UCLA dodged an early bullet Saturday: The first pass attempted by Stanford clunked off the hands of receiver Ty Montgomery, who dropped what would have been a 51-yard touchdown in front of three Bruin defenders.
The Bruins would not be so lucky two quarters later.
Cardinal receiver Kodi Whitfield redeemed his teammate’s inability to finish a play, and then some, by sneaking between two UCLA defensive backs and single-handedly changing the complexion of what had been a 3-3 game characterized by conservative play-calling.
Prior to the circus catch on a 30-yard touchdown, redshirt junior safety Anthony Jefferson had flown over the top from the opposite side of the field to assist sophomore cornerback Ishmael Adams against another Stanford bomb early on the Cardinal’s first drive of the half.
Adams shadowed Whitfield closely for the entirety of the play, but a 30-yard pass from quarterback Kevin Hogan slipped through the two defenders and found the right palm of Whitfield as he fell into the end zone.
“I give (Whitfield) all the credit. He made a good play, but those are the ones that we let slip away. I should’ve been able to make that play,” said Jefferson, pointing out that the timing and quality of his late jump helped to put UCLA in a 10-3 hole. UCLA would be intercepted on its next drive, setting up Stanford’s second touchdown of the game.
Jefferson’s admitted slipup proved to be one of few vulnerable moments for a Bruin defense commended by coach Jim Mora. The coach pointed out that sophomore cornerback Fabian Moreau essentially performed almost as well as possible on the game’s longest completion, a 34-yard, jump-ball catch by Stanford that put Stanford at UCLA’s two-yard line and led to a 17-3 Bruin deficit.
Mora also noticed that a majority of the team’s tackles were assisted, suggesting to him good awareness and discipline in finding the ball.
“Our defense went out there and played a very good football game against a very physical, offensive football team,” Mora said. “We essentially held them to 17 points, until that last TD at the end. They were put in difficult positions, and they stiffened up and played well.”
Challenges to the Bruins’ defense included being on the field nearly 14 minutes longer than Stanford and punts by UCLA’s offense on all but one of its first-half possessions.
The only drive through two quarters that did not conclude with a punt ended with a kneel-down, after Adams scooped up a ball caught and bobbled by a Stanford receiver deep into UCLA territory.
Outside linebacker Anthony Barr said that the lopsided time of possession did nothing to change the way he looked at the game.
“If we’re on the field for 60 minutes, we have to stop them from scoring,” Barr said.
Stanford threw multiple running backs, tight ends, as well as up to eight offensive linemen at UCLA throughout the game, and the box score suggests some wear on the Bruins as the battle of attrition continued.
Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney repeatedly moved forward after initial contact, dragging a Bruin or two en route to gaining 171 rushing yards, with 114 coming after intermission. All of Gaffney’s four double-digit-yard runs came in the second half, with his longest run going for just 16 yards.
Mora did not feel that the game, a 24-10 defeat for his Bruins, had any particular implications for his team moving forward, given the preference for up-tempo, spread offenses throughout the Pac-12. With the exception of USC during the last week of scheduled play, UCLA will not line up against any conventional-style offense such as that of Stanford.
The No. 12 Bruins will face their most prolific opponent on offense, however, this Saturday. Mora and the No. 12 Bruins travel to Eugene, Ore., to take on a No. 2 Ducks team that gains the second-highest rushing yards per game in the nation.
Barr, a midseason All-American, said that his defense’s speed and athleticism are better suited to taking on an explosive offense like Oregon’s. The outside linebacker feels that UCLA can set itself up for success by clamping down on the run, forcing the Ducks to take flight and risk tempo-slowing incompletions. Perhaps more than any team, Oregon figures to capitalize on any missteps by a defense that Barr said must submit a complete performance in round two of a Pac-12 North gauntlet.
Injury report piling higher
Kidney tests on inside linebacker Eric Kendricks turned out negative, and doctors were “very encouraged” with the redshirt junior’s health, according to Mora in a Sunday night teleconference. Kendricks left for Stanford Hospital during the game on Saturday, suffering what Mora would later refer to as a bruise on or in the tissue surrounding one of Kendricks’ kidneys.
Mora remained uncertain on two of his left tackles, Simon Goines and Conor McDermott. Both offensive linemen were injured Saturday and did not return, with the sophomore Goines suffering an MCL injury and redshirt freshman McDermott dislocating his shoulder. UCLA is down to its fourth option at the position with junior Xavier Su’a-Filo, who is usually the team’s starting left guard. Trouble at redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley’s blind side began when redshirt sophomore left tackle Torian White, who switched to the left side when he flipped positions with Goines going into the Oct. 3 game in Utah, was lost for the season in his first start at his new spot.