UCLA defensive end Devin Auplu puts pressure on Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel during the game at the Rose Bowl last Saturday.
The 2024 season continues to be a struggle for the UCLA football team. The highly ranked Oregon Ducks football team came into the Rose Bowl on a mission, took a 25-point second quarter lead and never looked back as they easily defeated the Bruins, 34-13.
The loss was the third consecutive for the Bruins, who have lost the last three games by a combined total score of 110-43. The latest loss drops the Bruins to 1-3 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten Conference, with a trip this Saturday, October 5 to State College, Pennsylvania to take on the No. 7 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in a Big Ten Conference clash.
The Nittany Lions are undefeated at 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Big Ten Conference. Penn State plays their home games at Beaver Stadium and through three games in 2024 has averaged 107,766 fans in attendance. It is a tough place to play.
The Bruins issues start and end at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line has been unable to open up running lanes for the running backs or protect the quarterback. The defensive line has zero sacks in the past three games. Against Oregon, the Bruins rushed for 47 yards. After four games, they are ranked 132nd out of 133 teams in rushing yardage per game. Head coach DeShaun Foster, a former star running back at UCLA and in the NFL, most be frustrated watching his UCLA running attack.
Quarterback Ethan Garbers continues to get hit and beat up at quarterback. The Bruins have some talented receivers, but Garbers needs time to get to the ball to them. On defensive side, the Bruins inability to pressure the quarterback has made it easy to move the ball in the air against the UCLA's pass defense.
"The game didn't go the way that we wanted it to go," Foster said after the Oregon game. "But there were a couple bright spots. We were able to run the ball a little bit better in the second half. I think my defense played pretty well tonight, going against a high-powered offense like we did. We just didn't really execute the way that we wanted to, offensively, to try to help our defense out."
The running game did look better in the second half, gaining 54 yards on the ground. But after a first half where the Bruins gained a -7 yards rushing, the total of 47 yards rushing for the game did not look so impressive. The defense gave up just six points in the second half.
The Ducks finished with 433 yards in total offense and held the Bruins to 172 yards in total offense. They scored on their first five offensive possessions to take a 28-3 lead just before halftime. The Ducks drove to the UCLA 6-yard line late in the second quarter and appeared ready to add to their lead when an errant throw by Oregon quarterback Dillion Gabriel was intercepted by UCLA defensive back Bryan Addison, who returned it 96 yards for a touchdown.
That turned out to be the lone touchdown of the night for the Bruins. It seemed to bring some energy to the Bruins, who played a much more competitive game in the second half and got to within 15 points in the third quarter on a 54-yard field goal by kicker Mateen Bhaghani. A fourth quarter 12-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to wide receiver Tez Johnson gave the Ducks a 34-13 fourth quarter lead.
Johnson had 11 receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns, while Gabriel completed 31 of 41 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon running back Jordan James rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. Garbers completed 12 of 20 passes for 118 yards and also threw two interceptions.
Foster tried to stay positive and look forward. "We just need to go to Penn State and just continue to build on this. That's all that we've got to do. Like I said, we will learn from these losses. I know I see it. I know that you all see it, but some of you choose not to. But they are improving, and we are just going to continue to improve and keep working hard. And eventually, it's going to turn around."
The game at Penn State will start at 9:00 am PST and will be televised nationally on FOX. Penn State is ranked 7th in rushing yardage allowed per game in the nation and they are ranked 2nd in the nation in passing efficiency. They have allowed only five sacks in four games. The Nittany Lions strengths match up well with the Bruins weaknesses.
Penn State is a 27.5-point favorite in the game. The Bruins will return home to the Rose Bowl on Saturday evening, October 12 for a 6:00 pm start against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
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