Football seeks more complete performance against bottom-ranked Colorado

UCLA heads to the land of high altitudes and low expectations on Saturday to face a Colorado squad that has ranked among the worst in the Pac-12 since the conference’s formation.

The Buffs have won just 31 games since its last winning season in 2005 and has finished either last or tied for last in the Pac-12 South since joining the conference in 2011.

But while Colorado (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) has struggled to win consistently, No. 25 UCLA (5-2, 2-2) is still looking to play a complete game for the first time this season. Despite moving the ball well at times on offense and finally delivering consistent pressure on an opposing quarterback last week against Cal, UCLA was still very much its up-and-down self in Berkeley.

“It can be frustrating out there, but you just got to have faith, because you can see how good we are and how fast we can strike,” said junior receiver Jordan Payton. “Just trying to do that each and every series is something we’re definitely pushing for, and it’s definitely becoming overdue.”

To avoid the season bottoming out against the conference’s resident bottom-dweller, UCLA must slow down a pair of players that can be as frustrating as any duo in the country: Colorado’s sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau and junior receiver Nelson Spruce.

After starting the final eight games of the season a year ago, Liufau has already bettered his stats in his second go-around as the Buffs signal-caller, throwing for more touchdowns, yards and completions than last year while improving his completion percentage by almost six points.

“It starts with their quarterback. Last year, when we played him when he was a true freshman, you could see that he had a great skill set,” said coach Jim Mora. “You get a guy who is in the system for an extended amount of time and he’s talented like he is and smart and hard working, he’ll get better. There’s a chemistry that develops.”

That chemistry has largely been with one player: Spruce. With the departure of standout Paul Richardson to the NFL, Spruce has emerged as Liufau’s go-to receiver, as he has nearly twice as many receptions and almost three times as many yards as the next-closest Buffs receiver.

Stopping Liufau will mean containing Spruce, which has been a struggle for opposing defenses. While Mora said that UCLA doesn’t plan on making “wholesale” changes to try to slow down the national leader in both receptions (71) and touchdowns (11), the Bruins will make it a point to know where Spruce is on the field.

“He’s one of those guys that just finds the little spot, and when he gets there and the ball’s delivered, which his quarterback does a great job of, he’s got great hands,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. “Obviously you can tweak your coverages because he’s an exceptional receiver and you gotta account for him … (but) at the end of the day he’s gonna be a great challenge no matter what we do.”

While the Bruins’ defense concerns itself with slowing down the Buffs’ dynamic duo, the UCLA offense is focused on not slowing itself down after turning the ball over five times in the last two weeks. That includes a late fourth-quarter interception by redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley which resulted in a Cal go-ahead score late in the game.

On a third-and-12 from the Cal 46-yard line, Hundley dropped back in the pocket and faced little pressure. Despite the clean pocket, Hundley’s pass over the middle was thrown behind Payton and intercepted by Cal sophomore cornerback Cameron Walker, who returned it into UCLA territory.

On the play, the Bears rushed only three players, electing to drop eight defenders into coverage, forcing Hundley to make a tight throw.

It’s a defensive look Hundley is seeing more and more and one he is still adjusting to.

“This year, with as explosive as our receivers are, we see a lot of teams now drop eight and max drop. … It makes passing that much more difficult,” Hundley said. “There’s such smaller windows, and then you have to learn to check it down and just take what the defense gives you.”

By now, Hundley and the Bruins know a thing or two about small windows.

UCLA currently sits fifth in a bunched-up Pac-12 South, ahead of only Colorado and a game and a half behind leader USC.

The Bruin hopes for a spot in the Pac-12 championship will widen a bit more with a win Saturday. Another inconsistent performance however, will all but slam it shut.