That was a generational player. Any other QB, regardless of the system, would have been sacked four times as often as Mariota. His elusiveness and savvy is the thing that carried that program.
I’m in the minority, but I don’t think Chip will succeed at UCLA.
Sorry to bust your theory, But Kelly only got 1 year of Mariota (his freshman year) before going to the NFL
Chip Kelly went to a rose bowl with a guy named Jeremiah Masoli (who currently plays in Canada), Masoli was then kicked off the team for stealing. He then took Oregon to a National title game (and another rose bowl) with a guy named Darron Thomas (who was a back up in the Arena Leauge last I checked.)
Yup, you’re right. I forgot that Helfrich coached for four years and not just three.
Kelly was 1-0 in bowls with Marcus, and 1-2 without. Did Chip originate “Go Fast Go Hard?” Regardless, the culture at UCLA is very different from that of U of O.
Still, GFGH isn’t the shiny new toy anymore. I wonder how he’ll adjust his philosophy. I don’t think Chip is going to replicate his success there.
To your point about his bowl record with and without Mariota, Kelly also won 3 straight conference championships without Mariota and finished second in the North during the one year he had Mariota.
I 100% agree that Kelly won’t find the same success he had at Oregon but it will be because no one is blindsided by his offense anymore. There was a time when teams in the PAC-10 had to fake injuries just to slow Oregon down. That is no longer the case, and what Chip Kelly brings to the table is something that every team sees week in and week out.
On top of all that, I don’t think people realize how much Kelly got bailed out by his assistants. Keep in mind that Current Nebraska coach Scott Frost was a huge part of the reason why Oregon was so successful (among others)
Above all else though, Chip hated recruiting. At Oregon, he recruited small and fast under the radar guys, that is not going to cut it in todays game, especially with USC in his backyard.
I am not quite sure what the bowl record with and without Mariota has to do with anything though, Mariota played against Kansas st in the fiesta bowl against some QB who is probably working on a farm now, while the other 3 games were against 3 Current NFL player’s (Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Terrelle Pryor)
I don’t think you’re in the minority. Petrino had the same thing with Lamar Jackson at Louisville. They’ll probably have a few mediocre years now that Jackson is gone and then Petrino will be fired.
His biggest problem for the next two years is that his run-oriented offense has no one to run and no one to block. That and UCLA’s run defense is s**t.
This is the right answer. Forget about QB’s. Whoever Kelly has will be really good, because that is what Kelly does. Kelly’s offense lives and dies with the run.
Utah @ 
Baylor 
.
