The Eye Test: UCLA’s Subpar Effort Still Enough to Handily Beat Nevada

The UCLA defense is legit. The offense...has some problems.

Finally, a shot of Sahir West hitting the RKO pose. (Photo credit: uclabruins.com)

---

Ok, time to get down into the nitty-gritty.

I will willingly admit that I have been a bit soft on the grading during this win streak. Part of it certainly has to do with all of the good vibes surrounding the program, and how it is exceeding expectations in Year One of the Bob Chesney era. Another part of it has to do with recognizing some extenuating circumstances like injuries and how they have affected things.

But we are now eight games through the season, and we can start taking a real hard look at some of the problems facing this team at the moment, because there are absolutely some issues that need to be addressed, specifically on offense.

And yes, I know that it probably isn’t going to feel good reading a “this should be better” article after the team advances to 8-0 and their first Top 5 ranking in almost 25 years, but that’s also why we do these Eye Tests, as we shouldn’t accept in a victory what we would not accept in defeat.

Let’s get into it.

Offense

Quarterback: C+

On rewatch, part of the issue with Ty Dieffenbach’s performance had to do with an offensive line that was struggling to pass block or open up running lanes. You can also put some of this on the receivers for running some poor routes and not creating separation against Nevada. But Dieffenbach also struggled with his reads and throws, having two near-picks in the first half and a number of plays where he crumbled under pressure (he also nearly pulled a Dan Orlovsky in the 2nd quarter when trying to evade pressure).

I think at this point, the tape on Dieffenbach is out. He’s a solid quarterback that, given all of the injuries in the conference at this point, would probably sit in the upper half of Big Ten quarterbacks at the moment. Still, his inability to affect the game with his legs is hurting the offensive efficiency, and he’s quick to put his head down at the first sign of pressure. There was a lot of conversation these past few weeks about what UCLA should do at the quarterback position for next season, but if the option is between Nico Iamaleava and Dieffenbach, I’m taking Nico and his upside. That’s not a knock on Ty so much as an acknowledgement of his limitations.

That said, those limitations don’t mean UCLA is doomed in this final stretch of games. It would certainly help him if the offensive line gets back closer to healthy, and if the receivers stepped up their level of play, but Dean Kennedy has clearly gone vanilla these past few weeks, and now I want to see what they cook up to help out Dieffenbach against a good Minnesota defense.

Running Back: B+

Isolated on their performance, the backs had one of their better days in a month. This group was getting hit in the backfield far more often than you would expect given the opponent, but they made the most of their touches, finishing with 117 yards for 4.7 yards per carry. Wayne Knight continued his scoring streak with a great effort on his touchdown catch, while Anthony Woods has felt like the best all-around back over the past few games (probably helped by the fact that Knight is a bit banged up).

Receivers: C

This isn’t based on their catching ability - there was only one true drop in this game after the bevy we saw last week - but rather just a general grade based on their effort in route running and blocking. I get that Nevada likely did not require an A-level effort to beat, but that doesn’t mean I feel great about this group’s ability to flip the switch against a better opponent. For blocking, UCLA ran multiple plays to the outside to try and prey on Nevada’s relative lack of team speed on defense, but there was only minimal success thanks to some poor blocking.

Offensive Line: D

I spent most of the game rewatch marveling at how often UCLA’s tackles were getting caved in at the snap. The lack of Jordan Davis and Eugene Brooks is starting to feel noticeable, as the offensive line is struggling at the tackle spots to hold up in pass protection or to get downhill and block to the second level on run plays. I think UCLA’s interior has generally held up well (shoutout especially to Riley Robell, who has held up extremely well following the move up to P4 football), but the outside spots, especially left tackle, have had a cascading effect that is dragging down the run game.

Overall: C-

I don’t know where else to put this, but the UCLA coaching staff has clearly recognized that other teams are trying to be aggressive at jumping the snap count, and has built in some variance in the cadence that has led to a host of offsides and free plays. UCLA got an easy fourth-down conversion using this, and similarly got a 32-yard gain on a free play.

That said, UCLA’s offense is struggling in the execution department, and has for the past few games. You can partly blame this on a scheme that has gotten more vanilla (likely because the quality of opponent was low enough that the staff did not want to put too much on film), but this team should still be able to put up more than 303 total yards with a vanilla scheme. The offensive line has really started to struggle, and those issues are causing a cascading problem through the rest of the offense, where the run game can’t get firing and the passing game struggles against an improved pass rush. Teams have already shifted to stacking the box against UCLA, which is going to cause some problems, but this team has way too much talent to put on this kind of performance.

Defense

Overall: A

The easiest thing I can say is that I appreciate this section being as simple as it is.

The Bruins held Nevada to 176 total yards of offense. The Wolfpack did not have a single drive that went over 50 yards, and were forced into “only” three three-and-outs. I say only because two of UCLA’s four forced turnovers came within the first three plays of the drive, so I can’t discount the possibility that those two drives would have ended up being three-and-outs as well. Maybe the funniest drive of the game came at the very end, where Nevada went into full “run out the clock” mode and went on a 10-play drive that lasted over six minutes of game time and gained a total of 24 yards.

