UCLA Football: 5 Things We Learned vs. Nebraska

The UCLA Bruins secured some time in the national spotlight after an exciting 36-30 victory over the then-No. 16 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.

With the win, UCLA garnered a spot in the AP Top 25 poll—now ranked as as the No. 22 team in the country. It's the first time that the Bruins have been ranked since 2007. 

Against the Cornhuskers, the Bruins demonstrated why they have an incredibly potent offense. They ran absolutely roughshod over Nebraska—to the tune of 653 total yards of offense. 

From an energy standpoint, it was an electric performance by the squad. It played with an enthusiasm not seen by a Bruins team in quite sometime.

Let's take a look at five things we learned in the contest against Nebraska. 

Brett Hundley Is No Ordinary Redshirt Freshman

There's no doubt that Brett Hundley has had a fantastic beginning to his collegiate career.

Nebraska was supposed to provide a much stiffer test when compared to Rice the week before. Head coach Bo Pelini is a "defensive mastermind" and the Blackshirts were going to be applying pressure to Hundley early and often.

Hundley combated the pressure with stoicism and poise.

Poise is truly the apt word to describe the mature redshirt freshman from Chandler, Ariz. He seemingly never got rattled—regardless of the situation. Hundley was calm in the pocket and made the right decisions.

In the contest, he went 21-of-33 for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Most impressively was the fact that he didn't throw an interception. Aside from his efficient performance, he displayed impressive intelligence.

Hundley knew when to throw the ball away, and also knew when to escape the pocket and run for yardage. He never took hits, and either ran out of bounds or slid to avoid extraneous contact.  

This is not the conservative, uninspiring Bruins offense of old. Against Rice, they put up 646 yards. When playing against a much tougher opponent in Nebraska, they put up an astounding 653 yards of total offense.

Regardless of how this season plays out, the Bruins have their quarterback for the present and for the future. 

Defensive Coordinator Lou Spanos Can Make Adjustments

One incredibly vital component of college football is the ability to make adjustments on the fly during a game. The side that can do it best in a tight contest will more than likely win the game.

For two straight weeks, defensive coordinator Lou Spanos has shown the wherewithal to do just that.

In UCLA's season opener against Rice, it relinquished 24 points in the first half. In the second half? The Bruins pitched a shutout. 

Against Nebraska, quarterback Taylor Martinez was hurting the Bruins on zone reads. He was able to fake out the defense and scamper for a 92-yard touchdown in the first half. The Cornhuskers were running the ball well, and thus also scored 24 points in the first half.

Similar to what they did against Rice, Spanos switched up his defense and played primarily a dime package. It gave him an extra defensive back on the field, and it made the defense faster overall.

Predominantly in the second half, the defensive line of the Bruins' defense (namely Datone Jones and Owa Odighizuwa) was getting consistent pressure on Martinez. As a result, it made the Nebraska quarterback flustered—which led to erratic decision-making and eventually an interception.

Spanos came to the realization that he didn't need to bring a ton of pressure. He did that in the first halves of both games, and it opened up running lanes for the mobile quarterbacks in the center of the field.

The defensive line is a definite strength of the team, and its constant pressure afforded Spanos to sit back and diagnose the game differently. It also allowed for outside linebackers Jordan Zumwalt and Anthony Barr to rush effectively up field from different spots.  

Nebraska only scored six points in the second half. It was the defensive effort in the second stanza that won the game for the Bruins. 

Johnathan Franklin Is a Heisman Contender

Johnathan Franklin rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries in the season opener against Rice. Those gaudy numbers would be near impossible to replicate in a contest for the duration of the season. 

Franklin did that against Nebraska—and more.

He rushed for 217 yards against the vaunted Cornhuskers' defense. He also caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. At this point, Franklin is the nation's leading rusher. He's averaging a staggering 215.50 yards a contest to go along with an unbelievable 10.5 yards per carry average. 

The way Franklin has transformed himself as a back has been impressive. His level of production should be attributed in part due to the offensive scheme employed by Noel Mazzone. With that said, he's become a more complete football player in his senior year.

In past years, Franklin has had the penchant to go down from contact easily. He also was seemingly missing that last "game-breaking gear" when running away from defenders. This season, he's not only shown a much improved burst, but he's breaking tackles regularly. 

Franklin also became the first UCLA ever to be named as the Pac-12 Player of the Week in two straight weeks. Due to his strong start to the season, Franklin has been getting notoriety across the country from numerous publications and media outlets.  

Someone better start the Heisman campaign in Westwood for Franklin. If he continues to perform at such a high clip, Gary Beban might have some company in the trophy room.

A New Energy Has Permeated Throughout the Program

Make no mistake about it, Jim Mora has completely changed the perception of the UCLA football team. 

There is such a tremendous amount of energy and excitement surrounding the program. There's even a level of intrigue and perhaps bewilderment as well.

For a team known as being sloppy, unprepared, uninspired and average, Mora has seemingly changed the culture overnight.

Look no further than the Nebraska game. In the home opener against a reputable ranked opponent, the feeling around the Rose Bowl was that of euphoria. The game literally became an event with an electric atmosphere.

The team was completely jacked up for the game and carried on that enthusiasm throughout. Never once would the Bruins be categorized as uninterested or unmotivated.

On the contrary, the team played fast, physical and with purpose. They also played with an infectious attitude that rubbed off on teammates and patrons alike. 

This signature win for the program has gotten great attention from media outlets. The team is being recognized for their strong play, and Mora is rightfully getting praised. 

At the game, the team hosted a huge contingency of high-profile recruits. One of those high-profile recruits—4-star offensive tackle Kenny Lacy—committed to the Bruins the day after the game.

The profile of the team and the attention of top recruits rose considerably with such an impressive and entertaining performance. 

The tide is shifting in Westwood. For the first time in a decade, the "sleeping giant" of college football might have finally been awaken from a slumber of mediocrity. 

Offensive Statistics to Ponder to This Point

Here is what UCLA is doing on offense thus far in the season...

Points Per Game: 42.5 (ranks 18th in the nation)

Passing Yards per game: 306.0 (ranks 23rd in the nation)

Rushing Yards per game: 343.5 (ranks 2nd in the nation) 

Total Offense per game: 649.50 (ranks 3rd in the nation)

It's safe to say that offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone is having somewhat of an impact on the offense.

It's a far cry from last year, where the squad couldn't even muster an average of 200 yards a game in the air. It's a complete overhaul, but more importantly, a complete utilization of the personnel. 

Just looking at those statistics, it's downright astonishing that Mazzone and the staff has the offense clicking on all cylinders two games into the season. It's even more impressive when the offense starts a freshman at quarterback and three freshmen on the offensive line.