Rick Scuteri/Associated Press UCLA has suspended six football players for Saturday's season opener against Cincinnati, with three of the players missing multiple games. Per an official announcement from the school (h/t The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach), Soso Jamabo, Devin Asiasi, Osa Odighizuwa, Mo Osling, Moses Robinson-Carr and Boss Tagaloa were suspended for violating athletic department policies. UCLA later specified that Jamabo will miss two games while Asiasi and Tagaloa will miss three games, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Daily News. The rest of the players will miss just the opener against Cincinnati. Jamabo is one of UCLA's most important offensive players. The senior running back finished third on the team last season with six touchdowns and fourth with 650 yards from scrimmage. Robinson-Carr is shifting to defensive end in 2018 after being a tight end in his first two years with the Bruins. Tagaloa is moving from the defensive line to center for head coach Chip Kelly. Per Matt Joye of 247Sports, Robinson-Carr has the potential to be a breakout player on UCLA's defense because of his size and athleticism. "Robinson-Carr is 6'4" and 280 pounds, and he also has tremendous flexibility and agility as a converted tight end," Joye wrote. "So if Robinson-Carr can step up and play as well as he did in the spring, I think that would be a huge X-factor for this defense." Video Play Button Videos you might like Odighizuwa is returning for his sophomore season after finishing tied for fifth on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. Osling appeared in 13 games as a freshman. Asiasi is in his first year on the Bruins football team after transferring from Michigan last year. Kelly is returning to the Pac-12 as UCLA's coach after signing a five-year deal with the school in November. He went 46-7 in four years at Oregon from 2009-12.<doc-sep>After UCLA announced the suspension of six players this morning for this week’s Cincinnati game, head coach Chip Kelly met with the media before practice and he was asked about the announcement immediately. “Playing football here at UCLA is a privilege and with that privilege goes responsibilities.” - Chip Kelly “If you do something wrong, there’s a punishment that’s involved in it,” Kelly said. “So, that’s the way we’ve always done it. Or, the way I’ve always done it. I don’t know what was done here in the past, but if you’re suspended, you’re suspended.” As we learned this morning, Kelly confirmed that three of the players are suspended for multiple games. Kelly was later asked about what kind of impact having six players out for the game would have. Kelly explained his thoughts on it: It doesn’t matter what it is. That’s my pitch. We don’t really spend a lot of time...this is what it is. If you made a decision that’s gonna hurt your team decision, that’s gonna hurt your team. So we’re gonna move on and they understand what the punishment is. They’re gonna hopefully learn from it a minute to learn. It’s a teachable point for them to understand how their actions can impact other things. Playing football here at UCLA is a privilege and with that privilege goes responsibilities. The discussion quickly turned to the question of who would start at quarterback this week. To no one’s surprise, Kelly has still not named a starting quarterback. As we know, the race is down to Michigan transfer Wilton Speight, Devon Modster, and the uber-athletic Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Kelly continued to play his cards close to his vest when reporters asked him about selecting a starting quarterback. “Those three kids have really distanced themselves,” Kelly said. “So, we’re still looking at that, but it’s again I said every time I’ve been in a quarterback competition, it’s happened organically.” Kelly discussed the continuing competition in more depth. He explained: So, there’s still some grouping there with those three. So, it’ll be one of those three guys. It’s an organic thing. It’s not a set day that this is this. We’re not fair to the other guys if we just said, ‘We’re going to pick a guy today and let’s pick him.’ The one thing that’s good is that there’s been a good, healthy competition and the three of those guys have really done some really impressive things. Understandably, this seems like a decision that will could come down to game time, at least publicly. Kelly seems to be bringing his “Win the Day” philosophy that he became famous for using at Oregon to UCLA. Earlier this month, in the second part of his three-part series on Kelly, Ben Bolch explained how “Win the Day” became the Ducks’ mantra at Oregon. The coaches were looking for a “rallying cry” to unite the team, but, Bolch wrote, “[n]one of the proposed mantras made any sense.” Eventually, Kelly, then the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator, suggested, “Why don’t we just win the day?” The rest is history. It’s what Kelly seems to be trying to do the same thing in Westwood, which explains why when Bolch asked Kelly what his biggest question mark is for the team this morning, Kelly responded by saying: We’re not in question mode. We’re in “Let’s have a really good Monday.” I don’t think we’re taking a macro approach to it, like, “Hey, what about this?” We’re into “Hey, what is Monday?” And Monday for us is first downs in two-minute situations and end of games and halves. So, that’s kind of what our approach is for today, which is Monday. So, we’re not looking “big picture.” We’re looking “Monday.” Win the day, indeed. Thanks to Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online for sharing the video of Chip Kelly’s interview. With another practice in the books, the UCLA Bruins’ season opener against the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats at the Rose Bowl is getting closer. While Chip Kelly might not be in “question mode,” a lot of fans still have questions about the offensive line and the Bruin defense. After practice today, Andre James discussed the development of the offensive line. James talked about the development of expected starting center Zach Sweeney. “Having [Zach] last year with Scott Quessenberry helped him a lot,” James said. “And, having Coach Frye work with him, too...I think he’s doing a great job.” He also spoke about the development of freshman Chris Murray. “His confidence is something you don’t see in a lot of freshmen,” he said. “O-Line is a position where you don’t see a lot of young guys come up and play at an early age, especially as a freshman. It’s very impressive.” Overall, he had positive things to say about each of the potential quarterbacks, but his most glowing review went to freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. “The dude’s going to be the future, I think, of this program,” he said. “From what I’ve seen out of him has been very impressive.” The other big question mark is the Bruin defense. Last season, UCLA’s defense let opponents trounce them for 287.4 rushing yards per game, on 5.76 yards per carry. No matter who the Bruins were playing, the defense would constantly let opposing offenses gash them for big runs. Redshirt senior defensive back Adarius Pickett addressed the suspensions. “I feel like it’s an opportunity for some of the other players to get a chance to get their feet wet and get on the grass and just to play,” Pickett said. “My job as a leader on the defense and a leader on the team is to make sure everybody is ready to go.” He’s seems quite confident that the rushing defense will have a change of fortune this season under new defensive coordinator, Jerry Azzinaro. Pickett said that he wants to see the defense “stop the run and...force turnovers” on Saturday. “That’s going to be the biggest key to our success as a defense this year,” he said. “Force turnovers...I know last year, that was a kind of thing we didn’t do well. So, just get the ball out, whether that strips, takeaways, whatever it may be, just get the ball out.” He was asked what makes him so confident the defense can stop the run. Pickett replied: Schematically, the defensive line understanding where they fit, linebackers understanding where they fit and also the secondary, understanding whether you’re a corner or a safety, you’re going to have a fit in the run game, depending on the call. Understanding where we all fit schematically, I feel like is the biggest thing to stopping the run. If everybody does their right assignment the way we’ve been coached to, we’re going to be very successful. This seems like a pretty vanilla quote on the surface, but, for a defense to thrive, there must be cohesiveness on that side of the ball. Understanding what position you’re supposed to be in will minimize mistakes and penalties as well. It also sounds a lot like the Patriots’ “Do your job” philosophy. The video of the interviews with Andre James and Adarius Pickett is courtesy of the UCLA Athletic Department. Go Bruins!! !<doc-sep>Las Vegas sports books lowered UCLA from a 17-point favorite to a 16-point favorite over Cincinnati in Saturday’s season opener at the Rose Bowl. In this July 25, 2018, file photo, UCLA coach Chip Kelly talks to reporters at the Pac-12 Conference NCAA college football media day in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) In this July 25, 2018, file photo, UCLA coach Chip Kelly speaks during the Pac-12 Conference NCAA college football media day in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) Southern California went 11-3 last season and finished 12th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. But when it came to covering the spread, the Trojans were one of the worst college football teams in the country, going 3-10-1 ATS. Handicapper Bruce Marshall said USC’s crosstown rival, UCLA, might be overvalued this season, with Chip Kelly replacing Jim Mora as Bruins coach. “UCLA is definitely a candidate to be overrated,” said Marshall (Goldsheet.com). “They’re reacting to Chip too much. I’m not sure he’s got a quarterback who can run the offense he wants to run and their defense was abysmal last year.” Marshall made his comments before Monday’s report that UCLA has suspended six players for Saturday’s season opener against Cincinnati at the Rose Bowl. The suspensions include Soso Jamabo, the Bruins’ second-leading rusher last season. Las Vegas sports books reacted to the news by lowering UCLA from a 17-point favorite to a 16-point favorite over the Bearcats. The South Point sports book opened UCLA as a 20-point favorite May 21 and the line was quickly bet down to 17. “In Chip Kelly’s case, he’s going back to a conference where he had a lot of success in the past,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. “Especially if UCLA gets off to a quick start, their numbers will be inflated.” Kelly went 46-7 in four years as Oregon’s coach before bolting to the NFL for four mostly forgettable seasons. The Bruins went 6-7 last season and must replace first-round NFL draft pick Josh Rosen at quarterback. Kelly has yet to name his starting quarterback from a group comprised of Michigan transfer Wilton Speight, Bishop Gorman grad and true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson and sophomore Devon Modster. UCLA, which has a season win total of 5½, also must improve on a defense that gave up 36.6 points per game, ranking in the bottom 20 in the nation. No Thursday buyback There were big line moves on two of Thursday’s college football games when the