Despite relying on its backup running back, the Huskies’ ground game decimated the Bruin front seven, as quarterback Demond Williams Jr and tailback Adam Mohammed combined for 164 rushing yards and two scores – on 5.1 and 9.3 yards per carry, respectively – leading to a Washington (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) 48-14 trouncing of UCLA football (3-8, 3-5) on Saturday night in what could be the Bruins final home game at the Rose Bowl. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger breaks down his five biggest takeaways from UCLA’s fourth consecutive defeat.
Where was Nico?
While redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava missed the game the week prior against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, his absence is no excuse for how he played Saturday.
Iamaleavas had easily his worst performance in UCLA uniform, throwing for just 69 passing yards on 26 passing attempts, with his longest pass completion being 11 yards and fumbling the ball near midfield.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Duncan – who replaced Iamaleava against Ohio State and did so again with 5:19 remaining in the third quarter on Saturday – threw for 61 yards in his first drive on the field.
Iamaleava consistently struggled with accuracy problems throughout the affair, failing to connect with pass catchers deep and on the boundaries. Junior Mikey Matthews, who hauled in 38 receiving yards – 37 of which came on one reception – was the leading wide receiver.
It is hard to tell at this point if UCLA’s dysfunctional offense is caused by Iamaleava not delivering accurate balls and misreading the defenses, or if the offense sputters because all receiving options struggle to create separation.
I think it is probably a combination of both.
And while Duncan almost surpassed Iamaleava in his first drive on the gridiron, he threw for just 20 more yards in a little over a quarter of action.
Can anyone play against USC?
In a meaningless game for the already-out-of-bowl-game-contention Bruins, the UCLA squad caught the injury bug just a week before the crosstown rivalry.
Iamaleava had neck spasms against Washington, which kept him on the sidelines. A neck injury suffered a week after missing a game due to a concussion may keep Iamaleava out of the Battle of Los Angeles.
Redshirt sophomore defensive back Rodrick Pleasant – one of the team’s best cornerbacks – will also miss the rivalry contest after undergoing a shoulder surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Joining Iamaleava on the day-to-day injury report are redshirt junior tight end Jack Pedersen with a high ankle sprain and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr with a calf injury.
And the Bruins may be out of luck at the tight end position, since redshirt senior Hudson Habermehl entered concussion protocol, and it is yet to be determined if he will be viable against USC.
While I expect Flores and Pedersen to return for the contest against USC, do not be surprised if Iamaleava misses his second game of the year. It will be an otherwise meaningless and final collegiate game for a signal caller with neck and head injuries who is heading into an offseason where he will most likely declare for the NFL Draft.
Simply put, Iamaleava won’t be here next year – and Saturday may not be worth jeopardizing his career.
An invisible front seven
Whatever happens in the crosstown rivalry against USC won’t matter unless UCLA scraps everyone who plays alongside its defensive line.
Huskies backup running back Adam Mohammed ran for 108 yards on 5.3 yards per carry, and Jonah Coleman – Washington’s starting tailback who is tied for first in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns – only took four carries.
Dual-threat quarterback Williams also terrorized the Bruin defense on the ground, rushing for 60 yards and two scores on 9.3 yards per carry.
Mohammed’s performance on the ground marked the third straight game where the Bruins allowed a 100-yard rusher, with Buckeye running back Bo Jackson rushing for 112 yards and a score and Cornhusker tailback Emmett Johnson running for 129 and a touchdown.
UCLA ranks No. 120 in the nation in fewest rushing yards allowed per game at a 195.8 yards per game tally.
Not only does the defensive line struggle to generate penetration and clog the line of scrimmage, but the group also misses tackles, which opens gaping holes at the second and third levels of the defense.
With running backs King Miller and Waymond Jordan on the horizon Saturday, expect them to replicate the dominance Williams and Mohammed had at the Rose Bowl last weekend.
Mistakes, mistakes and more mistakes
The Bruins didn’t even give themselves a chance against the Huskies.
Three separate unforced errors ultimately led to UCLA’s demise. First, a fumble from Matthews gave Washington the ball on UCLA’s 20-yard line. This not only gave the Huskies a 3-point lead, but also stalled a second consecutive drive to start the game.
Then, Iamaleava’s fumble near midfield killed a crucial offensive drive, when the Bruins trailed by just 10 with 10:56 remaining in the second quarter.
But the worst came just before halftime.
On a field goal attempt with 3:11 remaining in the second quarter, redshirt senior kicker Cash Peterman took the snap and flipped the ball behind his head to a streaking junior kicker Mateen Bhaghani.
But the ball hit the turf, and Bhaghani made little attempt to dive on the ball or hit the approaching players. Husky safety Alex McLaughlin scooped up the ball and ran it 59 yards for a touchdown, giving the Huskies a 20-0 lead approaching the intermission.
UCLA always stresses strain, starting out fast and mitigating self-inflicted wounds – but the Bruins failed to do all three against Washington.
Wide receiver U?
The Bruins pass catchers have been dreadful this season.
No UCLA pass catcher has eclipsed 500 receiving yards 11 games into the season, and on top of that, no wideout has hauled in more than three receiving touchdowns.
Maybe the offensive line doesn’t give passing plays time to develop.
Maybe Iamaleava has been struggling with accuracy and consistency all season.
Maybe assistant head coach and tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel isn’t up to expectations as an offensive play caller.
Regardless, the UCLA wide receiver room is not good.
They lack the explosiveness and quality personnel that most other schools boast. The tight ends have fewer than 200 combined yards. Matthews and Flores have provided little to no excitement from the slot.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala has seemingly taken the past four games off – combining for three receptions and 25 yards in the three performances following his first career 100-yard game.
It begs the question: Why can’t UCLA recruit and/or develop wide receivers?
The Bruins are no college football Blue Bloods, but they have still produced quality NFL talent at almost every position.
Yet the Bruins’ last 1,000-yard receiver was Jordan Lasley in 2017.
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