This post was updated Oct. 31 at 10:04 p.m. 

Only nine teams in the entire country have turned the ball over more than the Bruins.

This past Saturday, the turnovers weren’t just limited to quarterbacks throwing interceptions. Instead, two of the team’s four came from a different backfield position – running back.

Junior running back Carson Steele fumbled in the red zone twice in the second quarter of No. 19 UCLA football’s 28-16 win over Colorado. For the first time this season, sophomore running back T.J. Harden had more carries than Steele, as the latter’s turnovers cost the Bruins key scoring chances in a first half in which they tallied just seven points.

On the first fumble, Steele initially burst through the offensive line for over 15 yards to get inside the 25. But as the Ball State transfer lowered his shoulder to finish the run, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders put his shoulder on the ball and knocked it loose to end a drive that likely would have given UCLA a chance for at least three points.

Following the game, coach Chip Kelly said the first fumble wasn’t Steele’s fault.

“Sometimes it’s not always your fault, it’s credit to the other side,” Kelly said. “You look at the first turnover – he (Steele) crossed grip, he had two hands on the ball, and they still separated the ball from him. Fundamentally, he was doing what we teach him to do.”

But history repeated itself for Steele, as a large gain with less than a minute left in the half resulted in another fumble. This time, the mistake occurred inside the ten.

The Buffaloes failed to capitalize with points off of either turnover, but the Bruins missed out on the opportunity to extend their 7-6 lead before halftime.

Coming out of the midgame break, however, UCLA’s offense quickly responded to the pair of costly second-quarter turnovers.

The Bruins needed just two plays – both passes – to travel 75 yards and score a touchdown on their opening drive of the third quarter. Redshirt junior quarterback Ethan Garbers said he was pleased with how the unit responded in the second half.

“This offense has a bunch of resiliency,” Garbers said. “We know when to bounce back and how to bounce back, and I’m just so proud of the guys.”

Behind Garbers and redshirt junior quarterback Collin Schlee, UCLA ultimately scored three second-half touchdowns to help pull away from Colorado.

The mistakes didn’t affect the final outcome of the game, but they potentially played a role in the different distribution of carries Saturday.

Steele tied for his second-lowest carry total in a game this season, receiving just 11. Meanwhile, Harden had carried the ball more than 11 times in a game just once this season prior to having 20 in the win.

Even with an uneven split through the first seven games, Harden said the plan all season has been to share the load evenly with Steele.

“We’re just like a one-two punch, so we get an even distribution of carries,” Harden said. “Me and him do a great job at just staying consistent, helping each other out, getting each other out when one of us is tired.”

Prior to Saturday, Steele looked primed to take over the Bruins’ backfield.

The bellcow back racked up three straight games with 20 or more carries and turned those 72 rushing opportunities into 327 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Over the same three contests, Harden received just 32 carries and totaled 124 rushing yards.

UCLA’s upcoming contest features a matchup between its rushing offense – which ranks eighth in the entire country – and Arizona’s 17th-ranked run defense.

Regardless of how many carries each running back receives, Kelly said he’s confident in the entire position group.

“We feel like we have a couple kids back there, and I think it’s a great mix,” Kelly said. “Play-call-wise, we don’t change anything. … They all can run what we call, and to have multiple guys at that position is a big deal for us.”