New quarterback and offensive coordinator, same awful results.
The Utah Utes came into the Rose Bowl tonight looking like a well-prepared, well-coached team. Meanwhile, UCLA came into tonight’s game and looked ill-prepared and poorly coached.
Nico Iamaleava’s UCLA debut was terrible. The transfer from Tennessee completed just 11 of his 22 pass attempts for a measly 136 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception. Many, if not most of his incompletions were balls that were overthrown. It was as if he was pressing the button on his video game controller to throw a floater to his receiver because his passes certainly did that as they sailed right over his receivers and into the ground.
The rushing game wasn’t any better. The Bruins ran the ball 28 times for just 84 yards. That’s an average of just three yards per carry. Javian Thomas ran it seven times for just 17 yards, an average of just 2.4 ypc, while Jalen Berger carried five times for seven yards, an average of 1.4 ypc. If there was a bright spot in the running game, it was Anthony Woods, who averaged 4.3 ypc. Unfortunately, he only got three carries. So, he netted just 13 yards rushing. The only reason the Bruins managed 84 yards rushing was because Iamaleava scrambled a lot. He had 13 carries for 47 yards, averaging 3.6 ypc.
Woods was UCLA’s top receiver with three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. Kwazi Gilmer also caught three passes, but he managed just 31 receiving yards. Jack Pederson and Mikey Matthews each had two receptions. Pedersen had 26 yards total while Matthews had just 22. Tight end Hudson Habermehl caught one pass for nine yards.
While the offensive was sputtering, the defense wasn’t faring any better. There was never any kind of pass rush on Utah quarterback Devon Dampier. That may have been by design in an effort to keep him from taking off. It didn’t work. He still managed to lead the Utes in rushing with 87 yards on 16 carries. If that had been the only thing working in the Utah running attack, it might not have been so bad, but the defense couldn’t stop any of the other Utah backs either, giving up a total of 286 yards on the ground with an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
When the defense allows the opposing offense to move the ball more than halfway to the sticks every time they run it, it is going to be a long night. And, it was. The Utes actually ran for a total of 286 yards on the ground while only moving the ball 206 yards through the air. When Dampier did throw, he completed 21 of 26 attempts.
UCLA actually won the coin toss to start the game. Now, I would normally say that a team that wins the toss should defer their choice to the second half. Unfortunately, the moment that the Bruins deferred their choice to the second half may have been the moment that cost them the game. That’s because, after a touchback on the opening kickoff, the Utes drove 75 yards on 11 plays for the game’s first score. The only bright spot at that point was the fact that Dillon Curtis missed the extra point as Utah took a 6-0 lead.
Following a 10-play Bruin drive that ended with the ball being turned over on downs when Iamaleava missed Matthews on a fourth down pass, the Utes came right back with a 10-play, 60-yard drive that made it 13-0, Utes.
Following a Bruin 3-and-out, Utah made it a three-score game with yet another touchdown, and it was 20-0 just over three minutes into the second quarter.
UCLA finally managed to score what would be their only touchdown drive of the game. It was a 10-play, 75-yard drive that actually looked like the Bruins might be able to finally get on track. but following a Utah punt with just over two minutes to go in the half, bad clock management and a holding call kept UCLA from adding any more points before the end of the first half. But even with just over a minute left, the Bruin defense couldn’t keep the Utes from scoring again as Dillon Curtis made a 54-yard field goal as time expired and Utah led 23-7 at the half.
It didn’t get any better after the break. UCLA took the opening kickoff of the half, but had their drive stall. So, DeShaun Foster trotted out Mateen Bhagani for a 46-yarder field goal, which cut Utah’s lead to 23-10.
How did the Utes respond? With what else? A touchdown. It was the first of three consecutive drives where Utah scored a touchdown each time. Meanwhile, UCLA’s drives ended with two punts sandwiching Iamaleava’s lone interception.
If there is a bright side to this game is that, there is almost nowhere to go but up from here. Before that may happen, however, the Bruins have to travel to Las Vegas next week to play the UNLV Rebels, who rebounded from last week’s close game against Idaho State with an easy win over Sam Houston, 38-21, on the road.
If you are traveling to see the Bruins in Vegas next weekend, I wouldn’t recommend betting on the game unless you’re playing with house money.
Go Bruins.
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The word that comes to mind for this debacle is 'empty.' Empty Rose Bowl. Empty game plan. Empty rhetoric. Empty narrative. I am not feeling sad, just empty.
I was hopeful, that's just my spirit. I was super hopeful that the new coaching staff, the ones who stayed e.g. Malloe, would develop our players into a good team, would have a good game plan, would prepare our players to execute that plan.
I was jazzed about Tino, and listened to all the 'amazing' things about our team's brotherhood, dedication, and going the extra mile, every singlr day. It all felt empty.
I will never believe that players at the college level can't be developed regardless of the the number of stars that seem to define them in the public's eye, and in recruiting circles.
We were not even competitive. We were just empty.
Utah is a great team, and everything we are not. They have outstanding coaches who understand not only game strategy and execution but how to get the very most from their players. Their players know their roles, understand expectations and work as a unified group.
I will be cheering for Utah the rest of the season. I live in Utah, born and raised here too. Many family and friends are Utes. I performed at many high school championship playoffs at Rice Eccles Stadium, as a member of my high school's dance and cheer team.
But my heart and soul belong to UCLA. They both feel completely empty right now.
💙💛🥲😞
That was an absolutely dreadful display. The program is at an absolute low. A couple decades of mismanagement by the athletic dept and here we are.