South Point first posted the lines in May and the numbers have continued to move in the same direction. Minnesota opened as a 15-point home favorite over New Mexico State. The line quickly moved to 20 and is now up to 21. Wake Forest opened as a 13-point road favorite over Tulane. Money on the underdog quickly moved the line to 9 and the number is now 6½. Power Five vs. field The South Point sports book needs Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Washington or Oklahoma to win the CFP championship this season. That’s because bettors are backing the field versus the favorites to win each of the Power Five conferences. The Power Five opened as a minus 500 favorite, with the field a plus 400 underdog. But the number has since been bet down to minus 280/plus 240. Sunset Station seminar Sunset Station will host a free NFL handicapping seminar from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday inside Club Madrid. The event, which is open to the public and will feature free pizza and soft drinks, will be hosted by sports book director Chuck Esposito and Las Vegas radio host Brian Blessing and feature guest handicappers Hank Goldberg, Bruce Marshall, Bernie Fratto and Andy Iskoe. Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.<doc-sep>
The depth chart UCLA released Monday contained several notable absences. The Bruins will open their season against Cincinnati on Saturday at the Rose Bowl without a small chunk of their roster after announcing that six players had been suspended for unspecified violations of athletic department policies. Running back Soso Jamabo, tight end Devin Asiasi, defensive back Mo Osling, center Boss Tagaloa and defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa and Moses Robinson-Carr were suspended for the game against the Bearcats. Jamabo will also be suspended for UCLA’s game against No. 7 Oklahoma on Sept. 8, and Asiasi and Tagaloa must also sit out through the game against Fresno State on Sept. 15. UCLA coach Chip Kelly would not characterize the nature of the violations but said the punishments were determined on a case-by-case basis. The public announcement marks a change in policy from Kelly’s predecessor, Jim Mora, who rarely divulged player suspensions before games. “If you made a decision that’s going to hurt your team, you made a decision that’s going to hurt your team,” Kelly said. “So we’ve got to move on and they understand what the punishment is and they’ve got to hopefully learn from it. It’s a teachable point for them to understand how their actions can impact other things. Playing football here at UCLA is a privilege and with that privilege goes responsibility.” Jamabo had already missed a week’s worth of practices while recovering from an unspecified injury and remained in a noncontact yellow jersey Monday. He was the Bruins’ second-leading rusher last season, when he ran for 446 yards, and helped the team complete the biggest comeback in school history when he caught a swing pass to convert a fourth down on the game-winning drive against Texas A&M. But Jamabo appeared to have fallen in the running back rotation even before his recent injury. Joshua Kelley, a redshirt junior transfer from UC Davis, and senior Bolu Olorunfunmi were listed as the top tailbacks on the depth chart. Kelly said he anticipated playing “four or five” running backs from a group that also includes junior Brandon Stephens and freshmen Kazmeir Allen and Martell Irby. UCLA’s Soso Jamabo (1) carries the ball as Washington’s Ben Burr-Kirven moves in in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) UCLA defensive back Mo Osling returns an interception during the Bruins’ spring football game on April 21, 2018. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Tagaloa was in the running to become the team’s starting center after moving over from defensive line during spring practices. Kelly said Zach Sweeney and Christaphany Murray were contending for the starting job in Tagaloa’s absence. Odighizuwa, who played in every game last season as a reserve, was vying to start along the defensive line as part of the Bruins’ switch to a 3-4 alignment. Robinson-Carr was likely going to be a backup after switching positions from tight end in the spring. On the depth chart it released, UCLA listed Martin Andrus, Chigozie Nnoruka and Rick Wade as starters along the defensive line. The Bruins might be able to most easily absorb the loss of Osling because of a veteran secondary that returns three starters in safety Adarius Pickett and cornerbacks Nate Meadors and Darnay Holmes. Osling was exclusively a reserve last season in the secondary and on special teams. There had been high expectations for Asiasi, a transfer from Michigan who was expected to push returning tight ends Caleb Wilson and Jordan Wilson before the suspension that will delay his Bruins debut until Sept. 28 against Colorado. Asiasi was among several suspended players who were working almost exclusively with the second and third strings in recent weeks during the portion of practice open to reporters. “It doesn’t make sense to rep people who aren’t going to play in the opening game,” Kelly said. When it came to the most heavily contested starting job on the team, UCLA’s depth chart included some color commentary — the word “OR” in red between quarterbacks Devon Modster, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Wilton Speight. Kelly said those were the finalists at the position after they opened training camp in a five-way battle that also included Matt Lynch and Austin Burton. Kelly reiterated that there was no deadline to announce a starting quarterback before the opener, saying that he wanted to make sure coaches were thorough in their evaluation of each candidate.