UCLA Bruins season ends against Cal with a 28-18 loss

The UCLA Bruins could not end the 2019 season on a high-note as they ended it with something that has become all-too-familiar: a loss.

The UCLA Bruins‘ 2019 football season ended with a whimper against their in-state rival, the California Golden Bears. In front of an empty Rose Bowl on a dreary cold and wet night, the final nail was put into their second straight losing season of the Chip Kelly era.

The ending came without their quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the game, knocked out by the Bears defense. It was a defensive stop with the Bears up 28-18, fourth and one on the Bears two yard-line where the Bruins season ended.

Stopped on fourth down to end the game was the last image of the season for Bruins fans. The loss meant the Bruins would finish 4-7, ending the season on a three-game losing streak losing to Utah, USC, and Cal. The Bruins finished losing the Pac-12 South, the city of Los Angeles, and effectively the state of California. A truly terrible end to a terrible season.

Sack Party

Thompson-Robinson spent more time picking himself off the Rose Bowl turf than he did putting up points for his Bruins.

The Cal Bears sacked Thompson-Robinson six times on the night and though the final stats will say he was hurried one time to this first-hand witness Thompson-Robinson was harassed all night by the Bears.

The game started off well when Thompson-Robinson led the Bruins on a seven-play 54-yard drive to score first. But after the Bruins went up 7-0 they were outscored 28-11 the rest of the game.

Thompson-Robinson couldn’t even finish the game, he fumbled on his last drive and was hurt in the pileup to recover the ball. The last image of Thomson-Robinson’s season will be of him limping off the field helmet in hand.

Ground game: Grounded!

Where the Bruins really faltered was with their ground game. Joshua Kelley in his last game as a Bruin had 76 rushing yards the third game in a row he failed to reach 100 yards not surprising the Bruins were 0-3 over that stretch.

No one else was able to get going against the Bears and thanks to their pressure and the six sacks on Thompson-Robinson the Bruins only averaged 1.7 yards per carry.

Moving On

With the Bruins season over there will be nothing but questions going into next year. Will the Bruins defense be fixed? Can Dorian Thompon-Robinson ever lead the Bruins to a winning season? Is Chip Kelly on the hot seat with another slow start?

All those questions will have to be answered on another day, but for now, the UCLA Bruins football program is like a rocket on a launchpad still waiting for liftoff.