Football is a game where the stats aren’t foolproof. There aren’t ways to quantify how well an offensive lineman or defensive lineman controls the line of scrimmage, and there aren’t ways to truly measure how well a defensive back plays in man coverage.
This year, Daily Bruin Sports will take a look at one UCLA football player each week who may be overlooked because he doesn’t stand out on the stat sheet.
In week two against UNLV, that player was offensive tackle Kolton Miller. The redshirt freshman was subbed into the game to start the second half – as redshirt senior center Jake Brendel sat out due to injury precautions – and didn’t look flustered at all. It was Miller’s first time playing with UCLA’s first-team offense in a game, but he actually helped the offense improve its average yards per play and points per play in the second half, with many big plays coming to Miller’s side of the field.
Here’s a recap of Miller’s “Overlooked Outing” in week two against UNLV.
Back in fall training camp, Kolton Miller received as much praise as any young offensive lineman on UCLA’s roster.
“The guy who stood out to me the most, and he’s a redshirt freshman, is Kolton Miller,” said junior right tackle Caleb Benenoch in August. “I think he’s gonna be a superstar when he leaves here.”
Miller certainly has the size of a potential superstar and NFL prospect. At 6-foot-9, 295 pounds, he’s the second-biggest player on UCLA’s roster behind left tackle Conor McDermott. The main thing he lacks is experience.
Miller got some of his first real game experience on Saturday against UNLV, and he certainly passed the eye test. He wasn’t beat by a UNLV rusher one time, and looked more like a three-year veteran than a redshirt freshman. There was even a play where UNLV brought a cornerback blitz, and Miller switched off of his initial chip block and picked up the blitzing corner.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Miller’s outing Saturday was that most of UCLA’s big plays in the second half came to his side of the field. Instead of shying away from their least-experienced blocker on the field, the Bruins went to Miller’s side and saw a high level of success.
In total, the first-team offense had nine plays go to the right side of the field in the second half, and those plays averaged 15.5 yards each time. Granted, Paul Perkins’ 56-yard touchdown run confounded the data a little bit – but still, Miller provided a great block on the edge that shouldn’t be overlooked.
“The offensive line was doing a great job, so it was only a matter of time before one of us broke,” said Perkins, a redshirt junior running back, after the game.
What Miller showed on Saturday was that UCLA has depth on the offensive line – something the team has needed in recent years because of myriad injuries. And Miller isn’t really as inexperienced as his redshirt freshman moniker may suggest. In fall training camp last year, he saw some time with the second-string O-line, and got a crash course on how to deal with pressure. After all, he was facing a future NFL defensive end in Owamagbe Odighizuwa every day.
“That’s what (offensive line coach Adrian) Klemm does – he throws people in,” Miller said in fall camp last year. “It’s challenging, but it makes you better.”
On Saturday against UNLV, Klemm and the Bruins reaped the rewards that come with testing an offensive lineman from the get-go in fall camp. Miller looked, at least for one game, like a player who’s experienced beyond his years.