The Eye Test: UCLA Reverted to Form Against Nebraska
This team wasn't very good, and you can only ride good vibes for so long.
Tim Skipper’s chances at keeping the UCLA job long-term were slim at the start; he was seen as a solid caretaker choice prior to a complete housecleaning that a new coach would perform. If he could win a few games, that would be cool, but his main duty was not to embarrass himself and the program. On that front, the Tim Skipper residency has been a smashing success, and it’s the reason Skipper will be an intriguing option for a lower G5 team looking to make a coaching hire this cycle.
But somewhere along the way, some folks got the idea that maybe Skipper had done enough to justify keeping the job full-time, and that UCLA would be foolish to move on from him. Never mind that the three teams he’d beaten are a combined 10-17 on the year, and that Indiana treated UCLA like it was a buy game - Nebraska would be a great indicator of whether Skipper and company had the goods.
So, of course, UCLA lost this game. Despite a seven-point differential, this game was never all that close, and if it weren’t for the sterling play of quarterback Nico Iamaleava, we could have been looking at a blowout. Which, let’s be fair, isn’t the fault of Skipper and the coaching staff, but it is the last bit of evidence needed that this group isn’t full of coaching savants who would light the world on fire if given a chance. Matt Rhule spent most of the second half trying to let UCLA back into the game, and the Bruins were unwilling to take advantage.
This will be a pretty short Eye Test, in large part because I don’t have much to say. The defense was bad, the offensive line was miserable, and the coaching was uninspired. There are three games left this year. That’s all you really need to know, but we’ll break a bit of this down.
Offense
Quarterback: B+
Nico Iamaleava was a one-man show for much of this game, doing everything in his power to keep UCLA within striking distance. Iamaleava was 17-25 for 191 yards and two touchdowns, and he was making increasingly difficult throws just to keep the Bruins in the game. He also ran 15 times for 86 yards in a performance that seemed to mirror the one against Penn State at the beginning of October.
I think it is fair to say that Iamaleava has done a good job of rehabilitating his image this season, continuing to give maximum effort for a doomed team and stepping up as a leader when that void was created. The mere fact that he is still playing hard for UCLA despite all of the hits he’s taken to this point speaks to that toughness, and no matter how this season finishes out, I think folks should look back at Nico’s performances as a rare bright spot this season.
Of course, he also got a concussion in this game and is now out for Ohio State. So that’s cool.
Offensive Line: D-
They’re just bad, and losing Garett DiGiorgio to an injury during the game did not help matters. Courtland Ford is going to haunt my nightmares for the foreseeable future.
Overall: C-
UCLA got a great game from its quarterback and not much else, in large part because the offensive line is just not good. More than any other spot on the team, UCLA will need to spend some money this offseason to completely upgrade its offensive line situation. As someone around here keeps stating, line wins games.
Defense
Run Defense: D-
Pass Defense: D+
Overall: D
I don’t know what happened here. I mean, I do know - UCLA doesn’t have much talent on defense - but the team has reverted back to the poor defensive effort it was showing to start the season. The linebackers, in particular, look passive and aren’t flying to the ball in the same way they were during the win streak. Everyone in the stadium knew that Nebraska wanted to run the ball as much as possible now that they’re playing their backup quarterback (who is known for using his legs), but the Bruins looked unprepared, missing tackle after tackle throughout. Throw in the fact that UCLA isn’t generating near enough pressure on the quarterback to help out the beleaguered secondary, and you end up with a situation where Nebraska did not have to punt until the third quarter. Now, to be fair, the defense picked things up in the final 20 minutes or so, but I think much of that had to do with the Cornhuskers opening up a 28-7 lead and going into clock management mode from that point on. Once Nebraska actually needed a drive to end the game, they made it look easy, icing the final 4:46 of gametime on a nine-play, 36-yard drive.
Special Teams
Overall: C+
Will Karoll did a great job getting an early punt off on a poor snap. Mateen Bhaghani missed a 49-yarder that didn’t ultimately affect the game (but would have been nice when UCLA was attempting a comeback). Coverage was fine, returns are nonexistent. Special teams didn’t kill the team but they didn’t help, so a C+ feels fine.
Coaching
Offensive Gameplan: D+
Most of the offensive success in this game had little to do with Jerry Neuheisel’s playcalling and more to do with Nico Iamaleava making a play outside the design of the play. Unless you think “Three-step drop, evade pressure because your offensive line can’t block, and scamper for a first down while lowering the shoulder into a defender” is a play that Neuheisel called repeatedly. But then again, Neuheisel is dealing with a miserable offensive line just like everyone else, and I’m thinking that all of the misdirection that worked at the start of his tenure has been well-scouted at this point.
Defensive Gameplan: D-
Look, you can’t account for your linebackers forgetting to tackle, but I probably would have stacked the box and aggressively blitzed a quarterback making his first career start. Instead, TJ Lateef was given all the time in the world and was able to calmly pick apart the UCLA secondary, who maybe deserved better.
Overall: D+
This was Tim Skipper’s chance to really make an impression, if not on UCLA then on someone with an open job, and instead the Bruins came out from the bye week looking lifeless. Again, you can’t blame him for this roster construction, but the energy and passion seemed to be missing.
Trend
Trending: Down
Again, it is hard to blame the team for this performance - they are what they are at this point - but if we’re going to be tracking this all season, we have to recognize that things are worse right now than they were a month prior.
That said, I think there is something to watch in these final few games. UCLA will have a new staff coming in, so this is the perfect time for guys to try and put as much positive tape out there as possible, either to try and stick around with the next iteration of UCLA football or to find a good landing spot next year. There are a few guys, like Kwazi Gilmer, Jaivian Thomas, and Roderick Pleasant, who I think the incoming coach will try to retain, but in the new world of college football, you aren’t guaranteed your roster spot just because the previous coach gave you one. So let’s watch and see who can make an impression these last few games.
Final Composite
Offense grade: C- (1.7)
Defense grade: D (1.0)
Special Teams grade: C+ (2.3)
Coaching grade: D+ (1.3)
Trending: Down
Final grade for Nebraska Cornhuskers: D+ (1.43)
And here is how the grades have looked this season:
Utah Utes: D- (0.6)
UNLV Rebels: D- (0.6)
New Mexico Lobos: F (0.0)
Northwestern Wildcats: F (0.0)
Penn State Nittany Lions: A- (3.54)
Michigan State Spartans: A (3.84)
Maryland Terrapins: A- (3.46)
Indiana Hoosiers: D+ (1.2)
Ohio State today. Weee.
Go Bruins.
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Great write up. I am not as high on Nico though as you. He is very athletic but just makes too many mistakes and he's had some really bad games.
D-backs play well.....but can't cover forever. D line is F-
O with the rim rubbed out pass pressure.