Disappointments were plentiful in UCLA’s season opening 43-10 loss to Utah on Saturday. The Bruins got pummeled 43-10. High hopes came crashing down to reality on opening night in front of a home crowd at the Rose Bowl.
Almost everything went wrong. UCLA’s defense looked like a late night snack for the Utes’ offense. Tino Sunseri’s offense was completely out of sorts as the Bruins began the season by getting blown out on national television. While it’s easy to say that everything went wrong, let’s look at what really sank UCLA on Saturday.
Run Defense
It’s not too much of a surprise that Utah was able to move the ball on the ground against a UCLA defensive front that looked much different from the Bruins in 2024 but UCLA never had a chance. Utah totaled 286 rushing yards with countless missed tackles and poor angles from defenders. If Utah can dominate the Bruins this handidly, the Big Ten Conference will as well.
Rushing Offense
If you’re losing the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you have no chance. On Saturday, the Bruins had no chance. Nico Iamaleava had 47 of UCLA’s 84 rushing yards, which came primarily on scrambles. The Bruins’ running backs combined for 15 carries for just 37 yards. After having one of the worst rushing attacks in the nation last year, UCLA didn’t show much change on Saturday.
Nico Iamaleava’s Accuracy
I do feel for Iamaleava. He’s been roasted all offseason for his decision to leave Tennessee and I’m sure he felt the pressure to perform on Saturday but he looked overwhelmed on his dropbacks for much of the game. The difference between playing with the Vols and the Bruins must be stark but his inaccuracy was the biggest red flag on Saturday, with throws sailing high, wide or long all throughout his 11-22 performance, picking up only 136 passing yards.
Bonus item — shaky tackling
This could go under run defense, but it applied to Utah receivers, too. UCLA just couldn’t wrap up Utah players. Tackles were there to be made short of the sticks, but the Bruins couldn’t execute.
Bonus item No. 2 — no real adjustments
Was there any sense UCLA learned how to play Utah more effectively in the second half? No. That’s something the coaching staff has to look at.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Three biggest reasons why UCLA got bombarded by Utah in the season opener
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
