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 45-23 win over Colorado on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
The (Pretty) Good: A Flash of Explosiveness on Offense
With a single play on UCLA’s third drive, Devin Fuller and Brett Hundley shooed away the boo birds that descended on the Rose Bowl after a run for a loss and two straight three-and-outs. Fuller, a sophomore wide receiver, hauled in a slightly underthrown deep pass from redshirt sophomore quarterback Hundley for a 76-yard touchdown, a play 32 yards longer than the Bruins’ previous largest gain on offense this season.
Sustained aerial bombardments on Colorado, the nation’s 104th-ranked passing yardage defense would not be part of the game plan, however. Catch and runs of 36 and 26 yards by redshirt senior receiver Shaquelle Evans and redshirt freshman running back Paul Perkins, respectively, made for Hundley’s next two biggest plays in a 273-yard passing performance.
Playmaking in space and one-on-one situations have defined much of the Bruins’ offense this season, so another methodical offensive showing was par for the course. But a reminder of the team’s at-the-catch potential and Hundley’s arm strength gives opposing defenses one more element to think about when lining up against the Bruins.
A deep ball rapport between Hundley and Fuller would provide quite the late season spark for UCLA, given the speedy receiver’s well-established role with underneath routes. Throw in the big-play potential of Fuller, a former quarterback who has already thrown a touchdown pass to Hundley this year, and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone has reason to open up the playbook a bit more as UCLA enters the homestretch of the season.
The Bad: Bruin Gift Keeps on Giving
Coach Jim Mora has reiterated throughout the season that the volume of penalties means nothing compared to the timeliness of mistakes. Saturday’s collection of errors proved bountiful and ultimately beneficial for Colorado. UCLA, currently leading the nation in flags, assisted Colorado with multiple penalties on three of Colorado’s points-producing drives, with a fourth scoring possession preceded by a 15-yard face mask by redshirt senior safety Brandon Sermons on punt return.
The Bruins’ penalty machine was almost as varied as it was generous. Eight penalties occurred while the Bruins were defending, though defensive holding, pass interference, roughing the kicker and quarterback, facemasks and a personal foul all contributed to the sloppy performance.
Such a wide distribution of gaffes with just four scheduled games left perhaps suggests that altruism could simply be a defining Bruin trait for the second straight year, in addition to a team speed on defense that just may lend itself to looking excessively aggressive to officials. Whatever the case, a little more control for UCLA defenders cannot hurt against teams that have wins in the Pac-12.
The Verdict: Wait and See
In its last two games against Stanford and Oregon, the UCLA offense posted just 24 points. On Saturday, the Bruins briefly faltered before lighting up the Colorado defense, scorching the Buffaloes for 38 points in the final three quarters.
The Bruins now head into an environment – Arizona Stadium – that they have not emerged from victorious in 10 years. But they leave the Rose Bowl showing some real signs of long-term improvement, particularly in the passing game.
Against Oregon, Hundley’s longest pass went for 11 yards, but the team’s mentality appeared to change against Colorado, as the second-year starter hit four different receivers on passes of 20 yards or more.
More importantly, Hundley did a better job of staying in the pocket and not excessively moving his feet as he checked down through his progressions, something that will serve him well in the last four weeks of the regular season, but only if he can keep it up.
“I thought he held his composure in the pocket,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone of Hundley. “My young kids did a nice job up there (too).”
The connection between Fuller and Hundley is one that had been a bit of a head-scratcher in recent weeks. Fuller is a swift, shifty wide receiver who frequently is open, but had been limited to a number of swing routes in the flat that netted him minimal yards.
But after Mazzone said he had finally had enough with trying to force the run game, Fuller was assigned a vertical route that gave UCLA by far its longest touchdown of the season.
Two drives later, the two found each other once again, this time on a 6-yard goal-line bullet that Fuller successfully navigated with a swift pirouette into the end zone. After a two-quarter hiatus, Fuller once again forced his way onto the stat sheet, taking a Hundley pass behind the line of scrimmage and up the left sideline for his third touchdown of the game.
After the game, Fuller, who also posted 102 kick return yards, was especially complimentary of Hundley, who had underthrown his speedy sophomore target several times throughout the season.
“Brett’s a great quarterback,” he said. “People talk bad about him all the time, but he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football.”
Quote of the Week: OC Noel Mazzone, on his team’s early offensive struggles Saturday:
“After the first two series, I was trying to find my Uber app on my phone to see if they could get an SUV to come pick me up.”
Compiled by Andrew Erickson and Emilio Ronquillo, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Don’t worry about Colorado, you should be worried about this Saturday. The Arizona Wildcats will be waiting for you.