UCLA lost starting quarterback Wilton Speight early in Saturday’s season opener against Cincinnati, and it remains unclear if the senior will be available this weekend when the Bruins face an even tougher test in Oklahoma. However, Chip Kelly does not sound concerned about Speight’s injury.
Speight left UCLA’s 26-17 loss to Cincinnati after suffering a back injury, but he got in a limited practice on Monday. Kelly told reporters the injury is “nothing serious” but would not rule out Speight having to miss a game.
Kelly said Speight won’t necessarily have to practice in full this week in order to play, but he hinted that it could be the deciding factor.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to be successful if they don’t have a week of practice and understand the game plan,” Kelly said, per Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “If that was the case, then no one should practice.”
UCLA fans are obviously very disappointed with how the Kelly era has begun, especially since a horrible decision from the coach was one of the reasons for the loss. Speight, a graduate transfer from Michigan, was not all that successful during his time in Ann Arbor, but there must be a reason he won the starting job. If he’s healthy enough, it seems unlikely that Kelly will bail on him this early on in the season.
