Two former UCLA Bruin coaches joined forces to help a Big Ten Conference rival and the pairing has gotten off to a pretty successful start. Former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly and former Bruin interim offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel have led a Northwestern offense that’s averaging 32.7 points per game so far this season.
Kelly took over this offseason as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator, while Neuheisel left UCLA to become the quarterbacks coach for the Wildcats. Northwestern is off to a 2-1 start to the season, with the lone loss being a respectable 29-23 defeat against the Indiana Hoosiers.
A six-point road loss to the defending national champions is nothing to scoff at. Northwestern put up 325 yards of offense and we’re within two points
late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats fell behind 12-0 in the first half but Kelly and Neuheisel found some answers after halftime to get Northwestern back in the game.
Northwestern head coach David Braun brought in both former Bruin coaches this past offseason and it’s gotten the team the No. 8 passing offense in the Big Ten.
Kelly had a 35-34 record over his relatively disappointing six-year tenure with UCLA, which ended quite unceremoniously when Kelly accepted the Ohio State offensive coordinator job. Since then, Kelly has won a national title and returned to the NFL, where he spent less than one season running the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense.
Neuheisel, the former UCLA quarterback, spent 2018-2025 on the Bruins coaching staff, working his way up to associate head coach and interim offensive coordinator. Neuheisel made his playcalling debut in the Bruins shocking upset of Penn State last year but did not stick with the program following the hiring of Bob Chesney.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Former UCLA coaches have produced a competitive Northwestern offense
