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By the time Brett Hundley had finished tossing the Virginia Tech defense around for 387 total yards and four total touchdowns, the most frightening question for UCLA fans had crystallized:
Is this the final game for Hundley at UCLA?
The scales probably tipped a little closer to ‘Yes’ as UCLA beat Virginia Tech 42-12 and Hundley displayed the dual-threat ability that has made him a projected first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and so highly coveted to teams in need of quality quarterback play.
After the game, Hundley, a third-year sophomore, said he would take a little time to sit down with family, his coaches and others before deciding whether to come back to UCLA for a junior season.
Of course, Bruins fans don’t need that time.
They’re already campaigning, deploying various levels of guilt on their QB.
The discussion regarding Hundley will center around whether or not he’s ready to play in the NFL, but that’s most likely not the deciding factor for Hundley himself. Any draft analyst could make a case for Hundley returning to UCLA and further polishing his skills, such as getting more consistently accurate, but that’s not what the player has to decide in these situations.
The simple question facing Hundley: Is this my best opportunity to capitalize on my stock, considering the rest of the draft class? If that answer is yes, it’s time to go.
And it might be. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, a projected top-10 pick, has already announced he’s returning to Eugene for another season. That leaves Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater (yet to declare, but expected) and, maybe, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (reportedly will declare soon) as the only two quarterbacks with a higher-rated stock in the 2014 class.
After the Sun Bowl, it’s possible Hundley has jumped Manziel on some teams’ boards and is now in the discussion with Bridgewater to be the first quarterback taken.
If Hundley returns to UCLA, it will make the Bruins a Pac-12 favorite and potentially a playoff contender. If not, Westwood will live and can say it enjoyed the show while it lasted.
Good thing Logan Thomas is OK
Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas blew up social media for a few minutes by trucking UCLA super-freshman Myles Jack and playing through seemingly half of the Bruins’ defense on one run.
Here’s the GIF of Thomas’ run.
Shortly thereafter, UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who had 10 tackles and an interception en route to sharing Co-MVP honors with Hundley, saw an opportunity to get Thomas back and did this.
The general reaction to Zumwalt’s hit?
And UCLA returns the favor. HOLY MOTHER OF MERCY. #LoganThomas
— CTrey Reiter (@CheyneReiter) December 31, 2013
Yes, it looked quite vicious, and Zumwalt got a 15-yard personal foul penalty for the hit.
Thomas stayed down for a bit before walking off the field and undergoing concussion tests on the sideline. He would not return to the game, but that might have been just a cautious decision considering Thomas, a senior, will now go to the NFL.
Thomas was on Virginia Tech’s sideline in the second half joking with teammates. Glad to see he’s OK after Zumwalt’s whack on him.
Teddy Mitrosilis writes and edits college football for FOXSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.
