The UCLA Bruins coaching staff went through a large overhaul following the departure of head coach Chip Kelly. In his wake, the Bruins elevated running backs coach DeShaun Foster to head coach and hired Eric Bieniemy to head the offense.
Thus far, both have struggled mightily in the Big Ten.
The Bruins offense ranks 126th in points per game and 125th in yards per game in the country. Which begs the question: What is wrong?
To start, Bieniemy did not inherit an overly talented offense group. From passable receiver play to below-average offensive line success, UCLA is hardly one of the Big Ten’s most talented offensive rosters.
Though not the fault of Bieniemy, even teams stripped of high-end talent can devise schemes to generate offense and points. For Bieniemy, he and the Bruins have lacked in both categories.
Moreover, rather than running a varied or unique offense, many of Bieniemy’s play calls look very “vanilla.” With simple schemes and little misdirection, UCLA’s already depleted roster is very predictable. The combination of low-end talent and poor schemes is likely the culprit for UCLA’s anemic offense.
If by the end of the year, UCLA’s offense continues to show little sign of improvement Bieniemy could be in the hot seat much like Foster.