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 performance.
This week, we take a closer look at UCLA’s 59-13 win on Saturday over New Mexico State at the Rose Bowl.
The Good: Wreaking Havoc on Defense
Perhaps lost in UCLA’s 59 points scored and nearly 700 yards of offense was a bevy of splash plays by a Bruins defense that did not surrender a point until a 45-point fourth quarter lead was already in hand. UCLA coach Jim Mora said in a Sunday teleconference that he was not a fan of the Bruins defense on the first drive, when his team allowed New Mexico State to call nothing but run plays in advancing from the 5-yard line to nearly midfield.
By the end of their last non-conference game, however, the Bruins added two turnovers to their count after only forcing one the season coming into Saturday.
Senior outside linebacker Anthony Barr introduced freshman quarterback King Davis III to the starting college football world by claiming the Bruin’s fourth forced fumble and first sack of the year on the same play. Later, Barr removed Davis III from the game with a vicious hit that officials labeled as a roughing-the-passer penalty.
Fellow outside linebacker Myles Jack also joined the teeing-off party, albeit in ways that will not show up in the box score. Jack, a freshman who has earned a reputation as being among the linebacking corps’ most prolific coverage defenders, demolished Davis III on two separate occasions during a single interception: right as Davis III threw a pass on its way to sophomore cornerback Ishmael Adams, and on a block downfield during Adams’ return.
Adams advanced the ball 52 yards in setting up UCLA at New Mexico State’s 23-yard line before the Bruins’ third touchdown. Senior defensive end Cassius Marsh chipped in by taking away New Mexico State’s bid for points in the first half by blocking a field goal attempt as time expired.
The Bad: Lost Touchdowns
New Mexico State’s quarterback and running back made their starting debuts Saturday night, and No. 13 UCLA’s backfield tandem seemed just as green to open the game. The Bruins’ first two drives concluded with a Jordon James fumble at the New Mexico 5-yard line and a Brett Hundley interception a yard from the end zone. Hundley added another red zone pick that was hauled in by senior safety Davis Cazares, the Aggie who swung possession on the two prior turnovers. The UCLA quarterback also missed what appeared to be surefire first half touchdowns to an open Devin Fuller. UCLA won’t be favored to cover a 42.5-point spread again anytime soon, so it would be in the Bruins’ best interest not to lose the turnover battle again when points come at more of a premium. Untimely mistakes could make the difference in a Pac-12 conference that featured five top-25 teams heading into Saturday.
The Bad (Runner-Up): Penalties … Again
Last year, coach Mora claimed that a 20-year study he did on penalties revealed what he called a “nonexistent” relationship between yellow flags and wins. Mora’s proclaimed statistical conclusion held true on Saturday night, as UCLA forfeited 138 total yards of field position because of 15 yellow flags, including penalties on back-to-back kickoffs during the first half. Mora even received a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct for a comment he made from the sidelines.
The Verdict: Somewhat Shaky, But a 46-Point Win
Brett Hundley threw his second and third interceptions of the season, and redshirt junior running back Jordon James fumbled in the red zone, but the Bruins still managed to dominate the New Mexico State Aggies for a wire-to-wire victory. What’s more, the Bruins are now 3-0 for the second time in coach Mora’s two years with the program.
UCLA was excellent in areas like third-down conversions, where the Bruins started the game a perfect 12-for-12 and finished 12-for-14. Negatives, like the Bruins’ penalties, of which there were 15 for 138 yards, took away from the sharpness of the team’s showing Saturday but ultimately made little impact in a game that quickly became a laugher.
Even with room for improvement, Mora said, a win is nothing to be shrugged off.
“You have to appreciate those wins,” Mora said. “ Not every win’s going to be a work of art.”
Player of the Game: Steven Manfro, RB (RS So.)
Scoring just three touchdowns all of last season, Manfro nearly matched that total on Saturday night alone, finding the end zone on two separate occasions.
Manfro didn’t have eye-popping statistics in any one category, but it was the number of categories he had a hand in that accounted for his impressive performance. He finished the game with three catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, two carries for 14 yards and a touchdown, a single 70-yard kickoff return to open the game and a special teams tackle, just for good measure.
The breakout, multi-score performance comes just two weeks after the redshirt sophomore had no catches and just two carries for 10 yards at Nebraska. “He was a little disappointed out in Nebraska that he didn’t get as many touches as he would have liked,” Mora said. “But rather than expressing his disappointment and sulking, he had a great week of practice and played extremely well.”
Quote of the Week: senior outside linebacker Anthony Barr, on whether it felt like he finally “got the monkey off his back” in recording his first sack of the season:
“There was never a monkey, it’s going to happen throughout the course of the season. I’ll get mine; but we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
Compiled by Andrew Erickson and Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin senior staff.