College programs are no longer waiting around for improvement on offense if they are not getting the desired results with so many styles available now. Out is Norm Chow's West Coast offense and in comes the Pistol. Sophomore QB Kevin Prince will have to adapt quickly to the shotgun offense that works the quick passing game. He should have no problem improving on the 2000 yards and eight touchdowns Prince tossed as a Freshman. RB Jonathan Franklin is the teams leading returning rusher gaining 566 yards with five touchdowns as a Freshman. UCLA settled on a running back by committee last year, but Franklin should see a majority of the carries along with Junior back Derrick Coleman. The receiving core will be a strength this season as both Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree return. The two combined for 87 catches and snagged four touchdowns out of only 10 thrown as a team. Colorado transfer Josh Smith has game breaking ability at receiver and returning kicks, while TE Joseph Fauria left Notre Dame to be a Bruin. Kicker Kai Forbath has to be mentioned in the offensive analysis after winning the Lou Groza award for the top kicker in FBS a year ago.
Only five starters return for a defense that was average for most of 2009. UCLA will have to find a way to replace DT Brian Price and his 16.5 tackles for loss that included 7 sacks. Not only did Price produce, but he garnered a lot of attention up front. Akeem Ayers will provide leadership at the linebacker position and is the Bruins most versatile defender. His 75 tackles ranked third on the team along with his four interceptions. The secondary was a strength last season, holding opponents to 191 yards passing per game. One of the main reasons for this was FS Rahim Moore and his NCAA leading 10 interceptions. The Bruins lost their best cornerback Alterraun Verner and will start two Sophomores. A showdown at home with Houston on Sept 18th will test the secondary in a variety of ways.
Matching the 7 win season from a year ago is going to be a tough task after looking over UCLA's schedule. It is ranked as the third toughest in college football and includes only one game out of the power conferences (Houston). The Bruins should be much better offensively, but I am not a believer in the defense. Their early season match-up with Stanford will be a good indicator on how the 2010 season will unfold. I believe they take a step back and go 4-8.
