This post was updated Oct. 17 at 9:45 p.m.

No. 25 UCLA football (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) notched its second conference defeat of the season Saturday, this time at the hands of No. 12 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1). Senior staff writer Grace Whitaker gives her five biggest takeaways from the road loss.

Interception epidemic

At this rate, the only streak UCLA holds is quarterback Dante Moore throwing an interception in the first two minutes of the game.

The worst part for the Bruins: It wasn’t his only of the night.

For the third game in a row, the freshman threw an interception during the opening moments of the contest. The streak began with Moore throwing a pick six within the first 12 seconds against Utah – one that eventually made the difference as UCLA lost 14-7 on Sept. 23.

In last week’s contest against Washington State, Moore threw another interception within the first two minutes. It didn’t cost the Bruins the game, but he would eventually throw another one on the night.

Saturday was no different.

Within the first two minutes, Moore’s pass intended for senior wide receiver Logan Loya was instead caught by Oregon State’s Akili Arnold. 10 minutes later, Moore threw yet another interception.

The quarterback’s third of the night would prove an even worse fate for UCLA. With the intention of finding redshirt sophomore wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant, it was Oregon State’s Ryan Cooper Jr. who returned the ball for a touchdown – marking Moore’s third pick six in as many game.

It would be his final interception of the game, but the Bruins weren’t without the scares of another being added as an Oregon State defender was inches away from catching another Moore pass at the close of the third quarter.

If this trend continues, not only will Moore continue to lead the Pac-12 in interceptions, but the country as well.

Run, Collin, Run

For the first time since UCLA’s contest against North Carolina Central, coach Chip Kelly put someone other than Moore in the game as the Bruins’ play caller.

On Saturday, that was redshirt junior Collin Schlee.

The quarterback was not entrusted with throwing the ball more than once, but he was assigned to run the ball.

“Collin gave us a little bit of spark,” Kelly said.

And run he did, as Schlee accounted for 80 rushing yards prior to being taken out of the game with an injury. In the start of the second quarter, Schlee gained 45 yards on his own within four rushing plays, enough to get the Bruins to the Beavers’ 10-yard line for Moore to throw the ball into the end zone for their first touchdown of the contest.

In the third quarter, Schlee returned to the field once again, this time to gain 34 yards across two plays.

After UCLA’s offensive troubles against Utah, it was evident that the Bruins would need Moore to improve, or else they would be in for a long season. And since then, performances plagued with multiple interceptions and minimal scoring have begun to stack up.

So when Kelly opted to use Schlee’s strengths to his advantage against Oregon State, the duo of Moore and Schlee added a new – albeit imperfect – dynamic to UCLA’s offense.

However, the pairing may be short-lived depending on the prognosis of Schlee’s injury.

Secondary hits a ceiling

UCLA’s top-10 defense has been the talk of the town as of late.

After years of struggling defenses, the Bruins finally turned a corner and found their way into the upper echelon.

UCLA’s secondary was in the habit of limiting its opponents to 189.6 yards per game, but Saturday was a different look, with the Bruins giving up 282 yards in the air.

With the run defense also having its worst game of the year, the end result of UCLA’s inability to stop Oregon State was a 36-point performance from the latter – the most points the Bruins have forfeited all season.

As Moore and the offense continue to find their footing, it seems UCLA’s defense can hold down the fort.

However, in recent light, this assumption appears premature.

With two of the Pac-12 passing leaders in that of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and USC’s Caleb Williams within the Bruins’ near future, the time for a subpar secondary defense has passed and the days of needing to limit opposing team’s abilities in the air were yesterday.

Rush hour

While UCLA’s secondary has consistently been above average before Saturday, it’s the rushing defense that has been the team’s claim to fame.

But in the same vein as the secondary, the substantial improvements weren’t as obvious Saturday.

On average, the Bruins have limited their opponents to a mere 76 rushing yards per game. They allowed nearly double, that with 133 yards forfeited Saturday.

In conjunction with its secondary, UCLA appeared to be a different team than the one that took the field just one week prior.

In addition to the increased yardage allowed, the Bruins recorded a season low in tackles for loss and sacks in a game Saturday. With five tackles for loss compared to its prior average of nearly nine per game and two sacks – nearly half of their average – UCLA’s pass rush was unable to reach its previous heights.

The problems disrupting the backfield – coupled with the shaky secondary – revealed pressure points Saturday in many areas of the Bruins’ game, not just that of their offensive inefficiencies. And these pressure points could prove destructive in the coming weeks.

Zooming out

Heading into the 2023 season, the Pac-12 was a mystery both on and off the field.

Across the conference, there was a reigning Heisman winner, a five-star quarterback recruit and a new head coach that drew in significant headlines. And off the field, teams were departing the “Conference of Champions” left and right for the purportedly greener pastures of the Big Ten and Big 12.

So emerged the question of how these programs would bid farewell to the conference they knew so well.

And after the second week of the season, the Pac-12 appeared stronger than ever with eight teams ranked in the top 25. Colorado – which hadn’t defeated a ranked opponent in four years – took down last year’s national championship runner-up TCU in Texas. UCLA went 3-0 in the nonconference schedule with its new quarterback. And Williams was garnering buzz for a repeat Heisman.

It appeared that the Pac-12’s final year as it was known would be one of its best.

But since that day, cracks have been revealed in these programs. UCLA is a prime example.

At this point, the Bruins’ chances of finding their way into the conference championship are near zero, but they could play spoiler against a now-beatable USC, hurting its hopes at a spot in Las Vegas.

And while the Trojans’ hopes at a postseason run may be withering away, one team is still vying for its spot in the limelight – Washington. Slated at fifth in the country, the Huskies are currently the Pac-12’s prime chance at securing a spot in the College Football Playoff.