# 2019 UCLA Bruins football team

The 2019 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bruins play their home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. UCLA competed as a member of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was led by second-year head coach Chip Kelly. The Bruins began the season 1–5 before winning three straight games. However, the Bruins then lost their final three games of the season. They finished the season 4–8 overall and 4–5 in Pac-12 play, tying Arizona State for third place in the Pac-12 South Division, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 417 to 320. The Bruins' average attendance at home was 43,848, their lowest since 1982 when they moved to the Rose Bowl, surpassing the previous low of 49,107 in 1995.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

Outside linebackers and special teams coach Roy Manning left to become the cornerbacks coach at Oklahoma. He was replaced by Jason Kaufusi.

### 2019 NFL Draft

Bruins who were picked in the 2019 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Team |
| 7 | 254 | Caleb Wilson | Tight end | Arizona Cardinals |

## Preseason
### Pac-12 media days
#### Pac-12 media poll

In the 2019 Pac-12 preseason media poll, UCLA was voted to finish in a tie for third with Arizona State in third place in the South Division.
Media poll (South Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Utah | 206 (33) |
| 2 | USC | 167 (2) |
| 3 | Arizona State | 118 |
| 3 | UCLA | 118 |
| 5 | Arizona | 85 |
| 6 | Colorado | 46 |

### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Recruits

The Bruins signed a total of 15 recruits during the Early Signing Period.
US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Sean Rhyan OT | San Juan Capistrano, California | San Juan Hills High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 302 lb (137 kg) | Dec 4, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Shamar Martin CB | San Diego, California | Morse High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jun 23, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Charles Njoku WR | Wayne, New Jersey | Wayne Hills High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| William Nimmo S | Santa Ana, California | Mater Dei High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 25, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Duke Clemens OT | Honolulu, Hawaii | Punahou School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 268 lb (122 kg) | Jul 18, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| John Ward LB | Palmdale, California | Palmdale High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 227 lb (103 kg) | Jul 21, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Datona Jackson DE | Union City, Ohio | College of the Desert | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Beau Taylor OG | Las Vegas, Nevada | Bishop Gorman High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 286 lb (130 kg) | Jun 27, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Chase Griffin QB | Hutto, Texas | Hutto High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | Jun 15, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Siale Liku DT | Oakland, California | Oakland High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 323 lb (147 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jahmon McClendon RB | Spring Valley, California | Monte Vista High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 18, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Carl Jones S | Bakersfield, California | Bakersfield High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | Dec 13, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kain Medrano WR | Pueblo, Colorado | East High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jul 25, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaylen Erwin WR | Charlotte, North Carolina | Hutchinson Community College | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Noah Keeter OLB | Gainesville, Florida | Buchholz High School | N/A | N/A | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Hayden Harris ATH | Sammamish, Washington | Eastside Catholic School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Josh Carlin OG | Chatsworth, California | Sierra Canyon School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 277 lb (126 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Keegan Jones RB | Sammamish, Washington | Eastside Catholic School | N/A | N/A | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Michael Martinez TE | Santa Ana, CA | Mater Dei High School | N/A | N/A | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "UCLA Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018. |||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at UCLA | Alma mater (year) |
| Chip Kelly | Head coach | 2nd | New Hampshire (1990) |
| Justin Frye | Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach | 2nd | Indiana (2006) |
| Dana Bible | Quarterbacks coach | 2nd | Cincinnati (1976) |
| Jerry Azzinaro | Defensive coordinator | 2nd | American International College (1982) |
| DeShaun Foster | Running backs coach | 3rd | UCLA (2002) |
| Jimmie Dougherty | Wide receivers/Passing game coordinator | 3rd | Missouri (2001) |
| Vince Oghobaase | Defensive line coach | 2nd | Duke (2010) |
| Don Pellum | Linebackers coach | 2nd | Oregon (1985) |
| Paul Rhoads | Defensive backs coach | 2nd | Missouri Western (1988) |
| Jason Kaufusi | Outside linebackers coach | 1st | Utah (2004) |
| Derek Sage | Tight ends coach/special teams coordinator | 2nd | Cal State Northridge (2003) |

