UCLA Football Official Depth Chart: Week 6 vs. Arizona
The Bruins have released their latest two-deep depth chart.
UCLA football (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) announced its 29 starters and 29 backups for its upcoming game against Arizona (0-4, 0-1 Pac-12) as of Monday. Coach Chip Kelly has made it clear that these lineups can shift drastically before their kickoffs on Saturdays, but it is at least an insightful look at where things stand for the Bruins at the moment.
There were a few decisions of note from Kelly and co. this time around, and All Bruins is here to break them all down.
Center
Duke Clemens, a true right guard, remains the starting center this week – albeit with an "OR" tag that allows Jon Gaines II to get some time there as well.
Putting aside Clemens' botched snap Saturday and general inexperience at the position, the offensive line was playing much better with Gaines at center. Sam Marrazzo's short-lived return actually led to more errors and question marks up front than were there when he was out, probably because the Bruins had been practicing with Gaines as the No. 1 center since the spring.
Gaines may be better at right guard than he is at center, but the offensive line as a whole has proven much more successful and effective in both pass and run blocking scenarios this year when he plays center. Again, the OR designation means he'll probably get a few looks at center come Saturday, but UCLA would be better off installing him there for good with Marrazzo likely out for an extended period.
Clemens may be on his last chance in the middle, so this is going to be a big week for him.
Tight End
Finally, it seems Kelly and his staff are willing to admit Mike Martinez has somewhat of a serious injury.
It's been clear to the media for weeks now, as he's been visible at practice in a boot, riding a knee scooter. Still, Martinez appeared on the two-deep ahead of both the Stanford and Arizona State games, with Kelly likely knowing full well he wouldn't be ready for the weekend.
Martinez's timetable to return is undetermined, so for now, it will be Michael Ezeike taking over as Greg Dulcich's backup.
Ezeike is far from the blocker Martinez is, as the latter can at times play like a sixth offensive lineman. As a converted receiver this past offseason, Ezeike stands to be more of a threat as a route runner and pass-catcher than his injured counterpart.
The one target Ezeike has got this season, however, he bobbled and stumbled out of bounds when he had plenty of space to make the catch and give UCLA a first down.
Now that Ezeike is being installed as TE2, maybe Kelly will draw up more plays for him and play into his strengths a little more than he has in weeks past when he's been crossing his fingers for Martinez to be ready to go.
Running Back
We're two weeks into Zach Charbonnet's tenure as the de facto starting running back in the real world, but on paper, apparently it's still Brittain Brown.
Charbonnet has been more productive than Brown since the jump, but Brown was still the one getting the lion's share of the carries through three weeks. Brown had 42 touches to Charbonnet's 25 to that point.
Since then, however, Charbonnet has racked up 51 touches in two games compared to Brown's 21.
When the Bruins get the ball Saturday, Charbonnet will likely be the first back on the field and he stands to get more playing time throughout the entire game barring injury. But for some reason, Kelly and running backs coach DeShaun Foster insist on the incumbent Brown holding onto the starting job in name only.
It isn't a bad thing, just a weird thing.
Cornerback
As was the case last week, Mo Osling III was not participating in practice but was still listed on the official depth chart.
Osling was once again held to the side and did not show up in pads to practice on Monday. Just from the eyeball test, it looks like he'll be out again against Arizona, even if the two-deep states otherwise.
Jay Shaw is surely willing and able to take his place, which just goes to show how beneficial it is to have five starting-caliber corners on the team, four of whom are upperclassmen.
Injuries and lack of disclosure continue to complicate these weekly two-deep updates, and Osling's appearance on this one further proves that. In terms of what happens on the field, the Bruins' depth will save them from missing him too much.
Safety
Quentin Lake has been dinged up ever since the Fresno State game, and his status remains a major talking point.
Lake missed the entire Stanford game despite warming up with the team pregame, so he was clearly very close to being cleared at that point. He was back practicing with UCLA the following week, and he started against Arizona State.
After suffering another injury though, Lake missed most of the second half of the contest against the Sun Devils. So did his backup, Kenny Churchwell III, meaning Elisha Guidry and Alex Johnson had to take their respective snaps. It didn't go very well at all, to be frank, as Arizona State threw all over the secondary when they were in the game.
That free safety position is clearly integral to UCLA's success, and if Lake and Churchwell are good to go like the two-deep suggests, the Bruins should feel at least a little better about their defense. Both players have been near-full participants in practice, so they seem to be on track to getting back on the field for game action.
The full depth chart can be seen here:
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