There’s a sense of confidence among UCLA’s offense leading up to the team’s season opener on Nov. 7 in Colorado.
Third-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will have returning four of his top five receivers from the 2019 season, including Kyle Philips, Demetric Felton and Jaylen Erwin.
“I think our receiving unit will blow through the roof this year,” Erwin said Friday on a Zoom call with the media. “I think we will be more prepared this year after having more time (to prepare after) the season was originally canceled.”
Philips finished the 2019 season as the Bruins’ leading receiver with 681 yards on 60 catches in 12 games.
As the go-to pass catcher, the redshirt sophomore is up for the challenge of having opposing defenses game-plan for him.
“If they are focused on me, that just opens up our offense,” Phillips said on a Zoom call. “It will just open up so many more people like Jaylen, Chase (Cota) and Felton.”
Felton, who could be the Bruins’ starting running back, was the third leading receiver in 2019 with 594 yards. Tight end Devin Asiasi was second in receiving yards and now plays for the New England Patriots.
The unit stayed in contact with Thompson-Robinson after players were sent home, because of the pandemic, in order to strengthen that camaraderie.
“It has developed a lot,” Erwin said. “Even with us being at home, we were texting to make sure we were working and looking over old film.”
Erwin and Thompson-Robinson would break down plays on film and explain to one another what they saw from their perspective.
“We spent as much time as we could,” Philips said. “We tried to throw as much as we could until we weren’t able to because of social distancing. I think we spent most of our time in group (video messaging).”
Unbranded Bruins
The football program will still be outfitted by Under Armour branded gear this season even though the university is suing the apparel company for breach of contract.
UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond has said there isn’t enough time to get a deal in place with a new outfitter, according to the Associated Press.
“They’ve given us the freedom to wear our own socks and our own cleats, but at the end of the day we still have to wear UCLA stuff and represent this program,” Thompson-Robinson said.
The apparel brand announced in June that it was ending its contract with the school, just four years into a 15-year deal worth $280 million. The deal remains the highest in college athletics.
“I don’t think many guys have put too much thought into that,” Philips said. “We are so focused on getting better and winning games. … Some of the older guys have some Adidas (gear), but as long as it’s UCLA then it’s OK to wear.”
The Under Armour deal began July 1, 2017 and replaced Adidas, whose partnership with the university lasted 17 years.
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