LOS ANGELES — UCLA adheres to the 24-hour rule, moving past its previous game no matter the outcome after one day of reflection and corrections.
LOS ANGELES — UCLA adheres to the 24-hour rule, moving past its previous game no matter the outcome after one day of reflection and corrections.
The offense would like to make one alteration to that approach after a historic comeback victory over Texas A&M on Sunday night.
“Hopefully, this next game we can basically just play a fifth quarter of what we were at last week and keep going from where we left off,” quarterback Josh Rosen said.
UCLA delivered a game’s worth of production in the fourth quarter against the Aggies, scoring 28 points and amassing 308 yards. They averaged 10.6 yards per play and ran 29 plays despite only having the ball for 6:31.
Rosen was 19 of 26 for 292 yards and four touchdown passes, including the winning score with 43 seconds remaining.
“You saw a lot from our team, but I do believe we don’t have to dig that deep very often,” Rosen said.
But as tempting as it might seem to spread the field and let Rosen throw on every play, offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch cautioned that the junior’s unbelievable finish was a result of circumstances that won’t manifest in the first quarter against Hawaii on Saturday. Texas A&M was in a prevent defense for much of the second half, trying to protect a 34-point lead. Rosen had to take some risks that could have backfired, and nearly did.
“We got into a two-minute mode cause we had to, not necessarily because we want to,” Fisch said. “But we know what he does well and we’ll not forget about that either.”
The more immediate priority for Fisch is to get the rushing offense on track. Excluding sacks and the final kneel down to end the game, UCLA actually produced 4.42 yards per carry, a robust improvement over last season’s meager 2.93 average. However, running backs Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi combined for 17 carries, and just one in the fourth quarter.
The flow of the game dictated as much, trying to overcome a 44-10 deficit with 4:08 left in the third quarter. Fisch said the score is the first factor that has to be considered in evaluating the success of the run game, and holding the lead makes it easier to be productive.
“The best way to run the football is in the fourth quarter when you’ve worn them down, when you’ve run the ball for 25 carries going into the fourth quarter,” Fisch said.