UCLA football’s loss to Stanford riddled with injuries
With an injured and pieced together offensive line, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley was forced to try to extend plays with his feet against Stanford.
By Andrew Erickson
Oct. 19, 2013 9:38 p.m.
STANFORD, Calif. — Following UCLA’s victory over Cal, offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone put his offensive line in monetary terms.
Referring to a disconcerted effort in which UCLA’s five offensive linemen played like “five pennies,” as opposed to one efficient nickel, Mazzone knew his offense was already reeling from the loss of redshirt sophomore left tackle Torian White, who suffered a broken ankle against Utah.
Today, two more pennies were lost in the Bruins’ 24-10 loss to Stanford, forcing UCLA to struggle through an afternoon complete with plenty of change.
In the third quarter, White’s replacement, left-turned-right tackle Simon Goines, had to be helped off the field. The sophomore’s exit due to an MCL injury, which had him sporting a brace and crutches after the game, gave redshirt freshman Conor McDermott an opportunity to protect redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley’s blindside.
McDertmott’s moment to shine was all too brief, ending in a dislocated shoulder just a few plays later and forcing offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to draw once again on his reserves. The insertion of redshirt sophomore Ben Wysocki at left guard bumped junior All-American left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo over a slot, and just like that, the Bruins were on their third left tackle of the game.
When asked about additional rotations that could have been made to the lineup, Klemm said the change his group had already seen was more than enough for three quarters.
“It’s difficult when they’re bringing pressure and everything and you haven’t played with the guy next to you,” Klemm said. “In the situation that we’re in when we have a number of young guys playing, it doesn’t make any sense to have musical chairs going on there.”
Before the season, the thought of having Su’a-Filo hop over to left tackle was painted as more of a safety valve to be turned in case of emergency. Today, the alarms were raised and the sirens wailed along the offensive line, as the junior was forced out of his usual crouch at guard for much of the second half.
Su’a-Filo, who Klemm said is limited to just 10 reps per practice at left tackle, was given just two practice reps during a timeout before the shift, but downplayed its required adjustment.
“Honestly, to me, it wasn’t that difficult,” he said. “Hats off to (Stanford outside linebacker Trent Murphy), he’s a great player. He gave me his best today. It was a good battle.”
The piecemeal offensive line that remained showed its lack of playing time together, particularly with the Stanford crowd at its loudest. In the fourth quarter alone, redshirt sophomore center Jake Brendel was penalized for illegal motion, while freshman right guard Alex Redmond was dinged on a false start a three-and-out drive later.
Coach Jim Mora said the offensive line’s key absences did affect the team’s ability to move downfield in the second half, but said his team struggled with the adversity.
“There’s no way around it,” said Mora of the injuries. “But, if it’s going to happen, we’ve got to be able to rise up and overcome it to be the kind of football team we’re capable of becoming.”
Kendricks injured
In the second quarter of the loss, redshirt junior inside linebacker Eric Kendricks, the Bruins’ co-leading tackler at the half, was removed from the game.
The injury was later announced to be kidney pain, for which Kendricks immediately underwent tests at Stanford’s hospital, which came back negative for any serious injuries.
Kendricks returned to Los Angeles on the team flight and will undergo further tests there, per Mora.
Jones runs early
After being relegated to late-game snaps for much of the early season, senior running back Malcolm Jones started against Stanford.
He ran for 28 of his 30 yards on UCLA’s first three offensive plays from scrimmage. Jones then disappeared – only returning for two more carries throughout the game – but still managed to lead the Bruins in rushing.
Mazzone said he regretted not getting Jones the ball later, but Mora was mum when asked about Jones’ start-turned-disappearing act.
“There’s different players in different personnel groups, and sometimes that personnel group is dictated by the field position or situation,” he said.
