UCLA football faces opportunity to experiment with lineup against OSU
Redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins has consistently led the Bruins on the ground, but freshman Soso Jamabo had impressive performances at the position after Perkins went down with an injury. (Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Claire Fahy
Nov. 6, 2015 2:08 a.m.
For the first few weeks of UCLA football’s season, the storylines and box scores remained practically the same.
Through the first five weeks, freshman quarterback Josh Rosen handed the ball off to redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins for almost every running play, and as a result Perkins was essentially the only running back featured on the stat sheet. In a 38-23 loss to Arizona State on Oct. 3, Rosen gave Perkins the ball on almost every first down.
Perkins ran 26 times for a career-high 219 yards against Brigham Young University on Sept. 19 and has the most rushing touchdowns this season with three. His 82-yard run last week was the longest by a running back this season, and the running back is responsible for all of
the Bruins’ team-high rushing performances.
In short, Perkins was a one-man show. Until now.
Now, there’s a new name in the mix: Soso Jamabo. Bar one touchdown in UCLA’s 56-30 romp over Arizona in week four, the freshman running back was largely a non-factor early on, before rising to the occasion following an injury to Perkins during the Cal game on Oct. 22.
Jamabo was the Bruins’ leading rusher against the Golden Bears, racking up 81 yards and averaging 4.4 yards per rush. While Perkins returned to action against the Colorado Buffaloes last week, Jamabo still had an impressive performance with a 5 yards per play average and a game-winning touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
“He’s not tentative at all now,” said coach Jim Mora after Thursday’s practice. “It’s just part of getting used to the speed and the physicality of this level.”
Injury opportunity
With injuries piling up and the season’s biggest games still weeks away, the Oregon State matchup presents Mora with a rare opportunity. Saturday’s game allows the coach to experiment with lineups and play calls before UCLA goes head-to-head with Washington State, which almost beat conference powerhouse Stanford last week, dark horse Utah and crosstown rival USC.
The most changes will likely come to the defensive lineup. The Bruins have cycled through a different “Mike” linebacker practically every week, with former Bruin linebacker Myles Jack going down after the first game of the season, and multiple players shuffling around to fill the role since.
“The complexities of playing the position change when you change positions,” Mora said. “We have to keep reassembling the puzzle every week, trying to get the pieces to fit, and fit comfortably.”
The Beavers will enter their matchup with the Bruins while ranked last in the Pac-12 North with a 2-6 record. Oregon State freshman quarterback Seth Collins is sidelined for Saturday after hyperextending his knee during practice last week, weakening an already struggling Beaver offense.
Oregon State comes into Saturday averaging just 17 points per game, having struggled to score more than 20 points in a game. UCLA looks to not only win and continue on its quest to the conference championship, but also to make moves in the College Football Playoff ranking, where the Bruins currently sit at No. 23.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff, with contributing reports from Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.