### Roster
## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 29 | 4:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati* | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH | ESPN | L 14–24 | 38,032 |
| September 7 | 1:15 p.m. | San Diego State* | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | P12N | L 14–23 | 36,951 |
| September 14 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 5 Oklahoma* | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | FOX | L 14–48 | 52,578 |
| September 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Washington State | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | ESPN | W 67–63 | 32,952 |
| September 28 | 7:30 p.m. | at Arizona | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | ESPN | L 17–20 | 38,283 |
| October 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Oregon State | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | P12N | L 31–48 | 48,532 |
| October 17 | 6:00 p.m. | at Stanford | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | ESPN | W 34–16 | 31,464 |
| October 26 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 24 Arizona State | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | P12N | W 42–32 | 39,811 |
| November 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Colorado | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | P12N | W 31–14 | 47,118 |
| November 16 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Utah | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | FOX | L 3–49 | 47,307 |
| November 23 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 23 USC | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (Victory Bell) | ABC | L 35–52 | 64,156 |
| November 30 | 7:30 p.m. | California | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (rivalry) | FS1 | L 18–28 | 38,102 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||
* Sources:

## Game summaries
### At Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Bearcats | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
* Date: August 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C); sun, clear
* Game attendance: 38,032
* Referee: Jay Edwards
* TV: ESPN
Game information :
First quarter
CIN – Josiah Deguara 16-yard TD pass from Desmond Ridder, Sam Crosa kick good, 7:09 (CIN 7–0)
Second quarter
CIN – Crosa 44-yard field goal, 9:13 (CIN 10–0)
UCLA – Demetric Felton 75-yard TD pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson, JJ Molson kick good, 8:23 (CIN 10–7)
Third quarter
CIN – Michael Warren II 12-yard TD run, Crosa kick good, 11:44 (CIN 17–7)
UCLA – Chase Cota 7-yard TD pass from Thompson-Robinson, Molson kick good, 5:40 (CIN 17–14)
Fourth quarter
CIN – Warren II 21-yard TD pass from Ridder, Crosa kick good, 14:51 (CIN 24–14)
Top passers
CIN – Desmond Ridder – 18/26, 242 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
UCLA – Dorian Thompson-Robinson – 8/26, 156 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
CIN – Michael Warren II – 26 carries, 92 yards, TD
UCLA – Demetric Felton – 23 carries, 71 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Alec Pierce – 2 receptions, 59 yards
UCLA – Demetric Felton – 2 receptions, 91 yards, TD :

### San Diego State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aztecs | 10 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Bruins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |

### Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Sooners | 17 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| Bruins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |

### At Washington State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 10 | 7 | 21 | 29 | 67 |
| No. 19 Cougars | 7 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 63 |

### At Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |

### Oregon State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Beavers | 21 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
| Bruins | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |

### At Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 14 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| Cardinal | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
Dorian Thompson-Robinson returned from a leg injury the month before to throw for two touchdowns and run for another to lead UCLA to a 34–16 win over Stanford, ending their 11-game losing streak against the Cardinal. It was the Bruins longest against any opponent in their first 100 years of football. Joshua Kelley ran for 176 yards on 18 carries for the Bruins. Their defense limited Stanford to a season-low 198 yards and totalled seven sacks, almost equalling their previous season total of nine.

### Arizona State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Sun Devils | 7 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 32 |
| Bruins | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
Joshua Kelley ran 34 times for 164 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in a 42–32 upset over No. 24 Arizona State.

### Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Bruins | 17 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
The Bruins won 31–14 over Colorado for coach Chip Kelly's first three-game winning steak with the team. It was their fourth win of the season, exceeding their total from a year earlier. Thompson-Robinson returned from a knee injury the previous game to pass for 226 yards and two touchdowns, and added 38 yards rushing. Kelley rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns. UCLA had 426 yards in total offense; they ran for over 200 yards for five consecutive games for the first time since 1978.

