UCLA Football: Beat Reporter Concedes Bruins Bested Beavers In One Respect

Right now, the UCLA Bruins are focused on playing the Stanford Cardinal this weekend. Especially after their tough loss to the Oregon State Beavers last week, the Bruins know they can't drop another game.

They need to prepare for each game like it is their last; otherwise, it will become a truly lost season. UCLA dropped their second game of the year, but they know they are still a good football team.

As they prepare for this upcoming game, one aspect of their game plan against Oregon State worked. And that would be their running attack, which dominated the Beavers once it got going in the game.

“The Bruins had consistent success running the ball, finishing with 284 yards on 50 attempts (5.7 yards per carry).”

Per

Les Gehrett of the Corvallis GazetteTimes

For the Bruins to have success against Stanford, they will need to establish the run early and often in the game. If they can get the running game going, it would take some of the pressure off true freshman quarterback Dante Moore.

“And it is important to acknowledge that Chip Kelly is a master at designing effective rushing schemes. There is no one better at getting running backs the ball in the open field against single defenders who have to make difficult tackles in space.”

Per

Les Gehrett of the Corvallis GazetteTimes

Moore has struggled over the last few weeks with throwing the football so the running game could be his best friend on Saturday. It will be up to the offense to set the tone against Stanford, and that starts with at least attempting to run the ball.

If the Bruins can get off to a good start, it would also help things. It'll be interesting to see how they bounce back from their loss, but this seems to be a resilient team at its core.

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