Oregon vs. UCLA: 5 Questions With AllBruins' Sam Connon

Oregon and UCLA are both coming off their bye weeks and will have national attention when they face off on Saturday.

To get you ready for this big game we sat with Sam Connon, publisher of Fan Nation's AllBruins covering UCLA.

1. What do you think makes this year's UCLA team better than last year?

On paper, coming into 2022, many expected this UCLA team to take a step back talent-wise. Seven guys were selected in the NFL Draft, plus a few more who signed undrafted free agent contracts, and 21 players entered the transfer portal. The Bruins were always going to start the year with some wins, given their light non-conference schedule and long run of home games, but this is clearly far beyond where people projected them to be halfway through the season.

Having that easy schedule to start the year has actually played a large role in taking this UCLA team to new heights, as coach Chip Kelly could load manage his stars in the early games while the team and its biggest contributors progressively built confidence. New arrivals like receiver Jake Bobo and linebacker Darius Muasau were able to ease their way into the system, so by the time the real games rolled around, they were fully integrated. The defense going from below average to one of the best in the Pac-12 has obviously helped too, as have those transfer additions on both sides of the ball.

2. How much confidence do you have that UCLA will show up on the big stage on the road given that their only road game so far is against Colorado?

UCLA has struggled with winning the big games under Kelly, but it feels like that may be behind them this year. After all, the Bruins hadn't beat Utah since 2015, and then they handled them in Week 6 to further assert themselves as a contender for the conference crown.

It is true that this team has yet to face a real, tough road environment, but a blowout win at USC in 2021 and an epic road comeback over then-No. 19 Washington State in 2019 proves that this core has what it takes. The stakes are big, the environment will be nasty, and those are surely things that could stand in UCLA's way this weekend. But given their recent history and ability even earlier this year to shake off past demons, there isn't anything that makes me think they're incapable of picking up a win in Eugene.

3. How much faith do both you and the UCLA fan base have that Chip Kelly is the long-term guy at head coach?

The UCLA fanbase has been split for probably three years now, when it comes to the true merits of Kelly's success in Westwood. However, even the biggest cynics are more than happy with what they've gotten so far in 2022, and both sides seem confident that this year could end up being very special.

The divide still exists, though, considering the six wins this fall haven't exactly done much to answer questions many had with Kelly coming into the season. The 2023 recruiting class is still one of the worst in the country, while Kelly still does not appear to be making much of an effort to connect with donors, boosters, fans or NIL collectives in any capacity. Of course, winning solves those, and it could help boost recruiting too, so the better the team does off the field, the more those off-the-field questions start to fade away.

But as we've seen in college football the past few years, one season of success can only get you so far. If Ed Orgeron can be out at LSU less than two years after winning a national championship, Kelly will have to do much more than simply win 10 games in 2022 if he wants to coach through the end of his current contract.

4. Other than Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who needs to play well on Saturday if UCLA wants to come away with a win?

Zach Charbonnet did not play very well against Oregon in 2021, rushing for just 35 yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries. There were a lot of other issues that held the Bruins back that game, but the inability to get their top rusher going was definitely damaging.

UCLA is 11-0 when Charbonnet rushes for more than 100 yards, and just 2-4 when he does not. His production goes a layer deeper, since his big days usually line up with when the Bruins are able to control the clock.

They can eat up time when they want to, and then break the game open with big passing plays on play action or read options because the defense has to respect Charbonnet so much. If he's playing at a high level, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jake Bobo, Kazmeir Allen and Hudson Habermehl automatically become even tougher to deal with, so Charbonnet could end up being the key against the Ducks on Saturday.

5. This looks like the most solid UCLA team we've seen in years. That said, what's their greatest weakness in your eyes?

The secondary is better than it has been in year's past, but it still remains to be seen if it can play at a high level consistently. The offense has been nearly flawless ever since the pass protection got a boost in the early weeks of the season, the pass rush is one of the best in the West and the linebackers have a really solid group of contributors in the starting spots.

UCLA's defensive backs have performed admirably this year, and they were able to beat Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. for 75% of that game until they started leaning heavily on the prevent. Against Utah, Cameron Rising put up stats, but threw one pick and no touchdowns thanks to the DBs really buying into the bend-don't-break mentality. That is a tricky line to walk, though, because if you're so willing to bend, you better force turnovers and you better not break.

Going against Bo Nix will be a challenge for this group, and how they are able to rise to the occasion will likely decide the end result Saturday.

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