UCLA QB Brett Hundley Makes Statement vs. USC
Nov 22, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
It looked like we might be getting a night full of ‘bad’ Brett Hundley on Saturday night as his first pass was picked off by USC, but Hundley calmly shifted everything back in his — and his team’s — favor.
After starting with an INT, Hundley came back to throw three touchdowns on 22-of-31 passing for 326 yards and another rushing score. It was a phenomenal game for Hundley, who led UCLA to a big win over USC and proved to the nation that they are a contender for the Pac 12 this season, and Hundley is a big reason why.
As inconsistent and frustrating as he can be as a prospect, Hundley is a guy with some of the most potential of any quarterback that is available to this class of players, and he showed exactly why on Saturday night. In the biggest game of the season for UCLA thus far, he showed up in a big way and had to overcome some adversity along the way.
One big notch on Hundley’s belt is the fact that, if he leaves for the NFL next year, he will leave UCLA undefeated against UCLA having scored 35 points or more in every win. That’s an impressive stat for any Pac 12 quarterback, even considering the turmoil that USC has suffered the last few years.
While Hundley has displayed first round ability at times, there have no doubt been games where you’ve been left shaking your head or wondering what in the world happened to the guy that people spoke so highly about. That’s the frustrating part about Hundley at this point, in that you don’t know what you’re going to get.
Some have questioned Hundley’s instincts at the next level despite every physical tool you could possibly want in a prospect. A big knock on him has been the volume of snaps that he’s taken from the shotgun and how he relies too heavily on his pre-snap read to have success throwing the football.
That can be true to a degree, but athletes like Hundley don’t grow on trees, and guys don’t show his athletic ability combined with first round QB flashes all the time either. This is a player that NFL teams are going to be very torn on, but someone that I think is worth taking a chance on at worst in the second round. For a team that already has stability at the quarterback position and/or great coaching, Hundley could be very successful in the NFL.