This post was updated Oct. 24 at 10:57 p.m.

Hiring two former NFL running backs to the Bruins’ coaching staff was expected to reignite the team’s ground attack.

But following Saturday’s victory against the Scarlet Knights, the Bruins have officially fallen to dead last – 133rd of 133 FBS teams – in rushing yards per game.

While the backfield has struggled to find a spark on the ground, UCLA football has found other ways to get the room involved in the offense. Last weekend, the three-headed running back corps of junior T.J. Harden, redshirt senior Keegan Jones and redshirt senior Jalen Berger combined for 157 receiving yards and three touchdowns while amassing just 53 yards on the ground.

“It’s fun catching the ball out of the backfield,” Berger said. “I feel like all three of us are versatile running backs, and we just want to help out any way we can.”

The utilization of running backs as receivers has been a seasonlong trend for the Bruins. Prior to Saturday’s match in Piscataway, New Jersey, Harden led the team in receiving yards and currently has 238 yards through the air compared to his team-leading 180 yards on the ground.

“They’re just finding ways to contribute to the team,” said coach DeShaun Foster. “They’re not exactly getting the yardage that they would like running the ball, but they’ve still been able to affect the game.”

Even with the emergence of the running backs as legitimate receiving threats, the tight end room has also seen steady production, with senior Moliki Matavao passing Harden for the team lead in receiving yards following the game against Rutgers.

“We’re all playmakers here on the field,” Matavao said. “Anyone can catch the ball, anyone can run the ball. It makes the defense think a little bit more, and it’s better for the offense.”

Thus far, the UCLA running backs and tight ends have combined for a majority of the Bruins’ total receiving yards after only combining for 34% of the team’s total yardage through the air last season.

However, running backs and tight ends are often not a quarterback’s first read – so maintaining a clean pocket is vital to allowing a signal-caller to get through his progressions.

“Starting with the o-line, they did a pretty good job of keeping the pocket clean, and he (redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers) was able to get through his reads to get to the running backs,” Foster said.

By forcing defenses to account for all skill position players, the Bruins might find more opportunities to get the ball in the hands of last year’s top two wide receivers, redshirt junior J.Michael Sturdivant and redshirt senior Logan Loya, who have combined for a mere 350 receiving yards after racking up 1,252 last season.

While experiencing this season’s pinnacle of offensive success – the 35 points scored against the Scarlet Knights, which is more than double their previous season-high of 17 – the Bruins took their foot off the gas once again and let their opponent claw back into the game.

“We didn’t exactly finish with the discipline and respect and enthusiasm that I wanted us to finish with,” Foster said.

It was yet again a tale of two halves for UCLA, getting outscored 22-14 in the second half and allowing Rutgers to bring the game to its final score of 35-32, after entering the fourth quarter up nine points.

UCLA has been outscored in every second half since its comeback victory against Hawai’i to kick off the season, including 17-0 and 21-7 results against LSU and Minnesota, respectively – contests in which the Bruins entered halftime with the score either tied or with a lead.

“We can get better,” Foster said. “This can help us with going into the half with momentum and then not coming out of the half with it.”