Every UCLA football Saturday (or in this case, Friday), 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 41-31 win over Washington on Friday at the Rose Bowl.
Good: Running Game Stepping Up
With UCLA minus three of its top five running backs, what’s left of the Bruins’ backfield stable answered the call against Washington. Redshirt freshman Paul Perkins racked up the most total yards of any Bruin, gaining 107 total yards on 23 touches. Perkins turned in a solid, albeit unspectacular, performance, but continued productivity as a primary back would be helpful as the Bruins attempt to overcome multiple injuries and lighten freshman linebacker Myles Jack’s offensive workload moving forward.
Senior Malcolm Jones chipped in nine carries for 61 yards, with a 30-yard rumble to the Washington 4-yard line paving the way for UCLA’s second score of the game. Jones left the game, however, after multiple hits, including a blow to the head, that saw him down on the field for an extended period of time early in the fourth quarter.
The Bruins’ injury problems heading into the game even brought redshirt sophomore walk-on running back Roosevelt Davis into the fold. Davis found himself on the receiving end of a 25-yard throw from sophomore wide receiver Devin Fuller, who caught a lateral from redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley before launching a pass to the opposite side of the field. Davis caught the ball and almost immediately tumbled to around the 2-yard line, setting up Jack’s second touchdown of the game.
Bad: A Leaky Secondary
UCLA’s secondary had perhaps its worst game of the season against the Washington Huskies. The Bruins gave up their second-longest passing play of the year on a 50-yard throw from senior quarterback Keith Price to sophomore wide receiver Marvin Hall. Price’s bomb, which saw sophomore cornerback Fabian Moreau a step or two behind Hall without any apparent safety help, resulted in Washington’s first touchdown of the night.
Price burned the Bruins again with a 44-yarder that left another UCLA cornerbackall by himself, this time redshirt senior Brandon Sermons. The starting Huskies quarterback almost had a 38-yard touchdown to freshman receiver Damore’ea Stringfellow, before a hands-to-the-face flag on a Washington lineman wiped out the play.
Friday seemed to be the first time all season that the overhauled UCLA secondary, which features new starters across the board, looked particularly vulnerable to home-run balls.
The Washington game marked the first time all year that the Bruinsallowed multiple completions over 40-yards, with two surrendered to the Huskies. UCLA’s previous longest gain given up through the air was a 54-yard touchdown from Utah, with that sprinting score coming as a result of broken tackles on a catch behind the line of scrimmage.
Coach Jim Mora said that the team dialed up more pressure and went with more man coverage in this game than usual, though neither 40-or-more-yard catch from Washington seemed to feature anything more than a four-man pass rush.
Mora’s defensive backs can expect to be tested throughout the rest of the scheduled season. Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly ranks in the nation’s top 20 with regards to pass attempts and passing yards, while USC’s Cody Kessler has more yards per attempt than any quarterback UCLA has faced besides Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.
The Verdict: One Win Closer
In one of their first true tests of the season, the Bruins gave a complete performance that could have been more convincing.
A fumble from Jones late in the second quarter and a fumble from Davis on the kickoff return to open the second half handed the Huskies 14 of their 31 points.
On offense, a wider variety of Bruins added themselves to ASU’s scouting report. Davis caught a 25-yard reception from Fuller, senior defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a touchdown pass from Hundley and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Devin Lucien had his first collegiate touchdown reception.
The 10-point victory keeps UCLA in control of its own destiny to appear in its third consecutive Pac-12 championship game. The next two weeks pit the Bruins against the rest of the Pac-12 South’s top three– Arizona State and USC– making each subsequent win that much more crucial.
“When it’s hard, that’s when you find out about your guys,” Mora said.
Player of the Game: LB Myles Jack (Fr.)
Doubling his workload from last Saturday’s Arizona game, Jack was, touchdown-wise, four times as impressive.
Facing stacked boxes and charging linebackers for the majority of his thirteen carries out of the backfield, Jack picked up a hard-fought 59 yards and four touchdowns to raise his career total to five.
“Wow, really?” said Jack when informed he was the first Bruin to rush for four or more touchdowns in a game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2004. “Maurice Jones-Drew was my idol in my running back days.”
Following his third touchdown of the game, Jack was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he looked toward the Washington bench and started licking his fingers as if to savor his touchdown. Even though Jack appears to have the touchdown celebrations down pat, Mora said his primary focus will be on defense.
“(Linebacker) is where (Jack) loves to play and that’s where we want to play him,” Mora said.
Quote of the Week: Coach Jim Mora, on why he was late to the postgame press conference
“I apologize for keeping everyone waiting. We just had a special moment at the 50-yard line, midfield of the Rose Bowl. (Redshirt senior safety) Stan McKay proposed to his girlfriend and now she is his fiancée.”