Coach Chip Kelly and the UCLA football team look to maintain their road success while bucking a trend Saturday.
UCLA, which is 2-0 on the road this season, travels to Seattle for a Pac-12 game against Washington, which has won the past two meetings with the Bruins.
The Bruins last played the Huskies at the Rose Bowl in 2018 and haven’t made a trip to Seattle since 2017. The Bruins’ last victory over the Huskies came on the road in 2014.
The Huskies (2-3, 1-1) would be 2-0 in the Pac-12 if not for surrendering a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in a 27-24 loss to Oregon State on Oct. 2 on a field goal as time expired.
Kelly has taken the necessary steps this week at practice to prepare the Bruins for a loud environment and the possibility of rain.
The Bruins (4-2, 2-1) worked with a wet football throughout the week.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson pointed to a slippery football at the Rose Bowl against Fresno State as the reason for one of his fumbles this season. Several players were also seen slipping on the field throughout that nonconference loss.
While the Bruins have not played any sort of virtual crowd noise over their loudspeakers during practice, the team does have music playing throughout the morning practices.
“One of the reasons we play music during practice is so that we can practice auditory exclusion,” Kelly said. “I couldn’t tell you what the playlist is because I don’t pay attention to it.”
While this week’s playlist featured grunge, the alternative rock sound believed to have born in the mid-1980s in Seattle and its surrounding areas, Thompson-Robinson and Kelly said they didn’t pick up on it.
“It gets pretty quiet when you’re tuned in and locked into the game and your assignment,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I didn’t even notice they were doing that.”
When UCLA has the ball
Kelly must establish the run game early and continue to find success in the backfield with Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown.
The tandem produced an impressive showing to make up a bulk of the 411 yards of total offense against Arizona last week.
Brown rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries; Charbonnet rushed for 117 yards on 21 carries.
Despite the successful run game, Kelly says he has respect for Jimmy Lake, who is in his second season as the Huskies’ defensive-minded head coach.
While statistics may suggest otherwise, Kelly has recognized some potential challenges the offense may face against the Huskies’ defense Saturday.
“We have to run the ball to be successful,” Kelly said. “We want to throw the ball and we really want to be balanced in every game we play, but how the game unfolds during the course of the game is how you end up managing and calling the plays.”
When Washington has the ball
The Bruins have made it difficult for opponents to run the football against them this season.
The Huskies have used a variety of players out of the backfield. Former St. John Bosco standout Sean McGrew has played in only three of the Huskies’ five games, but serves as the team’s leading rusher. McGrew has 188 yards and six touchdowns on 38 carries.
The Huskies may benefit from the return of running back Richard Newton, who played in the three nonconference games to start the season before a series of injuries kept him inactive during conference play. With the Huskies coming off a bye week, there’s a possibility for Newton to return to the lineup.
Quarterback Dylan Morris has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions. If the Bruins’ front seven can pressure Morris into making bad decisions, there could be an opportunity for turnovers.
Taj Davis (Upland High) and Terrell Bynum (St. John Bosco) are leading the Huskies’ receiving efforts this season.
They will challenge a UCLA secondary that is slowly getting back to full strength, after safeties Quentin Lake and Kenny Churchwell III overcame injuries to play last week against Arizona. Defensive back Mo Osling III remains questionable for this week.
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