One of the early priorities for the UCLA football team in the nonconference slate was to get through the first three games without any major injury.
The Bruins pulled starters early, removed them at the first sign of iffy contact and even held some out entirely for a game or two.
However, defensive lineman Martin Andrus Jr. did not get out unscathed. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly told reporters prior to Monday’s practice that the sixth-year senior will miss the remainder of the season after an early exit from last the Bruins' 32-31 win over South Alabama on Saturday.
Andrus Jr. was removed late in the third quarter after South Alabama’s La’Damian Webb ran for a short gain up the middle.
The injury put a damper on Andrus Jr.’s comeback story after already missing nearly two years before appearing in the final two games of the 2021 season. He battled multiple knee injuries and a shoulder injury throughout his collegiate career before he was a full participant in both spring and fall camp this season.
“It’s tough when dealing with a kid with an injury because of what Martin’s done,” Kelly said. “He’s had two ACLs, he’s had a shoulder, and for him to … get injured again and not be able to play for the rest of the season, it’s crushing because you watched him rehab. He's a sixth-year kid that came back, took advantage of the COVID year, has worked so hard and was playing really, really well for us.
“He's a special young man, he'll overcome this like he's overcome the other ones, but it's the fact that he doesn't get to finish the way he wanted to finish is hard and it's tough.”
Andrus Jr. recorded four tackles on the season, including two against Alabama State. For his career, he made 33 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss.
Barring an additional medical exemption, Kelly added, Andrus Jr.’s UCLA career is likely over.
Also injured in the game was fellow defensive lineman Gary Smith III, who left just four plays prior to Andrus Jr. in the quarter. Smith III was held out of practice and is considered “day to day.”
The Bruins will now likely turn to Harvard transfer Jacob Sykes, but it’s clear the front four will be an area of concern going into Saturday’s Pac-12 opener at Colorado—and beyond.
Barr-Mira earns weekly honor
After converting all four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winner as time expired, redshirt junior kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
His 24-yard field goal helped the Bruins escape with the one-point victory. He also made a career-long 49-yarder in the opening quarter.
It is Barr-Mira’s second career nod after earning the honor in Week 6 last season. He is the first Bruin to earn a Pac-12 player of the week award this season.
Kelly responds to Aikman tweet
Kelly said he was unaware when initially asked about the tweet sent out by former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, who called the announced paid attendance of 29,344 against South Alabama “embarrassing” and pushed for the idea of a 30,000-seat on-campus stadium.
“Made aware of what?” Kelly initially responded. “Yeah, I didn't see that. But attendance, I think when you look at it, especially here on the West Coast, is probably relative to your opponent and really knowledge of the opponent.”
Kelly also, again, pointed to school not being in session and used Stanford as an example of another school on the quarter system that drew less than 27,000 fans for its opener against Colgate on Sept. 3.
Kelly added that the lack of “name recognition” in the nonconference schedule likely didn’t help, either, but defended the idea that South Alabama was a quality opponent.
“It’s just I don't think people really know about them,” Kelly said.
The three games were each among the four smallest crowds to attend a game since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982. The announced paid attendance of 27,143 for the opener against Bowling Green set an all-time low.
He expects the crowds going forward to increase in conference play.
“I think when you're into league play, you're playing Pac-12 against Pac-12 and I think there's obviously name recognition when you're playing against your Pac-12 opponents,” Kelly said.
