By the numbers countdown to kickoff: 4 days

UCLA punter Austin Kent (Photo by Stan Lim, Staff Photographer)

UCLA punter Austin Kent (Photo by Stan Lim, Staff Photographer)

Countdown the days to UCLA’s season-opener against Texas A&M with key stats facing the Bruins this year.

10 receiving touchdowns by Thomas Duarte last year, which led the team
9 returning starters on defense
8th in the Pac-12 in rushing defense last year
7 second-half turnovers for Josh Rosen last year
6 different starting combinations on the offensive line in 2015
5 straight losses to Stanford under head coach Jim Mora

4 DIFFERENT PLAYERS WHO ATTEMPTED A PUNT LAST YEAR

The Austin Kent era of UCLA punting can’t come soon enough for the Bruins. After struggling through two years with Matt Mengel on punting duties, the freshman from North Carolina will try to revitalize UCLA’s punting game.

Mengel was 10th in the Pac-12 in punting last year with a 40.1 yards per punt average. The only punters ranked lower were Oregon’s Ian Wheeler and Washington State freshman Zach Charme. In 2014, Mengel averaged just 40.2 yards per punt. Continue reading “By the numbers countdown to kickoff: 4 days” »

Austin Kent commits to UCLA, could solve Bruins’ punting woes

UCLA might have found its punter of the future.

Austin Kent committed to the Bruins on Thursday evening, and could immediately start for the team come next season. Kent is ranked as the No. 3 punter in the class of 2016 by Chris Sailer, one spot behind LSU commit Bailey Raborn. Raborn had decommitted from UCLA last month.

The North Carolina product handled both placekicking and punting duties at Providence High in Charlotte, hitting multiple 50-yard tries this past season. He was averaging 46 yards per punt into late October, a stretch that included a 70-yarder.

Punting has been a sore spot for the Bruins for the past two seasons, with junior college transfer Matt Mengel ranking at or near the bottom of the Pac-12 in yards per attempt. Continue reading “Austin Kent commits to UCLA, could solve Bruins’ punting woes” »