Wildcat running back Ka’Deem Carey slips through the Bruin defense during the second half of Thursday’s game between UCLA and Arizona. Carey carried the ball nine times for 67 yards and one touchdown. The Arizona Wildcats defeated the Bruins 48-12, with the Wildcats scoring 42 points in the first half.
TUCSON, Ariz. “”mdash; UCLA was doomed from the coin toss that opened the game.
After winning the toss, an Arizona captain yelled, “We want the ball,” before the referee could finish asking what the captain’s preference would be.
The Arizona Wildcats (2-5, 1-4 Pac-12) proceeded to take the ball down the field 80 yards in eight plays to give themselves a lead they wouldn’t give up ““ their first lead since the season opener. The Wildcats rolled the Bruins 48-12 in a wild game that saw a streaker lead to a pre-halftime brawl.
The Wildcats turned all six of their first-half drives into touchdowns, once again showing the UCLA defense’s susceptibility to let opposing offenses control the game.
“I don’t know what to say other than we’ve got to play much better,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said.
The Bruins (3-4, 2-2), on the other hand, had 10 offensive points to show for their 13 drives, including two turnovers, six punts and one turnover on downs. Redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Prince missed a wide-open redshirt senior receiver Josh Smith on UCLA’s first drive while redshirt junior running back Johnathan Franklin and senior wide receiver Nelson Rosario fumbled away others.
“You could probably attribute it to the bye week,” redshirt junior tight end Joseph Fauria said of the slow start. “I don’t know. Guys came out thinking, “˜Hey, they’re 1-5.’ It’s just frustrating.”
The Bruins’ running game, long thought to be their calling card, was disconnected against a defense that was ranked 100th or worse nationally in all four major, team defensive statistics. UCLA’s pistol run attack was only able to mount 37 yards on 25 carries.
Not even feel-good story and senior soccer-manager-turned kicker Tyler Gonzalez could get it right on Thursday as he missed his first career field goal attempt from 39 yards.
Arizona quarterback Nick Foles did what good quarterbacks do by taking what the UCLA defense has given him. It just so happened that the UCLA defensive backs gave him a lot, allowing him to sustain drives and complete short passes to a myriad of receivers. Arizona’s 42 first-half points marks the highest point total the Wildcats have reached in a half this season.
“They were throwing the ball at will,” redshirt junior linebacker Patrick Larimore said. “It was a little bit of everything.”
Wide receiver Juron Criner was Foles’ favorite target on the evening as the two hooked up for three first-half touchdowns.
Criner finished with 101 yards receiving on the day. Foles, meanwhile, finished with 291 yards through the air, but the ground game was working for the Wildcats too. Arizona ran the ball 46 times for 254 yards.
“No excuses,” Neuheisel said of his defense. “We’ve just got to continue to work at it.”
There were neither brawls nor much other excitement in the second half as the entire stadium was still woozy from the fight before the half.
Arizona added two field goals as UCLA’s defense finally began to make some stops ““ one of them by way of a safety ““ but by then it was too late and what little offensive momentum the Bruins built in the first half was gone.
Perhaps the Bruins’ haplessness was no better illustrated than when redshirt sophomore receiver Shaquelle Evans was denied a meaningless touchdown on a second-effort dive at the goal line to end a UCLA fourth-quarter drive.
“We weren’t expecting to be in this predicament we’re in right now,” Prince said. “Its frustrating. Arizona deserved to beat us.”
The loss was so ugly that whispers of the continually heating hot seat that Neuheisel is on made their way to his postgame news conference, but Neuheisel shot those down.
“It’s not my decision,” Neuheisel said. “That evaluation will be made by my boss, and I’ll wait and have that talk with him at the appropriate time.”