Oh yeah, and the defense did not give up a single point, something that hasn’t happened since 2015 when the Bruins blanked Oregon State by a 41-0 final score. You might remember some of the names from that defense. Myles Jack. Takk McKinley. Eddie Vanderdoes. Kenneth Clark. Fabian Moreau. Adarius Pickett. Hell, Jayon Brown and Kenny Young were on that defense, and they only played bit parts. Just an absurd collection of talent.

This UCLA defense is not that talented, but they are putting on a show nonetheless. Having two All-American-level linebackers in Sammy Omosigho and Jalen Woods certainly helps, but this game was a pretty good example of how deep the bench can actually go. Sahir West had himself a day, leading the team in tackles with nine while finishing with one-and-a-half sacks and three tackles for loss. Trent Hendrick, the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year last year, was right behind him with eight tackles in his best game as a Bruin. The defensive line and linebackers wreaked havoc on the Nevada offensive line, as you would expect given the matchup, finishing with three sacks and nine tackles for loss. They were so dominant that the secondary did not have to do much, though we appreciate the four interceptions nonetheless.

The only defender who had an average day was Osiris Gilbert, a sophomore corner pushed into prolonged action thanks to injury to Roderick Pleasant, and even then he was mostly fine. That speaks to the playable depth Colin Hitschler and the coaching staff have developed, with 24 Bruins recording a statistic of some kind in this game. This is a deep defensive group that all play with a single purpose, which has allowed them to overcome some talent issues and play well above their level. There is no focus on individual stats, and the whole of the defense is subsumed into the mindset that team success must come first.

Even if UCLA’s offense continues to struggle in the coming weeks, you’d still like their chances at winning thanks to this defense.

Special Teams

Overall: C+

Once again, not holding it against Mateen Bhaghani for missing a 50+ yard field goal, but if he’s not going to be close to consistent from there, I’d rather the offense just stay on the field and try to convert.

Grade is also being dinged for a bad blindside block that negated a really good Semaj Morgan return.

Coaching

Offensive Gameplan: B-

Much like against Michigan State, a lot of the issues on offense in this game came from execution rather than a poor game plan, but a part of me thinks that Dean Kennedy and staff were a bit too vanilla in their approach to this game. Like, I get it - UCLA should not and did not need anything more complicated than their base offensive concepts to win this game - but I think this team is very vibes-based, and when you aren’t calling your best plays from a success standard and instead let the missed execution stack up, it can cause a cascading issue.

Overall: B

The College Football Playoff Committee released its first set of rankings this week, and slotted in the Bruins at #8. While I do think that ranking is incredibly weak and not a great sign for how the committee is viewing things, I do think part of it reflects the fact that UCLA has not looked like world-beaters these past few weeks. Even the biggest sunshine-pumpers could admit that this team has left points on the board against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Nevada, and the Oregon game was the definition of a team that did not take advantage of the opportunities it had created. Had UCLA performed better in those games, I think the rankings would have been higher.

Which gets me to why this grade is a B. UCLA has seemingly spun its wheels and gone through the motions the past few weeks. The Bruin Tape videos have been pretty eye-opening in this regard, showing a coaching staff that is pleading with the team to get out of first gear, play to their potential, and put an opponent in the dirt quickly. I can’t fully blame Bob Chesney and staff for a bunch of 18- to 23-year-olds lacking the motivation to beat a bad team, but I can knock down this grade.

The glass half full of all of this is that Chesney and company now have plenty of material to get the team to play better. The Playoff Committee’s disrespect should be a motivating factor, and Minnesota is a good team that should get the Bruins to rise to the occasion.

Trend

Trending: Down

Again, UCLA did not look great offensively against Nevada, and the crowd at the Rose Bowl felt a bit restless as the Bruins stacked up ineffective drive after ineffective drive. There’s been a lot of consternation about the fan base and attendance at the Rose Bowl at the moment, and while I am generally of the opinion that if UCLA keeps winning at a high level, that issue will resolve itself, you do still want to give the casual LA fan a show, and UCLA was not able to do that during this three-game homestand, instead putting on three different slogs.

Final Composite

Offense grade: C- (1.7)

Defense grade: A (4.0)

Special Teams grade: C+ (2.3)

Coaching grade: B (3.0)

Trending: Down

Final grade for Nevada Wolfpack: C+ (2.81)

For reference, here are the grades from past games this year:

UC Berkeley Golden Bears: B+ (3.42)

San Diego State Aztecs: A- (3.54)

Purdue Boilermakers: C (2.21)

Maryland Terrapins: A- (3.76)

Oregon Ducks: B (3.00)

Wisconsin Badgers: B+ (3.43)

Michigan State Spartans: B+ (3.39)

---

A C+ grade for a C+ game feels correct. UCLA did not, nor should it have needed their A game to beat Nevada, and they certainly did not play well enough to earn that grade.

That said, the easy part of the schedule is over. UCLA’s final four games are all tough to varying degrees, with my personal belief being that this week’s game against Minnesota could be the toughest of the bunch. The Golden Gophers have been excellent at home, able to upset Michigan and Iowa, and just last week took the defending national champions to overtime (and they should have won if they didn’t play prevent defense with 19 seconds, but alas). At the same time, I do think this team has gotten lucky, and if UCLA can avoid beating itself, it can end up with a comfortable win.

But more than anything else, UCLA needs to win this game, not just for its College Football Playoff life, but to prove they aren’t just a fluke but are a real team worthy of respect. This is a true test of how far this team has come.

Go Bruins!

---

Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.