Report: Josh Rosen to Sit Out Cactus Bowl

A report from Bruin Report Online states that Josh Rosen will not play in the Cactus Bowl. The report has not been verified by other sources at the time of publication.

Rosen had been practicing with the team this week, but it was in a limited capacity, which in this writer’s opinion means the coaching staff was playing it with Rosen’s concussion and may have made the decision to let Rosen heal fully and begin the pre-draft process.

Rosen will potentially leave UCLA after setting a new single-season passing record for the team, thanks to a stat correction that was made last night and acknowledged by the NCAA this morning. A 33 yard pop pass from Rosen to Eldridge Massington against Arizona State was originally ruled a run play, but was changed to a pass upon review. The change gives Rosen the new record with 3,756 yards, eclipsing Brett Hundley’s previous record of 3,740. The yardage total is even more impressive given that Rosen missed a total of 8 quarters this year, including a full game against Utah and 2nd halves against Washington and UC Berkeley.

The decision will give UCLA a few practices before Tuesday’s Cactus Bowl to work with Devon Modster as the lead QB. Modster has been a bit uneven this year in relief of Rosen, but had a brilliant second half against UC Berkeley to get the Bruins to bowl eligibility, and will be looking to build on that good performance as he heads into a potential offseason battle to take over the starting QB position in 2018.

Good luck to Josh Rosen, and Go Bruins!