UCLA is protecting quarterback Josh Rosen off the field too
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen passes downfield against Virginia in the first half Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
There is a difference between a podium and a pedestal, unless you work in the UCLA athletic department.
Everyone wanted to hear what freshman quarterback Josh Rosen had to say after his impressive performance in Saturday’s season-opening win over Virginia. But rather than being put on a podium for all to hear, he was off to the side with a crush of cameras and tape recorders surrounding him.
UCLA officials had a purpose.
The podium was too high profile. No other player spoke from there, so why should Rosen, despite all the people waiting to hear him?
UCLA, and Coach Jim Mora, have a plan for Rosen, who came to Westwood with a handle-with-care label. He enrolled in January but has rarely been available for interviews.
“No one is trying to keep him down,” Mora said. “We’re trying to help him grow at the right pace.”
As good as the Bruins’ offensive line was at protecting Rosen — no sacks against Virginia — Mora has been even better at shielding him.
“There is a lot at play when you’re talking about a young player,” Mora said. “The demands at UCLA are pretty intense. We have to make sure we protect him from himself — or these players from themselves — by not saying yes to too many people.”
Mora hasn’t been shy about using the media to his advantage. He challenged reporters during a premeditated rant to motivate Rosen during training camp. He finished a colorful soliloquy by looking over and shouting, “Tell your readers that’s why he hasn’t been named the starter.”
It seems all part of the Rosen plan.
Rosen’s performance in the 34-16 victory — 351 yards passing and three touchdowns — earned him the Pac-12 offensive player of the week and Walter Camp offensive player of the week.
Standard stuff, but what UCLA officials woke up to Sunday morning was more buzz saw than buzz.
Television pundits filled air time by chattering about “early Heisman [Trophy] returns,” and all but handed Rosen a ticket to New York for the trophy presentation.
UCLA linebacker Myles Jack has experience with similar hype. He became a national phenomenon as a two-way player his freshman year in 2013. He had a 120 yards rushing, including a 66-yard touchdown run, against Arizona in his first game on offense.
“It’s cool having your name on ESPN,” Jack said. “It’s cool having people talk about you and recognize you for your craft. At the same time, you’re only as good as your last show.”
Jack, now a junior, saw the downside, saying, “You have to keep your circle tight. There are going to be people coming out of the woodwork — new family members, friends who aren’t your friends.”
Rosen has help. His prep work included having senior receiver Jordan Payton as a roommate during training camp. Payton is one of the Bruins’ most savvy and level-headed players.
The thought remains that though Rosen is perfectly capable of dealing with the attention, a support group can only help.
“I wouldn’t say we act as his bodyguard or big brothers, it’s just we want to keep his radius clean,” Payton said.
Payton says that Rosen has a handle on his situation.
“Toward the end of the game, he said, ‘I can’t wait for the next game,’” Payton said. “That shows humility. A lot of guys couldn’t wait for the posgame press conference after a game like that. He was more ‘I can’t wait to show the world why I came here.’”
Rosen has been nothing but perfect in his few public appearances, deflecting the spotlight onto teammates. He was a nationally prominent player at Bellflower St. John Bosco High School and has been dealing with media attention for years.
Still, Mora found himself repeating the same sentence this week: “It was just one game.”
It was one game that has UCLA coaches watching.
“That’s the next thing to see, how does he handle this?” offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said. “You want to see how a young quarterback handles adversity, but you also want to see how he handles success.”
Mora said UCLA reached out to Miami during the offseason to get a feel for how the Hurricanes managed freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya a year ago.
Miami allowed Kaaya to speak after practice once a week and after games.
“We want to help Josh be successful and not set him up for failure,” Mora said.
“The more times you put an inexperienced person dealing with questions coming at him fast, the more chance that they will say something they will regret.”
Twitter: @cfosterlatimes
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