The Eye Test: UCLA Suffers an Obvious Letdown Defeat in the Desert

The Bruins showed no offensive innovations and paid the price for their hubris yet again.

Alex Johnson had another interception against Arizona. (Photo credit: @UCLAFootball)

---

Unfortunately, that means a ranked UCLA is now playing a night game in Arizona this week, and as I pointed out in the game preview I did with our friends at AZDesertSwarm, “a late-night game against Arizona, especially on the road, is where ranked UCLA teams go to die”.

This is the exact kind of game where UCLA has failed to meet the moment under Chip Kelly. A win here could set them up for the rest of the season where they get to face Arizona State, a reeling Southern Cal, and Cal Berkeley all without leaving the city to end the year. 10 wins is still on the table, but the Bruins are going to have to prove that this team is different and can rise to the occasion.

Whelp!

That was in last week’s Eye Test, where I lamented that UCLA traditionally loses this game, usually in mind-numbing fashion. This was a chance to prove the program doubters wrong, and yet here we are, after another mind-numbing loss by the Bruins. Seriously, easiest bet in the world to take Arizona last week.

I’m probably going to put out shorter Eye Tests for the rest of the year because, frankly, I’m tired of repeating myself in these things, and because I am trying to refrain from making sweeping statements with three games left to go (though at this point you can probably guess which way I am leaning). UCLA itself is left playing out the string before it goes to some lower-tier bowl game, so why bother drawing this out any more than we have to?

Offense

Offensive Line: F

The quarterbacks had no real chance here because the offensive line sucks. I’m done mincing words here: they suck, they’re not good, and the evaluation and self-scouting done by the coaching staff regarding said line similarly sucks. And this was the game where they finally got the quarterbacks killed.

UCLA had two relatively decent offensive games the past few weeks, and there was some thought that maybe the offensive line had started to come together. Turns out that was a lie, and this unit just got to face two terrible defensive lines. Against Arizona, with an average defensive front that does possess some talent, they looked completely out of their depths. UCLA could not run block effectively at all, with most positives in the run game coming from either Carson Steele simply shrugging off contact at the line or Collin Schlee keeping the ball and confusing the defenders. Pass blocking was somehow worse, with Arizona defenders routinely getting into the backfield and putting pressure on the various UCLA quarterbacks. Ethan Garbers was eventually knocked out with a lower-body injury while Dante Moore ended up with a concussion, and even a halfway competent offensive line doesn’t let that happen.

We have to call a spade a spade here. This offensive line is just not it, and there are failures in both development and scouting that have contributed. There is maybe a version of this offensive line that looks better with playcalling that understands their limitations and schemes around them, but there is not much that this group can do well and with any consistency.

Quarterback: C

I had to move the offensive line up because they’re basically the big problem here, and it’s hard to blame the quarterbacks too much for this abomination of a game. Collectively, they never had a consistent amount of time to read the defense and make a pass, with Ethan Garbers forced into a ton of check-downs that were easy for Arizona to defend, and Dante Moore barely getting time to get settled before being knocked out of the game with a concussion. Collin Schlee had the most “success” on the day, but that was completely due to his legs, as he failed to complete any of his five pass attempts.

Overall: D-

Almost purely due to the offensive line here, but you need to be able to block the opposing team to be able to do anything else, and since that did not seem to happen, you end up with this putrid result.

Defense

Overall: C+

This didn’t feel like the defense being exposed so much as Arizona just knowing exactly how they wanted to attack the UCLA defense and repeatedly doing so with success. The defensive line generally held up, but Arizona was smart about when and how they ran the ball, so while they only averaged 3.7 yards per carry, they were able to break four of those off for backbreaking gains. The defense was able to get into the backfield in general, with three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, but they needed much more of that to counteract the play on the back end.

And, similarly, it’s hard to be too harsh on the defensive backfield because we knew going into the season that they really were lacking in talent, and Kamari Ramsey leaving the game early did not help in that regard. UCLA played a lot of man coverage to go with their pressure, and it basically became a game of whether Arizona could hold up against the Bruin front or not. More often than not, they were able to and thus were able to put together long drives.

I think this defense always had a ceiling just below elite due to talent level and general support from the offense, but it will be interesting to see how things change in the coming years (assuming, of course, that D’Anton Lynn sticks around).

Special Teams

Overall: F

Unserious football here, did not directly cost the team the game but definitely contributed in a major way to the loss. I’m moving on.

Coaching

Offensive Gameplan: F

Again, this is just so unserious from Chip Kelly that I can only assume he’s trying to get fired. It is the only way to explain how he looks at the talent that he has assembled and keeps doing the same exact things that have not worked for weeks. UCLA does not have an effective pass game thanks to a combination of things:

1. Route concepts that take too long to develop.

2. A leaky offensive line that can barely pass block.

3. Imperfect options at quarterback.

At no point has Chip Kelly changed his approach to try and minimize any of these flaws. He’s not going to fix his quarterback options overnight, but he can better design the offense to take advantage of their strengths (for Garbers, that would be short and intermediate passes, and for Moore, it’s arm strength). The offensive line also is not going to be an overnight fix, but you can again change up how you call plays to make it so they’re not forced to block all that long.

The first problem, however, is something that has been sitting in the back of my head for a bit and I want to throw out there while I formulate a more well-rounded argument. I’m of the opinion that Chip Kelly is just not good at drawing up a passing game because he is a running offensive coordinator, and unless he fixes this flaw it will always create a ceiling over what UCLA can do offensively, especially if it is not going to attract top-tier talent.

Defensive Gameplan: B-

On the flip side, I think the playcalling on the defensive side was mostly fine, guys just missed some tackles. It happens, and the fact that a defense that is still lacking in many respects was able to put up a respectable performance is a good sign for the coaching staff long-term (well, as long as they’re still here).

Overall: D+

Unfortunately for the defense, the overall grade is getting hurt because UCLA is anemic in one phase of the game and actively doesn’t care about a second phase, and that cost them the game. Holistically, UCLA lost this game on February 1st of this year, when it became concrete that UCLA was going to rely on a lot of transfers over recruiting and developing high school players. Once those transfers did not prove to be the instant-impact type of previous years, there was no chance, especially against a coaching staff that has put actual effort into recruiting and development.

Vibes

Vibe check: Merry-go-round of Insanity

Again, this whole game was easy to see coming from a mile out. Ranked UCLA on the road in the desert for a night game is a recipe for disaster, and Arizona is in a much better spot as a program compared to UCLA. That’s nowhere near a good thing, especially considering Arizona is only in Year Three of the Jedd Fisch Experience while UCLA is in Year Six of the Chip Kelly Era. The question is increasingly becoming whether anyone with power truly cares about that fact.

Final Composite

Offense grade: D-

Defense grade: C+

Special Teams grade: F

Coaching grade: D+

Vibe check: Merry-go-round of Insanity

Final grade for Arizona Wildcats: D+ (1.31)

For reference, here are the past grades from the season:

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: B- (2.66)

San Diego State Aztecs: A- (3.6)

North Carolina Central Eagles: Pass

Utah Utes: C+ (2.3)

Washington State Cougars: B (2.97)

Oregon State Beavers: C- (1.74)

Stanford Cardinal: B- (2.79)

Colorado Buffaloes: B- (2.61)

---

Three games left. I have nothing here. Thank god it’s basketball season which I’m sure won’t give people anything to argue over.

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.