OPPOSING COACH'S TAKE
"The Bruins lost eight players to the NFL draft, but [sophomore] quarterback Josh Rosen still gives them a chance. He's smart, so when he has a ton of time, he's really good. Bang him up and he tends to force things. New offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu's more pro-style attack should actually suit Rosen better. But it's hard to blend a no-huddle, fast-paced, bubble-screen vertical game with a two-back, power, play-action pass game. It'll be interesting to see how that evolves.
Defensively, they lost special guys but also have special ones back. If [junior] defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes is fully recovered from his [left] ACL injury, he's a huge problem and changes their whole defense. As talented as their D has been, it has kind of reflected their offense the last couple of years: There was a ton of athleticism but not a lot of physicality. Running right at them is a key.
Safeties Randall Goforth [a senior] and Jaleel Wadood [a junior] headline a stacked secondary. I don't know if you're going to get many big plays because they have such good speed on the back end, but you've got to keep chipping away.
There's times they look like the best team in the country. A week later they don't look interested. If they show up dialed in, good luck."
IMPACT FRESHMAN
Versatile OLB MIQUE JUAREZ, who flipped from USC to UCLA, looks like the perfect replacement for Myles Jack, who left for the NFL after his junior year. Although the Bruins bring back all of their starting 'backers from a year ago, the 6'2", 230-pound Juarez, who enrolled early, is expected to see immediate playing time.
