UCLA Bruins Squeak by Memphis, but Anxiety Builds in Westwood

After the UCLA Bruins’ victory over Virginia in their regular season opener, there was already some level of trepidation about the team’s ability to compete for a national championship given the woeful performance by the offensive line. With standout third-year center Jake Brendel back in action this past Saturday night against Memphis, however, the offensive line actually had a very good performance, leading to a close 42-35 win for the Bruins. Brett Hundley was only sacked once, threw for 396 yards (including pass plays of 28, 33, 52, and 62 yards), and the team ran for 144 yards.

Sep 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Paul Perkins (24) points to the sky in the end zone after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the Memphis Tigers at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately, the defense gave up 469 yards, had zero takeaways, only one sack, and the team committed nine penalties after committing 12 a week earlier against Virginia. Memphis and Virginia hung tough with the Bruins, but they combined to go 5-19 in 2013. After a match-up with a mediocre Texas Longhorns squad this Saturday, the Bruins travel to Phoenix on September 25th to face 16th-ranked Arizona State, and this type of inconsistent play will only end badly for UCLA.

The team’s offensive performance was actually fun to watch, despite the fact that they were never able to pull away from the Tigers. Hundley completed 33 of 44 pass attempts, and had three passing touchdowns to go along with his near 400 yards. Paul Perkins also had a solid performance, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Myles Jack had a strong 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Wide receivers Thomas Duarte and Jordan Payton EACH had at least 100 yards receiving–the first time Bruins teammates did that in nearly 10 years.

Sep 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Jordan Payton (9) runs for a first down in the second half of the game against the Memphis Tigers at the Rose Bowl. UCLA won 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of the one sack allowed by the offensive line and a few penalties, the only real blemish on the night for the offense was Hundley’s ill-advised throw from within the Bruins’ own red zone, leading to a 17-yard interception return for a Memphis touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

As for the defense, the story of the night was misdirection. I don’t think I can ever remember watching a UCLA football game and seeing the defense so completely faked out time and time again by play fakes, gadget plays, and misdirection. I can’t even recall one series by the Tigers on offense where they didn’t use some type of play fake or misdirection, and outside of one or two occasions, the Bruins were completely out of sorts. So perhaps the poor defensive performance can be partially attributed to the Tigers’ unorthodox offense, but that doesn’t explain poor tackling. With as many dynamic players as the Bruins have on defense, this type of performance is really inexcusable.

Sep 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Matt Dickerson (99), linebacker Myles Jack (30) and defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy (90) celebrate after they sacked Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) in the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Bowl. UCLA won 42-35. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Unlike USC, which had a very tough match-up at Stanford this past weekend, the Bruins start the season off with three relatively easy games. On one hand, it’s certainly better for them to work out these kinks now when they can get away with glaring mistakes. On the other hand, the schedule will start to get a lot tougher real soon, and if the Bruins aren’t ready, what looked like an extremely promising season will vanish in a heartbeat.