The numbers are in, and they’re not good.
None of them.
There are 134 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. UCLA ranks near the bottom in the most significant statistical categories, a big reason the Bruins have started the season 0-2.
Scoring offense? The Bruins are tied for No. 115, averaging 16.5 points per game.
Scoring defense? UCLA is tied for No. 120, giving up 36.5 points per game.
Penalties? The Bruins are No. 121, averaging 79.5 yards per game.
Opposing third-down conversions? UCLA is No. 133, opponents converting 70.4% of their chances.
Thank goodness for Alabama Birmingham, which is allowing opponents to convert 70.8% of their third-down chances.
With his team already in must-win mode heading into a Friday night game against New Mexico (1-1) at the Rose Bowl, what is UCLA coach DeShaun Foster’s biggest concern and what’s his level of responsibility for his team’s failures across the board?
“Just finding a way to get these guys to show up in the first half,” Foster said Monday, two days after his team fell behind 23-0 on the way to a 30-23 setback against Nevada Las Vegas. “You know, I think if we could put together two halves like we did in that second half, play like that early on, and a lot of these numbers might be a little different.
“But we played a really good team in that first game [against Utah]. … The second game, didn’t start the game necessarily the way that we wanted to, and I was just glad that they were able to come out after half and start executing the way that they needed to, because a lot of it is just execution. I think that we’re stopping ourselves more than the opponent is stopping us.”
One painful example was the offensive pass interference penalty on Titus Mokiao-Atimalala that wiped out a third-quarter touchdown pass, eventually forcing the Bruins to kick a field goal.
“They kind of said it was like a moving screen,” Foster said. “That’s what the ref told me.”
Other penalties on the Bruins included unsportsmanlike conduct, hands to the face, offside, false start and another pass interference.
Sensing an edginess before kickoff, Foster said he warned his players about staying disciplined.
“This was a conversation we had going into the game, you know, because just from what I was seeing, I knew it was going to be a chippy game,” Foster said. “And just continue to reiterate to these guys that you can’t retaliate in any situation. You have to understand that this is football, there’s rules, and you actually get an opportunity to get back on somebody within the whistle.”
The slow starts are unquestionably one of the team’s biggest issues, having put UCLA in catch-up mode after both Utah and UNLV scored on their first drives. The Utes built a 20-0 advantage before the Bruins scored.
Foster said he’s staged competitive periods early in practices to simulate the energy players will need in the opening quarter of games. The extra pep his players displayed Monday left their coach encouraged.
“The way that they came out today was, it was lights out,” Foster said, “so … I feel that they understand that they’re pressing and they need to show up.”
Those early deficits have also hindered a run game that ranks No. 96 nationally, averaging 128.5 yards per game. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is the team’s leading rusher, averaging 53 yards per game — nearly twice the 30-yard average of Jaivian Thomas, the team’s leading running back. Foster said he saw progress because the team produced four runs of at least 20 yards on Saturday after having none against Utah in the opener.
But when the Bruins needed just one yard on first and goal late in the third quarter, they couldn’t get it, Jalen Berger getting stuffed on back-to-back plays because of what Foster said were breakdowns on the interior of the offensive line.
“Just got to execute,” Foster said. “It’s coming down to execution; we’ve got to find a way to execute. You’ve got to be at your best when your best is needed.”
Etc.
Wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer was held out of practice as a precaution after he tweaked an ankle and his body monitor indicated an excessive workload, Foster said. During the portion of practice open to reporters, Gilmer stood in a corner of the end zone catching passes. … Edge rusher Nico Davillier remained sidelined from practice because of an undisclosed personal issue, but Foster said the transfer from Arkansas was “getting closer” to making his UCLA debut. … Foster said his team would adjust to a quick turnaround this week by finding “ways to do just a little bit lighter stuff, but it’s mostly recovery — just get in the cold tubs, hot tubs, keep hydrating and we’ll be good to go.”
