UCLA football was served a fresh slice of humble pie by Oregon State Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins suffered a 27-20 loss at the Rose Bowl in their Pac-12 Conference season opener.
After missing a field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, freshman kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made a 35-yard field goal with 1:47 to play. But a Bruin onside kick attempt was recovered by the Beavers to close out the win.
There wasn’t one specific area No. 19 UCLA (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) struggled in above others. Instead, the team looked anemic on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, the Bruins ““ who had averaged 622 total yards per game entering Saturday – were only able to pick up 444 yards against a staunch Beaver defense.
The UCLA offensive line, which was without redshirt senior Jeff Baca, had little to no success moving the ball on the ground against the Oregon State defense. Redshirt senior running back Johnathan Franklin was touted as a Heisman trophy candidate earlier in the week, but only rushed for 45 yards on 12 carries Saturday.
Additionally, redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley was inconsistent throughout, throwing good, accurate passes for big plays at times and putting passes behind receivers for near-interceptions at others.
Hundley’s inconsistencies were magnified by the mistakes of the UCLA receiving corps, which had plenty of drops at inopportune times.
On the defensive end, UCLA’s play was reminiscent of previous years. The Bruins often left open pockets, where Beaver receivers had plenty of room to catch passes.
Oregon State (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) took advantage of the coverage breakdowns, which offered little resistance in the second half as the Beavers’ offense sealed the win with multiple scoring drives.
One of the most significant factors in the loss was UCLA’s inability to capitalize on turnovers. Twice in the second half the Bruin defense made plays to force turnovers near midfield and both times the offense failed to come away with any points.
Shaquelle Evans’ performance was one of the bright spots for the Bruins. The redshirt junior receiver had a big game, finishing with 6 receptions for 148 yards, including one touchdown and multiple big plays that kept UCLA afloat.
The Bruins will look to bounce back from the loss when they travel to Boulder, Colo. to take on Colorado next week.
Compiled by Steven Covella, Bruin Sports senior staff.