UCLA Football: Takeaways from loss to Washington

Chip Kelly is still winless as head coach of the UCLA Football program as the Bruins were outmatched by the Washington Huskies.

The UCLA Football Bruins lost a close battle Saturday to the seventh-ranked Washington Huskies. The Huskies led the Bruins 24-7 at halftime and the Bruins came storming back in the second half to make it a game.

UCLA scored 17 points in the second half and held Washington to only seven points. Although winless so far this year, the Bruins finally have some things they can build on to get the season going in the right direction.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson played well

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finally showed the world why he was highly recruited coming out of high school. He passed for a season-high 272 yards with two touchdowns an interception on 27 for 38 passing.

Thompson-Robinson played well and made good decisions, throwing the ball accurately. He completed passes to seven different receivers. His main targets where tight end Caleb Wilson and receiver Theo Howard.

Wilson caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, Howard caught nine passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Offensive line played well

The offensive line played a great game; they allowed Thompson-Robinson the time to pass and complete passes down the field. They did not give up a single sack. The Bruins offensive line also opened up some nice holes for Joshua Kelly to run through.

Kelly ran for 125 yards on 20 carries. He averaged 6 .3 and had one rushing touchdown. This was Kelly’s second 100-yard game this season. The offensive line needs to continue to play like this if UCLA wants to turn this season around.

 The defense improved in the 2nd half

The defense struggled in the first half, giving up 24 points and 335 total yards. In the second half, it was a different story. The Bruins defense was flying around, led by Adarius Pickett and Krys Barnes.

Pickett led the Bruins with 16 tackles, which is insane, especially for a defensive back. Barnes added nine tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack.

I think the defense played better because the offense controlled the ball more in the second half. In the third quarter, UCLA went on a 17 play, 90-yard drive, which led to a touchdown and took six minutes of game time.

Doing that allowed the defense time to rest and be fresh when it was time to get back on the field. Having the defense fresh is key to playing fast on defense.

The UCLA Football Bruins fell to 0-5 on the season, which is not good but you got to start somewhere. Hopefully, this game can get them going to get there first win of the season soon.  This game could be a building block in the right direction.