UCLA Starts Sloppy, Ends Strong in 45-17 Victory Over Bowling Green

There are some question marks surrounding the team, but the Bruins ultimately got the job done on a hot day in Pasadena.

Keegan Jones had a solid game for the Bruins. (Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports via uclabruins.com)

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Whenever I write a postgame recap, I try to focus on the big ideas rather than the small details. So here are the big details from UCLA’s opening 45-17 victory over Bowling Green:

It was incredibly hot.

UCLA looked like a team playing its first game of the season.

The UCLA special teams and offensive line need some major work.

The Bruins covered.

That’s pretty much all you need to know going forward. UCLA absolutely looked like a team that was playing its first game of the season, looking sloppy on offense and out of position at times defensively. The defense fixed itself much quicker - they only allowed 10 points in total on the day, and three of those points came following a muffed punt. The Bruins pitched a shutout in the second half, and only allowed the Golden Falcons to gain 162 yards in total on the day. Not a bad outing, though it is hard to judge it based on the quality of the opponent.

The offense was rough for much of the early going, and a lot of that had to do with the offensive line. The group is working in two new starters at the tackle spots, and it clearly showed as the Golden Falcons picked on Raiqwon O’Neal and Garrett DiGiorgio throughout the day. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson constantly found himself running for his life and having to convert on a broken play. UCLA finally started getting things going by switching to a quicker attack, but I’m not sure it’s a great sign that the Bruins had to scheme around their offensive line against Bowling Green. The offensive line was a question mark heading into the season, and after one game that question looms even larger.

The good news for the offense is that Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet picked up where they left off last season, which means the two of them might be able to carry the UCLA offense despite the offensive line woes. DTR was a solid 32-43 on the day, throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns, along with what can only be described as a bad first-game interception. He also added 87 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Charbonnet put up an efficient 111 yards on 21 carries (an average of 5.3 YPC) while also catching five passes for 36 yards.

For the receivers, it was a mixed day. Kazmeir Allen continued his big breakout from last season’s Southern Cal game, catching a team-high 10 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Michael Ezeike looks like he could be a solid option across the middle, catching five passes for 32 yards. Backup running back Keegan Jones had a solid outing in support, gaining 42 yards on 10 carries while also adding 56 yards and a touchdown on two catches.

It was not a great first outing for Jake Bobo. The Duke transfer only had three catches for 38 yards, and had an abysmal day in the punt return game. His first attempt saw the Bruins have to take a timeout to get the right number on him, then saw him get hit before he could even touch the ball. On the next punt return, Bobo muffed the punt, gifting Bowling Green great field position inside the red zone. Bobo cleaned things up as the game went on, but that’s a debut he would like to forget.

Finishing up on the day, special teams was, well, special. Nicholas Barr-Mira has a nightmare game, getting a punt blocked early in the first quarter (though that was more due to a breakdown in punt protection) and missing two of his three field goal attempts. That’s going to need to be cleaned up over the next few weeks.

Ultimately, this was the definition of a first game. The Bruins had a talent advantage, and that showed itself as the game progressed, but they got to see some flaws in the team that have to be fixed in the future for this team to achieve its potential.

And again - it was incredibly hot.

Go Bruins!

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