This post was updated Nov. 7 at 11:00 p.m.
UCLA football (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12) suffered its largest defeat of the season against No. 21 Arizona (6-3, 4-2) in a 27-10 defeat in Tucson. Staff writer Gavin Carlson gives his five main takeaways from the Bruins’ loss that pushed their conference record to 3-3.
Pedestrian passing game
Three quarterbacks took the field for UCLA on Saturday night.
All three struggled to generate offensive success during their time leading the unit.
Redshirt junior Ethan Garbers had the best performance of the three, but that was just by default. The Bruins’ starting quarterback was average at best prior to leaving the game injured.
Garbers finished the contest completing 13-of-21 passes for a modest 143 yards. He did not have any spectacular throws nor any impressive plays with his legs.
The veteran’s best moment was his only touchdown pass – a 14-yard strike in a tight window while sprinting to his right. But even that touchdown comes with its own stipulation, as the call on the field of touchdown wasn’t confirmed and only stood after review.
But that wasn’t the only time luck was on his side.
On a third-quarter third-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Garbers threw the ball while falling, where it was picked off by Arizona. Fortunately for him, his knee was down before the reckless heave, and the call was reserved.
Even with both fortunes, the Bruins put up just 10 points behind Garbers.
UCLA did miss two kicks early in the contest that would’ve put more points on the board, but even one of those missed attempts came almost solely because of an interception that gave the Bruins the ball in plus territory.
Garbers’ performance was not good enough.
But neither were those of freshman Dante Moore or redshirt junior Collin Schlee.
The former went 4-of-7 for 14 yards in his limited action. He missed his only high-level attempt of the appearance, throwing a rollout pass on third down into the dirt and behind redshirt sophomore wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant.
And while Schlee continues to be a threat with his legs, he went 0-of-5 on pass attempts on Saturday. He’s now an abysmal 3-of-13 on passes this season with two interceptions.
If all three quarterbacks were healthy, UCLA’s quarterback position would still be considered an issue. But with Garbers and Moore injured and Schlee struggling in the passing game, the predicament looms even larger.
Kicking catastrophe continues
UCLA’s kicking game was already a mess coming into Saturday’s game.
Senior kicker R.J. Lopez entered the game 6-of-11 on field goals. He had yet to convert a kick from 50-plus yards, and two of his misses had been blocked.
So coach Chip Kelly finally made a change, giving redshirt junior kicker Blake Glessner a chance after he won a competition in practice.
Instead, the personnel adjustment didn’t change anything.
Glessner missed two field goal attempts in the first half.
After his 42-yard attempt from the left hash never drifted far enough to the right, his 41-yard attempt from the same hash was blocked.
Kicking is an issue, blocking is an issue and no solution appears to be in sight.
Just like the quarterback situation, UCLA’s field goal unit is in dire straits.
Defense disappoints
UCLA’s defense has been the bright spot for this team in virtually every game.
But in a game in which the offense and special teams units struggled mightily, the Bruins’ defense could seemingly not avoid the night of underwhelming performances.
The secondary was gashed for 300 passing yards for the first time this season, and that’s with Arizona leading the entire game and not needing to push the ball downfield.
Even with their passing success, the Wildcats were also the third team this season to eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark against the Bruins.
Arizona bested UCLA both through the air and on the ground, but it’s hard to blame the defensive unit too much.
Redshirt senior defensive back Alex Johnson continued his breakout season with another interception in the first quarter, and his return all the way inside Arizona’s 40-yard line should’ve been enough to result in at least three points for UCLA.
For reasons previously mentioned, it did not.
Senior defensive lineman Laiatu Latu was his world-class self once again, finishing with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss overall.
Junior defensive lineman Jay Toia had his best statistical game of the season, finishing with season highs in total tackles and tackles for loss with six and two, respectively. He also recorded his first sack of the year.
But when the offense plays as poorly as UCLA’s did on Saturday, the defense has to exceed expectations for the Bruins to have a chance.
Instead, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s unit allowed its second-most points scored all year.
Offensive line consequences
UCLA’s offensive line has been a mixed bag all season.
During Moore’s stint as starting quarterback, it felt as if the freshman was under pressure on a majority of his dropbacks. That was in part because of his inability to make quick decisions, but the Bruins’ subpar pass blocking was also at fault.
When Garbers regained the starting job, the situation improved. The veteran quarterback got the ball out faster and evaded pressure in the pocket when necessary, and the offensive line improved its pass blocking as well.
But Saturday night in Tucson, the pass-blocking struggles returned. The consequences were harsh.
Garbers, Moore and Schlee all spent noticeable time running away from Arizona pass-rushers. They all were frequently under pressure, they all took several hits and eventually two of them – Garbers and Moore – picked up injuries.
The offensive line is largely to blame, and that was just the beginning of their issues.
UCLA had its second-worst rushing performance of the season Saturday. Outside of the disaster in Salt Lake City, the Bruins had rushed for at least 150 yards in every game this season.
But despite the game being close and running the ball 29 times, UCLA had just 114 yards and never generated any momentum.
The offensive line was just one unit among many that disappointed.
How hot is Chip Kelly’s seat?
Unsurprisingly, public discourse shifted to Kelly’s job security immediately following the loss.
In fact, fans were calling for his job before the game even ended, with UCLA trailing by three scores midway through the fourth quarter.
The displeasure toward Kelly from fans and commentators is nothing new in Westwood. People have been calling for his job since the jump after UCLA began 0-5 for the first time since 1943 in Kelly’s first season back in 2018.
They were calling for it after the Bruins went 10-21 through Kelly’s first three seasons. They were calling for it even after UCLA’s 9-4 season last year.
The coach should have done more with a quarterback as experienced as Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is now in the NFL. The team’s fourth-quarter collapse in last year’s Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh was particularly disappointing from a coaching perspective.
Kelly is now midway through his sixth season in Westwood, and he has very little to show for it.
UCLA won back-to-back games against ranked teams in Washington and Utah last fall. The team also had an entertaining win against LSU the season prior.
Despite that, Kelly has only picked up five wins against teams that went on to finish with a winning record at the end of their seasons.
When UCLA upset LSU in 2021, it went on to lose at home to Fresno State the following week. After their two-game streak against the Huskies and Utes last season, the Bruins lost three of their next five games.
Add the fact that UCLA has never had a top-30 recruiting class under Kelly, and the arguments in favor of the coach become even weaker.
With a move to the Big Ten looming, we’ll soon find out if athletic director Martin Jarmond agrees with the fanbase.
Comments are closed.