### At Utah

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 7 Utes | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
The Bruins committed a season-high five turnovers in a 49–3 loss to No. 7 Utah. They fell behind 28–3 in the first half, when Thompson-Robinson committed two of his four turnovers. Three times in the half they were inside the Utes' 30-yard line, but managed just three points. They went scoreless in the final 51:55 of the game. Utes running back Zack Moss had 181 of his 200 all-purpose yards by halftime. For the contest, UCLA scored just once in four trips to the red zone, turning it over the other three times. They established a season low for points, and were held without a touchdown for the first time since a 50–0 loss to USC in 2011.
The Utes outgained the Bruins 536–269 in total yards. UCLA gained just 50 yards rushing against a defense that entered No. 1 in the nation against the run. Kelley had 78 yards rushing on 4.1 yards per carry.

### At USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bruins | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| No. 23 Trojans | 10 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 52 |
UCLA surrendered 643 total yards to No. 23 USC as the Bruins lost 52–35. Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis set a USC school record with 515 passing yards, which was also the most in the rivalry's history. The Trojans established a school record with four receivers each catching for over 100 yards. The game began well for UCLA, who scored on their opening drive, like they had in their four previous wins on the season. They were up 7–3 late in the first quarter and driving on the USC 27 when Thompson-Robinson was intercepted. The Bruins were behind 24–14 at halftime. They drew to within 45–35 with 12:16 remaining in the game after scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half.
Kelley was held to 45 yards rushing after gaining a rivalry-record 289 a year before against the Trojans. With the defense focused on the Bruins running back, Thompson-Robinson compiled 431 yards in total offense along with four touchdowns. He was 26-of-44 passing for 367 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, and ran for 64 yards and another touchdown. The loss pushed UCLA out of contention for a bowl game, and assured them of four straight losing seasons for the first time since 1924.

### Vs. California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Bruins | 7 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 18 |
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
* Date: November 30, 2019
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 38,102
* Referee: Michael Mothershed
* TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Petros Papadakis, Shane Vereen
| Statistics | CAL | UCLA |
| First downs | 22 | 24 |
| Total yards | 412 | 401 |
| Rushing yards | 182 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 230 | 343 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| California | Passing | Chase Garbers | 17/29, 230 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| California | Rushing | Christopher Brooks | 18 carries, 111 yards, 2 TDs |
| California | Receiving | Makai Polk | 4 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| UCLA | Passing | Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 23/39, 278 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| UCLA | Rushing | Joshua Kelley | 19 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD |
| UCLA | Receiving | Devin Asiasi | 8 receptions, 99 yards |
UCLA lost 28–18 to California to end their fourth straight losing season and second under coach Kelly. The Golden Bears, who entered with the worst offense in the Pac-12, were led by quarterback Chase Garbers's 230 yards passing and running back Christopher Brown Jr.'s 111 yards rushing and two touchdowns. UCLA lost their last three games, allowing an average of 43 points per game.
Kelley ran for 76 yards to become the eighth Bruin to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. The attendance of 38,102 gave UCLA an average home crowd of 43,848 for the season, its worst since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982. Their previous low was 49,107 in 1995.

## Statistics

| Statistics | UCLA | OPP |
| First downs | 269 | 263 |
| Plays–yards | 916–4868 | 816–5475 |
| Rushes–yards | 490–1802 | 411–1746 |
| Passing yards | 3066 | 3729 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 260-426-12 | 269-405-5 |
| Time of possession | 364:22 | 355:36 |

## Awards and honors

* September 23, 2019 – Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, running back Demetric Felton was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week, and wide receiver/returner Kyle Philips was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 3 | 91 | Devin Asiasi | TE | New England Patriots |
| 4 | 110 | Darnay Holmes | CB | New York Giants |
| 4 | 112 | Joshua Kelley | RB | Los Angeles Chargers |
Source: