UCLA Coaches Give Up as Bruins Lose to Ducks, 34-13
With Bruins down by three scores and seven minutes left, UCLA punted away their last opportunity of this game.
The DeShaun Foster era is looking more and more Dorrellian by the week. That’s because the rookie head coach is playing the same conservative style of football that Karl Dorrell was known for.
This coaching staff settles for field goals instead of going for touchdowns.
By itself, that’s bad enough.
But, tonight, the coaches just gave up with seven minutes left.
The Bruins were down 34-1 3 with 7:05 left, but they had the ball on the UCLA 41. Facing fourth-and-ten, DeShaun Foster just gave up.
Rather than trying to get the first down on fourth-and-ten, he rolled over and punted the ball away to Oregon and the Ducks’ offense just ran out the clock.
In other words, the coaching staff gave up.
They LITERALLY decided it wasn’t worth trying to get the first down on fourth-and-ten down by three touchdowns, as if punting the ball away would somehow help them magically get the ball back.
What exactly did the team have to lose if they tried for it on fourth-and-ten and failed?
The answer is simple: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
The result would have been the same. The Bruins would have gone on to lose this game anyway.
So, instead of fighting and trying to claw their way back just past the midway point in the fourth quarter, the coaching staff gave up.
I wish this was the first example of something like this happening, but it’s not.
DeShaun Foster is way too eager to accept field goals instead of touchdowns, and it is hurting this team.
We saw it tonight from the Bruins’ very first drive.
After Oregon got the ball to start the game, the Ducks immediately drove 75 yards for a touchdown to go up 7-0.
Of course, the Bruins got the ball back. They moved the ball well on their first series, at least until they got inside the red zone. On first-and-ten from the Oregon 15, Ethan Garbers was sacked for a loss of one. On second-and-eleven, the coaches called for a run by TJ Harden which gained only three yards. That set up third-and-eight. Garbers dropped back and threw the ball. That was good.
What wasn’t?
He threw the ball to TJ Harden who was clearly short of the sticks. I don’t know if that was by design or the result of all his other receivers being covered, but when it’s third-and-long, you need to throw it past the sticks, not short of them.
That made it fourth-and-four from the Oregon nine.
That’s when Foster made the most Dorrellian move since Karl Dorrell graced the sidelines of the Rose Bowl — he sent out the field goal team to settle for three points.
Here we have an Oregon team which is scoring an average of 37 points per game while the Bruins are struggling to score at all and rather than trying to tie the game with a touchdown on second, third or fourth down, De Shaun Foster and offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy settled for three. That is no way to win a football game against an opponent averaging 37 points per game.
On Oregon’s ensuing possession, the Bruin defense did a nice job and held the Ducks to a field goal. That put them up by a touchdown, 10-3.
On the Bruins’ next three drives, UCLA moved the ball a grand total of minus-3 yards. The next drive began with a 5-yard penalty for illegal formation before Garbers threw an interception. The second drive saw them go three-and-out as did the third drive.
Meanwhile, Oregon added a touchdown, another touchdown with a two-point conversion and another field goal to take a 28-3 lead.
Thankfully, Brian Addison snagged an interception on third-and-goal from the Bruin 6 and he took it 96 yards for a Pick 6 to cut the Ducks’ lead to 28-10 at the half.
UCLA got the ball to start the second half but Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa sacked Garbers for a loss of eight to bring up 4th-and-13, prompting Foster to send out the punting unit again.
The Bruin defense held the Ducks on their next possession, forcing a three-and-out. UCLA managed to cut the lead by three with, yup…you guessed it…another field goal which made it 28-13, which actually wasn’t such a bad move since it cut the Oregon lead to 15 points midway through the third quarter.
The defense even held the Ducks in check on their next drive, setting an opportunity for the Bruins. UCLA moved the ball from their own 12 to the Oregon 45.
For what I believe was the first time this season, DeShaun Foster opted to go for it on fourth down, needing three yards. Unfortunately, Garbers did his best Dante Moore impression and threw the ball to a guy wearing one of the white jerseys instead of his intended receiver.
Wouldn’t you know it? That set up yet another Oregon touchdown, stretching the Ducks’ lead to 34-13, after the PAT was no good.
That brings us to that critical drive. It turned out to be UCLA’s last of the game. The Bruins began on their own 9 after a penalty on the kickoff moved them back 15 yards.
On second-and-ten, Garbers took a hit from Jamaree Caldwell, which saw him leave the game, bringing in backup QB Justyn Martin. A seven-yard completion on third-and-eight gave the Bruins a fourth-and-one situation. They were able to convert that fourth down, but following an incomplete pass, a scramble by Martin for no gain and another incompletion, Coach Dorrell, I mean, Foster sent out the punting unit to punt it away with seven minutes left, even though UCLA needed three touchdowns to tie.
That just isn’t winning football.
Welcome to Karl Dorrell 2.0. The bad news is that we’ve seen this show before and it didn’t end well the first time, and it’s doesn’t seem any better in reruns either.
Go Bruins.
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Deshaun looks lost and Bienemy is showing why he never was hired as a HC.
Jarmond is a 🤡.