Nov 30, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes (47) celebrates after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Southern California Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — UCLA true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen was as good as Bruins fans could have hoped for in his college debut — winning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors and some national nods, too — but not everything is rosy.
UCLA lost one of its key players in the 34-16 victory over visiting Virginia.
Junior defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes suffered a torn ACL and is done for the season.
“He’s just a physical presence who’s going to grab the attention of any offensive coordinator, and they have to scheme and have a plan of how they’re going to handle it,” UCLA defensive line coach Angus McClure in the Orange County Register. “Certainly, we’re going to miss that.”
One of UCLA’s advantages this season was that it had a dynamite run-stuffing combination of Vanderdoes and Kenny Clark at its defensive tackle positions. Vanderdoes, an honorable mention all-conference choice last season, had eight tackles, including two for loss, against Virginia.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder made 50 stops last season, including 5.5 for loss. After dealing with injuries earlier in his career, Vanderdoes seemed primed for a huge 2015 after his first healthy offseason.
UCLA will have to use two players to try to replace him. Coaches will deploy a rotation of junior Eli Ankou and sophomore Matt Dickerson next to Clark. They are expected to get the longest game action of their careers when the Bruins play at UNLV on Saturday.
“(Vanderdoes) is a great player, and it’s going to be hard to fill in his shoes,” Dickerson was quoted as saying in the Register, “but we got to get it done.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Josh Rosen looks for a big encore as he goes on the road in college for the first time. He completed 28-of-35 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns, with no turnovers, against Virginia. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t surprise me a little,” coach Jim Mora said of Rosen’s success, “but it didn’t shock me.”
–LB Myles Jack was, not surprisingly, back on offense in the season-opener, and he made his appearance count with a 1-yard touchdown run that marked the 11th offensive TD of his career. He was running behind the blocking of defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Eddie Vanderdoes, and it will be interesting to see how UCLA uses that heavy package with Vanderdoes now out with an ACL injury.
–RB Soso Jamabo, a true freshman who made headlines in the spring when he led police on a seven-man car chase on the night of his high school prom, is starting to change the discussion. He carried nine times for 79 yards in the opener against Virginia. He should be able to take some carries away from RB Paul Perkins, at least when UCLA has the game well in hand.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the first meeting between UCLA and UNLV.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I looked for signs that he was nervous or uptight … but outwardly he didn’t show any signs of that.” — UCLA coach Jim Mora on the debut of QB Josh Rosen
