Oklahoma vs UCLA review. Saturday night revealed many things about the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the UCLA Bruins. Unfortunately for the Bruins, not many positives came from the game in Pasadena.
Conversely, for the Sooners, everything came up “roses”. Oklahoma is operating like a well-oiled machine after a seem-less 3-0 start.
With that being said, this is our review.
Oklahoma vs UCLA Review
UCLA
There were not many positives to be taken from this game for the Bruins. The UCLA offense was as anemic as it was in the first two games. The Bruins once again, as in the first two games could only manage 14 points.
The Bruins are off to an 0-3 start for the second straight year for the first time in school history. At this point, it doesn’t appear that UCLA will be favored in any of the remaining games on the schedule.
Future of the Program
Head coach Chip Kelly has asked the administration to give him four to five years to rebuild the program from a talent standpoint. But is recruiting good enough to warrant that patience from the administration? ESPN ranked the Bruins recruiting class of 2019 at 44thand the current class ranking of 2020 is 66th as of today.
Fan support is virtually non-existent. Despite the university giving free admission to any fan that attended the UCLA vs San Diego State game paid attendance was less than 53,000, and actual attendance was far less with well over half in attendance being Oklahoma fans. The future doesn’t look bright for the current staff.
Oklahoma
Conversely, there was not much negative from the Oklahoma perspective. Oklahoma pretty much did whatever they wanted on offense. On the other side of the ball, the defense is showing improvement every week.
Defense
It’s clear that the aggressive style of defense that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has installed is both working and players are buying in to it. This defense looks nothing like the previous versions in the last few years.
All things considered, there is still room for improvement on the defensive side. The defense still needs to get better at tackling. The secondary still needs improvement, UCLA missed some opportunities but they were unable to convert.
Still yet, the defense is getting better every week. The ultimate regular-season test for the defense will be in Dallas in the Red River Showdown when they take on the Texas Longhorns.
Offense
The Sooner offense was virtually flawless against the Bruins. They racked up 48 points and 611 yards of total offense against a good UCLA defense. The offense reduced mistakes regarding turnovers and penalties. Further, there were zero turnovers and only four penalties.
The special teams performed well also. Oklahoma punter Reeves Mundschau punted two times for a 42-yard average and no returns. Placekicker Calum Sutherland was two-for-two on field goals.
Support has never been higher at the University of Oklahoma for head coach Lincoln Riley and the football program. Fan support is at an all-time high, everything is coming up roses in Norman, Oklahoma.
The Final Thought
In conclusion, Oklahoma’s return to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl produced hugely different results for both teams. For UCLA it created more issues than it resolved. UCLA has some big decisions regarding the future of the football program in the near future.
Conversely, after three impressive wins, Oklahoma appears on track for another run at the CFB playoffs. The Sooners offense is arguably and statistically the best in the nation. Oklahoma also has the leading Heisman trophy candidate and clearly the team leader in Jalen Hurts. Add to that a continually improving defense and the Sooners will be a difficult team to deal with continuing forward in 2019.
