UCLA’s win over San Diego State came with another reminder of just how thin the Bruins are getting at wide receiver, but it also gave Semaj Morgan a chance to stand out.
The Michigan transfer took advantage of the opportunity in a game where the receiver room kept taking hits. Landon Ellis, the James Madison transfer, did not play after suffering a head injury last week.
Mikey Matthews exited early after getting hurt on a punt return and did not return. Brian Rowe Jr. also left after a 45-yard burst, though he later came back into the game.
Aidan Mizell, meanwhile, still hasn’t appeared this season. He was once viewed as someone who could become a major piece of the offense, but injuries have kept him out all offseason. Chesney said after the game that Mizell had been cleared to return this past week, but he didn’t get into the contest because he “can’t go."
That left Morgan with a bigger stage, and he made it count. Chesney praised him heavily afterward, saying:
“I think that's just a kid that deserves a ton of credit for today's game because there were plays that needed to be made and he made them. And just in tight, contested areas, that kid is tough, along with his punt return, along with his run blocking. It was really good to see him have the day that he had.”
Morgan finished as UCLA’s top receiver, catching six passes for 73 yards. With the Bruins’ wideout depth still in flux, that kind of production could mean a lot moving forward.
He wasn’t just collecting easy catches, either. As the game wore on and the Bruins needed someone to answer, Morgan showed the kind of reliability and toughness that can earn more snaps. UCLA isn’t going to build its offense around the pass, but it still needs enough of a threat through the air to keep defenses honest when called upon.
For Morgan, Week Two was a strong step forward. If the Bruins keep dealing with the same injury issues at receiver, it may not be the last time he’s asked to carry that load.
In Other News...
UCLA Snap Trends Reveal Who Bruins Already Trust Most
Through the first two weeks of the UCLA football season, the snap counts have already shown where the Bruins are most comfortable leaning. Brian Rowe has been a key part of the passing game, appearing in more than half of the offenses snaps, while the offensive line has settled into a clear rotation built around heavy usage from Schmidt and Jordan Davis. The early signs point to a unit that has found stability up front, especially in run blocking, which is often where a coaching staffs trust shows up first.
On the other side of the ball, Hartford has become just as important in the secondary, working nearly every defensive snap and helping cover for the absence of an injured teammate. Those usage patterns say a lot about how UCLA is sorting out its core pieces this early in the season, but they also raise a familiar question for any staff trying to build depth: how long can the Bruins keep asking the same players to carry so much of the load before the rest of the rotation has to answer? [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs 2-0 Start Comes With One Clear Concern Fans Cant Ignore
UCLAs 2-0 start has the kind of early-season polish any team would take, especially after a 28-10 win over San Diego State in Week Two. The defense again did plenty of the heavy lifting, with linebackers Jalen Woods and Sammy Omosigho standing out and Hartford helping keep the Aztecs from getting much going through the air. Woods also came up with a key interception, another reminder that the Bruins have had no trouble finding impact plays on that side of the ball.
The bigger question sits on offense, where Nico Iamaleava has not yet had many chances to settle in as a passer and has already thrown a costly interception. With the receiver group dealing with injuries, Semaj Morgan has been asked to step into a larger role and has responded, but the passing game still looks like the place where UCLA has the most room to grow. A 2-0 start gives the Bruins breathing room, but it also makes the contrast easier to see, and it is the one concern fans are unlikely to ignore for long. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Fans Have A New Reason To Watch The 2027 Class This Week
UCLA fans checking in on the 2027 class got a nice reminder this week that the Bruins are already collecting defenders who can swing a game. Linebacker commit Mike Davis Jr. turned in a huge outing for Mater Dei, finishing with eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in a tight 10-9 win over Corona Centennial, the kind of performance that shows why he has become such an intriguing part of UCLAs future.
Davis also delivered the play that changed the shape of the night, coming up with a fourth-quarter interception that helped set up Mater Deis game-winning touchdown. He was hardly the only UCLA commit making noise, either, with other pledges coming off strong recent performances as the Bruins 2027 group continues to build momentum, and there are more chances ahead with another slate of games on the calendar for those recruits this week. [Read more 🡒]