UCLA Bruins
Pac-12
UCLA has taken tremendous strides in the last several seasons under Jim Mora, Jr. 2013-2014 is no different. They fought hard to make it to the Pac-12 Championship, but a couple of stumbles in conference derailed their hopes of fighting for supremacy. At least this year they were not outshined by their crosstown rivals, USC (at least not on the field). UCLA has long been number two in Los Angeles, and now they are part of the conversation about winning teams each season. There is talent on this team on both sides of the ball as they look to win their first bowl game since 2009.
2013 Record: 9-3, 6-3
Coach: Jim Mora
Coach Bowl Record: 0-1
Big Wins: 9/14 at Nebraska (41-21), 11/30 at USC (35-14)
Bad Losses: 10/26 at Oregon (14-42), 11/23 Arizona State (33-38)
Strengths:
UCLA may very well have the best quarterback in the conference. Oregon may have a dispute with that, but Brett Hundley is great at what he does. He leads the conference in completion percentage by a fair margin. The Bruins also had the best third down conversion rate over the course of the season. They were able to keep their defense on the sideline and extend drives to keep up with the strong offenses in the Pac-12. In fact, the Bruins were in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense. In any other conference that probably would have been better than fourth in the rankings. Hundley and his counterparts racked up almost 450 yards per game, putting them in near elite-level company. Their ability to get takeaways also facilitated their ability to press the ball downfield. They had no gaudy turnover stats, but often times they found themselves on the right side of a fumble. Hundley only threw nine interceptions on the season.
Weaknesses:
UCLA tended to struggle on the defensive side of the ball. Their ability to turn the ball over shines a bit of a light on a defense that was not very stout. It is difficult for any team to matchup with teams like Oregon or Stanford no matter who they are, but the Bruins still allowed 393 yards per game. They had some trouble finding the quarterback for a good portion of the season. They ranked in the bottom third of the conference in sacks. The defense also allowed a good chunk of yards per play allowing teams to get into a rhythm. Where the offense struggled was in protection for Hundley. Their offensive line had a hard time keeping rushers at bay. Hundley took his share of hits, but backs were getting caught before the line of scrimmage as well. They were dead last in the conference in allowing backfield pressure. The Bruins were also an undisciplined bunch. They earned the fourth most penalties per game of any team in the country, a whopping 8.2.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Brett Hundley, QB, 587 yards
Passing: Brett Hundley, QB, 2,845 yards
Receiving: Shaquell Evans, WR, 617 yards
Tackles: Eric Kendricks, LB, 105
Sacks: Anthony Barr, LB, 10.0
Interceptions: Ishmael Adams, CB, 4
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 196.6 (38th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 251.6 (44, 7)
Total Offense: 448.2 (37, 7)
Scoring Offense: 36.5 (24, 4)
Rushing Defense: 171.7 (74, 8)
Pass Defense: 221.1 (46, 4)
Total Defense: 392.8 (56, 6)
Scoring Defense: 24.1 (42, 5)
Turnover Margin: 0.8 (17, 2)
Sacks: 2.42 (38, 6)
Sacks Allowed: 2.83 (108, 11)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Holiday Bowl Baylor (26-49)
2011 Fight Hunger Bowl Illinois (14-20)
2009 Eagle Bank Bowl Temple (30-21)
2007 Las Vegas Bowl BYU (16-17)
2006 Emerald Bowl Florida State (27-44)
2005 Sun Bowl Northwestern (50-38)
*all team stats through 11/30
