Weekly Q&A: Texas A&M answers

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Before we get to answers, here are some links:

Now to your questions:

How do you think the offensive line will hold up with the (relatively) last minute change?

If this was a perfect world for the Bruins, they wouldn’t miss Kenny Lacy on the field at all because he had been pushed out of the starting lineup. However, this is not a perfect world and there will be injuries on the offensive line throughout the season. That is why Lacy’s injury is such a big loss. It’s not that he changed Plan A for the Bruins, but that he changed Plan B, C and probably D. If someone (not Scott Quessenberry) got hurt, Lacy almost definitely would have been the first man off the bench because he is a known quantity at both guard and tackle. Without Lacy as a security blanket, the offensive line will have to rely on unproven players like Josh Wariboko-Alali to be ready if their names are called. Michael Alves can’t struggle in his first collegiate game. Poasi Moala has starting experience, but struggled to hang on to his starting role last year after a poor first half against Texas A&M last year. Lacy’s injury surely mucked up the overall plan for the offensive line, but it would only come into play if combined with another injury to a starter.

What do you think of the offensive line? Is the lineup set barring injuries, or do you expect to see the shuffling continue?

If the Bruins can avoid any further shuffling, I would think that they would want that so close to the season. They’ve often discussed the importance of continuity at the position, so if everyone is performing the way they need to, then the unit will probably be, from left to right, Kolton Miller, Najee Toran, Scott Quessenberry, Michael Alves and Andre James, based on the last training camp observations.

Any updates on the status of Jordan Lasley? Has he been able to “control his emotions” and get back with the ones?

We can’t discuss who is working with specific groups in practice and we can’t watch much of practice anyway, so I unfortunately don’t have a great answer for this question. I do however believe that Jordan Lasley will get significant playing time, even if he’s not officially starting every game. Wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty said he’ll have a rotation of about four to six, and Lasley, in my mind, is at the very least No. 4 on the list, if not as high as No. 2, so he’ll get plenty of time.

Any thought/insight on the amount of autonomy Jedd Fisch will have to call plays? Will Jim Mora get out of Fisch’s way and let him do his thing?

I believe Jedd Fisch will have plenty of freedom to call plays. He’s done it in several places before so I wouldn’t see any reason for Jim Mora to take any of those responsibilities from him. Also, getting to call plays full-time again was one of the reasons why Fisch wanted to come to UCLA after he split the duties at Michigan. And are you saying that Mora would take over offensive play calling duties himself? That seems extremely unlikely considering he’s been a defensive guy all his life.

On a scale of 1 – 10, grade the Bruin 2017 ground game.

I’m just as eager to see how the running game looks this season as anyone. From the outside, it’s almost impossible to get a good read on how the running game looks during training camp because plays are called dead on first contact and reporters obviously don’t have access to practice film to look at the small details like blocks and running lanes again. You get one shot to watch the play in real time and that’s it. It’s tough to judge. I think that the running game will be significantly better than last year because it would be almost impossible to repeat such ineptitude with what I think is a better offensive coaching staff. I could see UCLA at least doubling its output from last year, which would put them at around 170 yards per game. That seems like a reasonable number for a team with five running backs who haven’t been able to sustain success over multiple games and an offensive line with depth issues. Last year, 170 rushing yards per game would have ranked ninth in the Pac-12, so it’s still not extremely high, but it’s obviously an improvement from last year’s 84.2.

What is the No. 1 thing UCLA has to do to win Sunday?

I’ll give you two: Be efficient on offense and limit mistakes. The Bruins were second-to-last in the Pac-12 in yards per play last year, ahead of only Arizona State. Obviously UCLA’s (lack of) running game had a lot to do with the overall inefficiency, so finding a way to make the ground game even mediocre will be important for Sunday and the rest of the season. The limiting mistakes is a must in every game, but it’s especially important for a season opener against what looks like an evenly matched opponent. You don’t know exactly what to expect because it’s the first game of the year, but you absolutely know something small and probably bizarre is going to decide this game. You don’t want to be the one to cause that tiny miscue

What is your prediction on the score?

UCLA 31, Texas A&M 28. But as always, I dislike predictions.

Is Jim Mora on the hot seat if UCLA loses to Texas A&M?

Depending on who you ask, he may already on the hot seat after back-to-back seasons without improvement. However, the prevailing number is this: $11 million. If UCLA were to fire Jim Mora after this year, the buyout is nearly $11 million. For that reason, it’s going to take a lot more than one loss in a season opener to really put Mora on any actually hot seat.

Do you think the heat on game day will benefit Texas A&M over the long course of the game?

I wouldn’t see why it would benefit one team over the other because they’re both from relatively hot climates. (Although Texas heat is different than Southern California heat.) But if the heat had to benefit one team more than the other, I think that UCLA would get the edge because the Bruins get the shady side of the field now.

Having never played football, I don’t really understand the game in as much depth as I’d like. You seem to have a fair grasp of the intricacies of the game however, where/how did you learn about the game?

I learn a lot from coaches and players through repeated interviews and a few lucky, well-worded questions. That goes for every sport I’ve ever covered, whether it was football, basketball, soccer or tennis, etc. I also don’t cheer during games anymore, even those I watch on TV, so I listen to play-by-play announcers and analysts when they explain formations, play calls and penalties. And, of course, when there’s terminology I don’t know, I look it up on the internet.

Can you make a couple cool infographics? It’s been too long.

Indeed it has! Instead of doing a game-day graph every week like last year, I’m planning on posting a graphic the day before every game. I was going to call it “Friday figures,” but with UCLA playing three non-Saturday games this year, that name didn’t really fit. I’m still going to post them on the day before the game, but they just won’t have an alliterative name. Sadly.