Every UCLA football Saturday, whether at the Rose Bowl or on the road, has so much more to it than a win or a loss. That’s why each postgame Monday, the Daily Bruin will break down the Bruins’ most recent game, outlining the good, the bad and the verdict for their most recent performance.
This week, we take a closer look at UCLA’s 58-20 Saturday win over the University of Nevada.
The Good: UCLA’s Ground Attack
Behind a mobile and powerful offensive line, UCLA rushed for 345 yards on Saturday, one more yard than it had against Nebraska a season ago.
Six different players had runs of more than 10 yards, and five had runs of more than 20 yards, giving the Bruins an average of 7.3 yards per rushing attempt, a stat that played a big part in the Bruins not having to punt all night.
UCLA’s line was anchored by sophomore tackles Simon Goines and Torian White, but featured a successful change-up on the inside. Rather than freshman Caleb Benenoch, who had seen most of the starting time at right guard during fall camp, the coaching staff gave another freshman, Alex Redmond, the nod, and he did not disappoint.
Redmond wrestled defensive linemen to the ground on some of UCLA’s biggest runs. Mora said the new starting right guard “started slow in camp and came on late,” peaking just in time for the Bruins’ Aug. 31 opener.
The Bad: Penalties
The Bruins’ yellow cloth enemy made numerous appearances on Saturday night, a season after UCLA was one of the most penalized teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
After only committing four penalties for 33 yards in the first half, the Bruins added eight more flags in the second half, ending the game with 12 penalties for 93 yards.
Even though the penalties didn’t hurt his team in the end, Mora acknowledged the need to continue to work on reducing penalties and said the team may bring back officiating crews to practice, a norm up in San Bernardino.
“We have to put emphasis on it,” he said. “We can’t sugarcoat it. It is what it is.”
The Verdict: A Win is a Win
UCLA won its second straight opener and now has nearly two weeks to prepare for what will likely be a difficult road test at Nebraska.
The win came against a Nevada team that could contend for a Mountain West title this year, and one that, on paper, could be very troublesome for slower, bulkier defenses.
“That’s a good football team,” said Mora of Nevada after the game. “They beat Cal last year, and Cal whooped us.”
The offense lit up the scoreboard, the defense held the Wolf Pack to just seven points in the second half, and the special teams blocked a punt and scored a touchdown.
To echo Mora, it was a “good first step” for the 2013 Bruins.
Player of the Game: Jordon James
James set career highs for carries (21) and rushing yards (155), crushing his previous high of 37 yards.
Saturday also gave James the opportunity to solidify himself as the team’s No. 1 back.
He had 16 more carries than two of UCLA’s other “by-committee” backs, redshirt sophomore Steven Manfro and redshirt freshman Paul Perkins.
While his breakout game does come against a team that allowed an average of nearly 212 rushing yards per game, his performance bodes well for his carries in the future.
Quote of the Week:
Running back Steven Manfro, on a first-quarter kickoff fumble that he later recovered: “Yeah, just getting my one drop in there, but I’ll be good now.”