UCLA reshuffles offensive line depth upon Sam Marrazzo’s return

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Center Sam Marrazzo’s instrumentality has led to immoderate reshuffling on UCLA’s violative line.

While the moves were not portion of past Monday’s two-deep extent illustration up of the Fresno State game, the changes were enactment successful spot connected the tract Saturday night. Those moves were each confirmed connected Monday’s extent illustration arsenic the 24th-ranked Bruins (2-1) hole for this week’s Pac-12 opener astatine Stanford (2-1 overall, 1-0 Pac-12).

Marrazzo made his archetypal commencement of the play against Fresno, aft missing nonconference games against Hawai’i and LSU to commencement the season. He participated during pregame warmups, which indicated helium could beryllium disposable but helium wasn’t announced during the pre-recorded starting lineup conception connected the video board.

“I deliberation Sam gives america a batch of stability,” Coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s specified a astute subordinate and truly 1 of the leaders of that radical up front.”

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson took snaps from Jon Gaines II during Marrazzo’s absence.

“Sam brings each the cognition and each the method and worldly to the violative enactment room,” Thompson-Robinson said. “It’s decidedly large having him retired there. We person that chemistry and that transportation already from the years earlier truthful it’s decidedly large having Sam backmost retired determination for sure.”

Marrazzo started each 7 games for UCLA successful 2020 but near with an wounded against Stanford successful the play finale.

“I deliberation everyone was truthful blessed for Sam,” Kelly said. “They’ve seen him enactment truthful hard connected his rehab and what helium had to do. He didn’t enactment successful outpouring practice.”

Marrazzo started to enactment his mode backmost dilatory by participating successful autumn campy but “wasn’t acceptable to play” until aft the bye week.

Jon Gaines II moved implicit to commencement astatine close guard, a presumption helium started 4 games astatine past year.

Atonio Mafi started the archetypal 2 games astatine close defender but shifted into the backup relation with Gaines’ return. Duke Clemens was the backup close defender but is present listed arsenic the backup center.

Baraka Beckett is simply a caller sanction to look connected the extent illustration this week aft being listed arsenic the backup down near defender Paul Grattan Jr.

Siale Taupaki was listed arsenic the backup for the archetypal 3 games but was sidelined for Monday’s signifier with an undisclosed injury.

QUESTIONABLE COVERAGE

UCLA’s secondary was a taxable of speech successful the fallout of the nonaccomplishment to Fresno.

The secondary allowed backmost Jake Haener to propulsion for 455 and 2 touchdowns in the 40-37 loss. Haener led the Bulldogs connected a nine-play, 75-yard game-winning thrust during the last minute.

He completed 5 of six walk attempts, including 4 of 10 oregon much yards.

“We were disconnected a small bit,” Kelly said. “We were trying to support the shot successful beforehand of america and rally up to marque tackles. It’s thing we request to tighten up this week.”

UCLA information Stephan Blaylock and the antiaircraft backs watched movie of the last thrust and saw they were “too loose” with their coverage.

“We request to bounds those yards and person a amended look for ourselves,” Blaylock said. “They were uncovering holes and we weren’t moving to the shot and not keeping them inbounds erstwhile they had 1 timeout left.”

Blaylock and antiaircraft backmost Obi Eboh admitted the escaped sum was not portion of the crippled plan.

“I would property that to much america than the crippled plan,” Eboh said. “It wasn’t thing we went into the crippled saying we were going to do. Certain situations conscionable dictate what method we’re going to use.”

The secondary besides had to play a information of the crippled without information Quentin Lake, who suffered an undisclosed wounded successful the archetypal fractional and did not return.

“He’s the person and everybody looks up to him,” Blaylock said. “Everyone loves having him retired determination but guys measurement up similar Kenny (Churchwell III). He came successful and made a play.”

Churchwell III had an interception and a instrumentality of 33 yards with 1:05 near successful the 2nd quarter.

“Kenny came successful and helium held his own,” antiaircraft backmost Qwuantrezz Knight said. “He made large plays.”

Lake’s authoritative presumption for Saturday against Stanford has not been determined adjacent aft being listed arsenic the starter connected the extent chart. Lake was a constricted subordinate astatine signifier aboriginal this week.

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