Football Monday: UCLA vs. Colorado

Every postgame, Daily Bruin Sports breaks down the Bruins’ most recent game, outlining the good, the bad and the verdict of their performance. This week, we take a closer look at UCLA’s 35-31 win over Colorado on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

The Good: Explosive plays

The UCLA offense was more explosive on Saturday than it had been in any game this season. The Bruins racked up seven plays of 20-plus yards, setting a new season-high. Redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins ran 82 yards untouched for a touchdown, freshman quarterback Josh Rosen went three of six on throws beyond 20 yards, and redshirt junior cornerback Ishmael Adams added a 96-yard pick-six on defense.

The Bruins’ explosive offense forced the defense to spend a lot of time on the field, but junior inside linebacker Jayon Brown had no problem with that – as long as UCLA was putting points up on the board.

“Once they score and you get on the field, you get energized and that carries over onto the field,” Brown said. “So it was alright. As long as we’re putting up points, I don’t mind plays we take on defense.”

The Bad: Penalties

This is starting to sound like a broken record, but UCLA football had problems with penalties again. Against Colorado, UCLA committed 10 penalties for 101 yards. If the Bruins were not facing the worst team in the Pac-12 South, they may have been doomed by their propensity for penalties.

The penalties in the kick return game were particularly costly for the Bruins. By game’s end, UCLA committed three penalties on its five kick return attempts, totaling -27 yards. The Bruins’ average starting field position in the game was at their own 18.8-yard line.

The Verdict: UCLA played down to competition

Make no mistake, the Bruins had to face a lot of injury adversity against the Buffaloes, but still, they were the superior team and should have won by more than they did. UCLA was favored to win by 23 points heading into the game, and only won by four.

Considering that a majority of the injuries were on the defensive end, UCLA’s somewhat-healthy offense should have performed a little bit better against Colorado’s defense. The Bruins did score four offensive touchdowns, but also went three-and-out on four of their 12 drives. UCLA will need to do a better job of sustaining longer offensive drives if it hopes to contend against more disciplined defenses that don’t allow 80-yard plays.

Player of the Game: Freshman safety Nathan Meadors

True freshman safety Nathan Meadors had never played cornerback a day in his life. Yet there he was, in the waning moments, playing cornerback as UCLA tried to protect a 35-31 lead.

As the Buffaloes neared the 50-yard line with under a minute to go, Meadors noticed something in the Colorado scheme that looked familiar to something he saw in film study during the week. He made a read, and he reacted on it.

“We have weekly tests, and it was the same route concept that they ran – it was a seam with a comeback, it’s called ‘Snaps,'” Meadors said. “And I’d seen the seam going, and then I’d seen them back away, so I just jumped the route and trusted the preparation throughout the week.”

As Meadors jumped the route, he intercepted the pass, sealing the victory for the Bruins.

“Once I made (the interception) I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,'” Meadors said. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since I was a little kid, playing for UCLA in the Rose Bowl and I made the play. … I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Quote of the Game: Coach Jim Mora

“(The defense) played a gazillion plays, and it was a thousand degrees out there and we’re standing there facing the sun for some reason. Of course we were hot. I mean I turned around one time, put my back to the sun and said, ‘This is like a 10 degree difference’ – with the sun at my back as opposed to my face. So hell yeah (the defenders) were fatigued. We’ll figure that one out sometime – why we’re facing the sun. I don’t know why, but I’m sure someone will tell me. I haven’t been here long enough, I’m the newbie.”