoring Summary (Final)
Game information

Josh Rosen completed 35 of 59 passes for 491 yards and four touchdowns to rally UCLA to a 45–44 win over Texas A&M.[2] The Bruins overcame a 34-point deficit, the largest comeback in school history and the second-most ever in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Michigan State had a 35-point comeback win over Northwestern in 2006.[3]

Hawaii edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Rainbow Warriors 0 7 7 9 23
Bruins 14 21 14 7 56

Rosen threw a career-high five touchdowns, including three to Darren Andrews, in a 56–23 win over Hawaii. The quarterback completed 22 of 25 passes for 329 yards. It was the 12th 300-yard game of his career, breaking the school record of 11 set previously by Cade McNown. The Bruins raced out to a 14–0 lead after the first quarter and 35–7 at halftime. Theo Howard finished the game with a career-high seven receptions for 110 yards with a touchdown.[4]

Memphis edit

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 25 Bruins 7 17 14 7 45
Tigers 7 20 14 7 48

UCLA rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter before falling 48–45 to Memphis. Rosen finished with 463 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw his first two interceptions of the season. The first was by the Tigers' linebacker Tim Hart, who returned it for a 60-yard touchdown to put Memphis ahead 41–31.[5] UCLA had entered the national rankings that week at No. 25.[6]

Stanford edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Bruins 3 10 14 7 34
Cardinal 6 17 14 21 58

Colorado edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Buffaloes 7 3 10 3 23
Bruins 7 7 7 6 27

Arizona edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Bruins 7 7 16 0 30
Wildcats 17 13 10 7 47

The Bruins surrendered 457 yards rushing to Arizona and were outgained 605–409 in total yards in a 47–30 loss, the first defeat to the Wildcats in UCLA coach Jim Mora's tenure. Rosen was 20-for-34 passing for 219 yards with no touchdowns and a career-high three interceptions.[7] It was his first time in the season he was held under 300 yards,[7] ending a streak of seven games dating back to 2016.[8]

Oregon edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Ducks 0 14 0 0 14
Bruins 14 0 10 7 31

Washington edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Bruins 3 6 0 14 23
Huskies 3 17 17 7 44

Utah edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Bruins 0 10 0 7 17
Utes 7 10 21 10 48

Arizona State edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Sun Devils 14 7 13 3 37
Bruins 7 13 14 10 44

After being out the previous week with a concussion, Rosen returned to the lineup and threw for 381 yards with one touchdown and also scored on a 1-yard run in a 44–37 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils. He connected with Jordan Lasley on a 22-yard score on the first play of the fourth quarter, as the Bruins outscored the Sun Devils 10–3 in the final quarter to pull away. Starting slowly, Rosen was just 10-for-25 at halftime, but was 15-of-20 for 225 yards in the second half.[9]

USC edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Bruins 7 0 7 9 23
Trojans 14 0 7 7 28

In his first matchup against USC quarterback Sam Darnold, Rosen was 32 of 52 passing for 421 yards along with three touchdowns and an interception in a 28–23 loss to the Trojans. The two passers were among the top prospects for the 2018 NFL draft.[10][11]

With their loss to USC, the Bruins finished the regular season with a winless 0–6 record on the road and extended their overall road losing streak to 10 games. Additionally, this was head coach Jim Mora's final game at UCLA, as he was fired the following morning.

California edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Bears 3 6 8 10 27
Bruins 7 10 7 6 30

In the regular season finale against California, the Bruins won 30–27 to become bowl-eligible. Rosen led the Bruins to a 17–9 lead at the half, but was held out the rest of the game for precautionary reasons after he suffered three sacks, including one late in the second quarter when he was slow to get up after being thrown to the ground. He finished 13-of-18 passing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. UCLA finished undefeated at home for the first time since 2005.[12]

Kansas State–Cactus Bowl edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 7 0 14 14 35
Bruins 3 14 0 0 17

Officials: Jer. Magallanes (Referee); Johnnie Forte (Umpire); Matt Fitzgerald(Linesman); Tim Graham (Line Judge); Rob Luklan (Back Judge); Wayne Rundell (Field Judge); George Liotus (Side Judge).

Rankings edit

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRV25
CoachesRVRVRV
CFPNot releasedNot released

Notes edit

  • July 1, 2017 – Apparel agreement with Under Armour begins
  • August 1, 2017 – The Wasserman Football Center is dedicated
  • August 2, 2017 – Training camp starts at Spaulding Field
  • August 5, 2017 – Former player Kenny Easley is inducted into Pro-Football Hall-of-Fame
  • November 19, 2017 - Jim Mora is fired; Jedd Fisch is named interim head coach
  • November 25, 2017 – Chip Kelly named head football coach
  • November 28, 2017 – Kenny Young named Pac-12 Player of Week

Awards and honors edit

  • Sep. 5 – Josh Rosen was named Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player-of-the-week

References edit

  1. ^ "2017 UCLA Bruins Football Schedule". Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. ^ "Josh Rosen leads UCLA to biggest FBS comeback since 2006". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Thamel, Pete (September 4, 2017). "How Josh Rosen and UCLA delivered one of the greatest comebacks ever". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Bolch, Ben (September 9, 2017). "Josh Rosen has a career-best five touchdown passes as UCLA downs Hawaii 56-23". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017.
  5. ^ Bolch, Ben (September 16, 2017). "Josh Rosen tries to will UCLA to win but falters in 48-45 loss to Memphis". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "Ferguson leads Memphis to 48-45 upset of No. 25 UCLA". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 17, 2017. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (October 14, 2017). "Khalil Tate runs all over UCLA as Arizona beats Bruins". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017.
  8. ^ Bolch, Ben (October 13, 2017). "UCLA's Josh Rosen is having a Heisman-caliber season, but he's not in discussions for award". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017.
  9. ^ "Rosen throws for 381 yards, UCLA beats Arizona State 44-37". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017.
  10. ^ Bonagura, Kyle (November 19, 2017). "Sound familiar? UCLA's Josh Rosen had the stats, USC's Sam Darnold got the win". ESPN.com.
  11. ^ Cimini, Rich (November 19, 2017). "Crank up the band: It's Sam Darnold vs. Josh Rosen as the NFL watches". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017.
  12. ^ Bolch, Ben (November 24, 2017). "UCLA beats Cal in final seconds after Josh Rosen is knocked out of game". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017.