UCLA to take on BYU in last weekend before Pac-12 play

With only one weekend left before conference play, the Bruins have more questions then they thought they would.

UCLA football bounced back from a loss at Texas A&M by winning its home opener against UNLV, but the 42-21 scoreline did little to mask the early season problems.

The Bruins ran out to a 28-7 lead, scoring on their first four drives.

Then the third quarter woes returned. Over the last two games, UCLA has been outscored 21-0 out of halftime.

A combination of inconsistent offense and depleted defense plagued the Bruins.

[Related: UCLA football overcomes UNLV’s unfamiliar offensive tactics]

Sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen had a cleaner game against the Rebels, completing 23/38 passes for 267 yards and no interceptions, but his receivers struggled to catch the ball consistently. On Saturday, the Bruins had five rushing touchdowns – sophomore running back Soso Jamabo led the team with three in the first half – but only one receiving touchdown from junior wide receiver Mossi Johnson.

UCLA’s top receivers from last year – Jordan Payton and Thomas Duarte – are now playing in the NFL, leaving Rosen without a go-to-guy.

“I’m really waiting for that consistency,” Rosen said after Saturday’s win against UNLV. “That guy I can go to and know he’s always going to be in the right spot.”

Fifteen different players have caught the ball so far.

Redshirt senior Kenneth Walker and redshirt junior Eldridge Massington lead the team with nine and eight receptions respectively, but even the veteran leaders have struggled to reel in the easy, open catches.

But the wide receivers say the key to building consistency is simple.

It’s something they say wide receivers coach Eric Yarber has preached to them: “Watch the ball all the way in.”

“We’ve just got to focus more,” Massington said. “Sometimes we lose concentration.”

It’s not only the receivers losing concentration during the third quarter. The defense had mental lapses against both the Aggies and the Rebels, giving up three easy touchdowns to its opponents while missing tackles and committing untimely penalties.

But a big part is the loss of key players to injuries or, as the coaches called it, “bumps and bruises.”

Senior defensive lineman Deon Hollins and redshirt sophomore fullback Cameron Griffin haven’t played a snap yet this season after suffering concussions before training camp in August.

Senior defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley and junior defensive back Jaleel Wadood did not play against the Rebels either. McKinley tweaked his groin in College Station, Texas, while Wadood had an undisclosed issue.

Redshirt junior defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes sat out for the second half against UNLV with a right knee strain.

[Related: UCLA defeats UNLV 42-41]

Rounding off the injuries are senior linebacker Cameron Judge with an injured shoulder and redshirt junior right guard Poasi Moala with an injured wrist.

The loss of personnel forced defensive coordinator Tom Bradley to shuffle junior defensive lineman Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, who he called his “putty guy,” to fill the gaps.

But coach Jim Mora indicated that none of the injuries were serious and was hopeful to have all at practice for BYU this week.

The Bruins are the Cougars’ third straight Pac-12 team of the season after two close games against Arizona and Utah. BYU narrowly squeaked by the Wildcats 18-16 before dropping a one-point heartbreaker in the Holy War rivalry.

Last season, the Cougars dropped a similar contest at the Rose Bowl. Although trailing for most of the game, then-No. 10 UCLA made a fourth-quarter comeback to win its third game of the season 24-23.

If the Bruins want to build momentum heading into Pac-12 play, they’ll need to be able to put together a complete game.

They’ve been outscored 74-26 in the third quarter alone against the Cardinal since 2009. With Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffrey and Stanford looming, UCLA might not be able to win with anything other than four solid quarters.