Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley falls into the end zone for the Bruins’ first touchdown of Saturday’s game against the Buffaloes.
During the second half of UCLA’s 42-14 win over Colorado, Devin Lucien walked onto Folsom Field gingerly favoring his left arm that sat in a sling. It was clear the news would not be good.
One day later, coach Jim Mora announced the redshirt freshman receiver had broken his collarbone and would miss eight to 10 weeks, sidelining him for the rest of the regular season.
“It hurts him and me,” said redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley of his receiver and roommate.
“I’m just trying to make sure his head is up and we’re staying on the right page. … We’ll work through it and he’ll work through it too.”
Lucien was primed for a breakout season after redshirting last year, and he was already UCLA’s third leading receiver with 188 yards through five games.
The injury now leaves the Bruins’ receiving corps thinner than desired, but Mora has total confidence that the players lower on the depth chart will step up.
“Logan Sweet, Tyler Scott and Jerry Rice Jr. those guys, their roles are going to increase a little bit,” Mora said.
“Jerry played really well the other night. He got extended playing time and did a heck of a job.”
Along with redshirt freshmen Sweet and Scott, and redshirt junior Rice, freshman receiver Jordan Payton saw increased minutes after Lucien went down against Colorado.
Payton had a solid performance, catching one ball for 11 yards along with an impressive deep catch that was ruled incomplete.
“He had that catch down the sideline where his foot was half an inch out of bounds. If he can make that play it’s a real good play for him. Jordan is consistently getting better,” Mora said.
Hit the books
The season is now in full swing, but UCLA is just starting to get into the groove of school.
Classes started Thursday and this week is their first full week of balancing football and school.
“We switched to our school schedule last week, so we’ve gotten a taste,” Hundley said. “We have to manage our time a lot more wisely and I think the players on the team know that and are ready to do that.”
Part of this new schedule has the players starting their days with practice at 7 a.m. and finishing with team meetings.
“The reason we got the split day is to give them a chunk of time so they can focus on school,” Mora said.
“It worked well for them last week. If we have to make adjustments because of school we’ll do so.”
Injury Update
Aside from Lucien’s injury, UCLA has been relatively fortunate so far this season when it comes to injuries.
Last week, UCLA saw the return of redshirt senior offensive guard Jeff Baca and his impact was tremendous, as the Bruins ran for 211 yards compared to just 122 the week before.
“He’s a great player,” said redshirt senior running back Johnathan Franklin.
“He brings a lot to the table so I’m excited to run behind Baca.”
The Bruins will look for a similar impact this week as junior outside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt may return after suffering a gash on his head, which he sustained in a scooter accident last week.
“I saw him this morning and he looked great, but nothing definitive yet,” Mora said. “Hopefully by the end of the day or at the latest the end of tomorrow we’ll know if he’s going to be cleared or not.”