Football Monday – Oct. 28, 2013

Every UCLA football Saturday, whether at the Rose Bowl or on the road, has so much more to it than a win or a loss. That’s why each postgame Monday, the Daily Bruin will break down the Bruins’ most recent game, outlining the good, the bad and the verdict for their performance.

This week, we take a closer look at UCLA’s 42-14 loss to Oregon on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.

 

The Good: Defensive Sharpness

Early on against the Ducks, it was apparent that the Bruins were set on a mentality of aggressive tackling, toughness and quickness. Freshman outside linebacker Myles Jack caught up to speedy Oregon junior running back De’Anthony Thomas on a weak side run, senior outside linebacker Anthony Barr sacked redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota on two separate occasions and senior inside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt recorded a season-high 14 tackles.

While Mariota did miss a touchdown throw to wide receiver Bralon Addison in the second quarter that would have made the score 21-7, UCLA held one of the nation’s most prolific offenses scoreless over five consecutive drives in the second and third quarters, a rare feat against a team that scores an average of nearly 60 points per game.

The Bruin defense broke in the fourth quarter due to heavy doses of running backs Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner. They also had very little time to recover. In the three drives preceding Oregon’s three final touchdown drives to end the game, the Bruins converted just two first downs on offense.

Coach Jim Mora recognized the defense’s efforts after the tough four-touchdown loss, but declined to single out positives to take away from the game.

“I thought we played hard, but playing hard is not enough,” he said.

 

The Bad: Offensive Playmaking

While the Bruins failed to string together many first downs in the second half, they took points off the board in the first half with a series of missed opportunities.

Driving all the way down to the Oregon 13-yard line and trailing by just a touchdown in the middle of the second quarter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley severely underthrew redshirt senior wide receiver Shaquelle Evans, who was already very well-covered. The result was a pass intercepted by Oregon’s senior linebackerBoseko Lokombo, a turnover that delayed UCLA’s opportunity to tie the game until just under two minutes remained in the half.

In the first quarter, UCLA was likewise within striking distance, facing a fourth-and-two at the Oregon 32-yard line. But rather than using the expanse of the field, the Bruins called a conservative run up the gut by redshirt freshman running back Paul Perkins, a move that was stonewalled by a stout Oregon defensive line to produce a turnover on downs.

In the second half, the Bruins’ opportunities to score were never quite as bright. They converted just three of nine third downs, and on a crucial third-and-20, surrendered yet another Brett Hundley interception that put Oregon within striking distance of its second touchdown of the half.

“I’m sitting here trying to figure out the same thing,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone of his offense’s struggles. “There comes a point where we’ve just got to hit a couple throws.”

 

Verdict: Just Not Ready For the Big Time

Back-to-back double-digit losses on the road to by far the best teams the Bruins have faced entrenches UCLA as being, at the very best, a third-tier team. Mora himself said after the game that his Bruins are simply not on the level of a Stanford or Oregon yet, and a tight game-turned-beatdown in Eugene validates the UCLA coach’s sentiments.

Offensive firepower is among those issues: the UCLA passing game has struggled in the last two weeks against elite defenses, with Hundley averaging just 6.5 yards per passing attempt over the last two weeks versus 9.4 in four prior contests. One can speculate as to which of a myriad of potential causes of an anemic offense applies, with a lack of Hundley’s trust in an offensive line starting three true freshman or a 52-19 run-pass ratio against Oregon being two factors to consider, and not necessarily in isolation of each other.

UCLA’s own defense can’t be considered great, especially with missed tackles in a game that ended with the Bruins surrendering four straight touchdowns. The unit held Oregon to 21 points through three quarters and forced two turnovers, yet gave up 126 of 325 rushing yards in the fourth quarter, which started with the Bruins down by just seven points.

A similar UCLA effort against a lesser offense probably would’ve made for a nicer stat sheet and a possible win. But the Pac-12, and thus any ambitions of a national title, run through Oregon and Stanford: giving up 49 second-half points to those programs over the last two weeks simply won’t do.

 

Player of the Game: Freshman outside linebacker Myles Jack

Without Myles Jack, UCLA may well have been shut out in Eugene, Ore.: The freshman opposite of Anthony Barr forced the two plays that produced UCLA’s only two scoring drives. While Jack cannot be credited with putting the ball in the end zone, his strip of a wide receiver and punt block respectively set UCLA up just 38 and 28 yards away from pay dirt.

The punt denial was a bit of a gift for the quick outside linebacker. Jack said that Oregon’s snapper had to block someone between him and freshman linebacker Jayon Brown, with the latter getting the block, thus freeing up Jack to quickly capitalize on a free path to the punter.

“I came a little bit too free. I thought I was going to get kicked in the stomach,” Jack said.

 

Quote of the Week: Coach Jim Mora, after being told he didn’t need to worry about Colorado next Saturday: “I’m worried about everything.”

Compiled by Andrew Erickson and Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin Sports senior staff.