Q&A with Daily Bruin sports editor

Daily Bruin sports editor Jon Christon met with the Daily Trojan to discuss his outlooks on UCLA football and matchup predictions ahead of the rivalry game.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Daily Trojan: What do you think is the identity of the UCLA offense?

Jon Christon: They are a run first team, definitely. That’s what [Head Coach] Chip Kelly is known for is keeping the ball on the ground a lot. Especially in recent weeks, you can kind of see an emphasis with handing the ball off a lot. [Senior quarterback] Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been used as a runner more often. I think they started to add some more wrinkles with some creative play calling, some unique formations, read options, stuff like that that [Kelly] was also known for at Oregon. So you’re starting to see a little bit more creativity. 

D.T.: How much of a threat does Thompson-Robinson pose on the ground as a mobile quarterback?

J.C.: I would say a lot. If you would have asked me this at the start of the season, I would have had a much more reserved answer. I didn’t think he was a very smart runner earlier in his career. He fumbled a lot. He made bad decisions on read options, he would put his head down and just try to run instead of keeping his eyes downfield. But in the last few weeks, we’ve really seen a new side of him in terms of running. Against Colorado, he had a few really good read option pulls that he hadn’t shown at the beginning of this season. He knows when to scramble, which is a hard thing for a quarterback to do. A lot of times, they would try to make the extra play downfield and get intercepted. If the scramble is open, he’ll take it. If there’s nothing there, he’ll throw it away, which is something he really hadn’t done in his first three years. It is kind of crazy that it took three years for him to understand that but he’s finally starting to turn a corner as a runner. And it looks like Chip Kelly is finally starting to unleash him in that aspect too. 

D.T.: Who are some of the X-factors on the offensive side of the ball, and what are you expecting out of the skill positions?

J.C.: I don’t think it’s talked about enough how not great [UCLA’s receiving corps is]. [Redshirt junior] Kyle Phillips is great, he’s not really a No. 1 receiver, though. He’s more of a trusty slot receiver, but [Robinson] is throwing jump balls to him in the endzone, 30 yards down the field. He just doesn’t have the physical capabilities to go up against these really athletic cornerbacks in the conference, he’s only 5’11”. [UCLA] relies a bit too much on him in the passing game. The“best receiver” in terms of catching the ball on jump balls and getting open is tight end Greg Dulcich. He’s had a really good year and is another guy that [Robinson] trusts a lot. I do think there’s a possibility of a threat out of the backfield with [running backs redshirt senior] Brittain Brown and [junior] Zach Charbonnet. It seems like it just really depends on who they’re facing, so it’s more about matchups. In terms of running the ball, Brown and Charbonnet are, I would say, the best one-two punch in the Pac-12 right now.

D.T.: Without having to face junior receiver Drake London, how do you think the secondary for UCLA will fare against the Trojan receiving corps? 

J.C.: Before he got hurt, this was definitely [going to be] a tough matchup to say the least against the UCLA secondary. UCLA’s secondary is not good. Defensive Coordinator Jerry Azzinaro has had a rough season in terms of stopping opposing wide receivers. And obviously Drake London would just run wild on them with the 10-yard cushion UCLA gives every wide receiver. His being out will definitely help the Bruins, but I still think they’re going to be in for a long day on that front. With the amount of times USC throws the ball, I’d imagine they’re gonna throw it even more because they’re going up against a bad secondary.

D.T.: Senior running back Keaontay Ingram has had a breakout in the last few weeks. Who’s going to be tasked with stopping him in the UCLA front seven?

J.C.: It starts with the linebackers. They’ve been hit or miss. At the start of the year they [were] really good at stopping the run, a lot of tackles for loss, a lot of tackles at the line of scrimmage. Guys like [redshirt senior] Jordan Genmark Heath, [senior] Bo Calvert. So I would say the linebacking core is definitely who it’s gonna fall on the most. Generally UCLA has been a good run defense this year. The linebackers have to be able to actually convert on their tackles.

D.T.: What’s the confidence level with Kelly inside and outside of the program? 

J.C.: Within the program, all you hear are positive things. The players love him, the new athletic director has said nothing but good things about him. Within the program, his job is probably pretty safe. If they lose any of [their] next three games, I think it’s gonna boil over into a lot of frustration for UCLA fans. The fanbase is not high on him to say the least. They are tired of the way he answers questions, he’s never been great with media. He’s not very personable, and when you’re not winning games, that really alientates the fanbase. I think this game is big for him. If he can beat USC, he can regain the trust of a lot of fans … I would say he’s probably safe barring a complete collapse in these two games against USC and [UC Berkeley].

D.T.: Now that both teams are out of Pac-12 Championship contention, do you still think this game is going to have that same energy of a rivalry matchup? 

J.C.: I don’t think it’s gonna be like years past. It doesn’t feel the same, in my opinion. I think part of that, at least from our perspective, is that basketball came back. Obviously, the Villanova game was huge, and now football is kinda second in everyone’s mind. I don’t know if it’ll have the same juice, but obviously, it’s still USC, still UCLA. This is UCLA’s best season in four years, at least, probably more if they win a few of these easy games at the end of their schedule. [To] the players, it’ll still mean a lot. But in terms of the fan base, it definitely does not feel like it has. It’ll still be the biggest regular season game of the year for UCLA. I’m not sure how well it compares to other years.

D.T.: Who do you think is going to win, and what’s your score prediction for the game?

J.C.: I would say a 38-24 UCLA [win], I’m slightly more pessimistic [for USC] about [the Bruins’] offense against USC’s defense. The London injury could affect things. [UCLA] can limit USC somewhat. I think [Robinson] is gonna have another great game against USC. He’s really found something against [the Trojans].