Saturday Blitz
Fansided

UCLA Football: 3 takeaways from tough loss to Oregon in Week 12

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 21, 2020; Eugene, Oregon, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Greg Dulcich (85) breaks away from Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III (23) for a touchdown during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2020; Eugene, Oregon, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Greg Dulcich (85) breaks away from Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III (23) for a touchdown during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

UCLA football put up quite the fight against Oregon on Saturday evening as the Bruins nearly pulled off the upset. What’d we learn?

With Dorian Thompson-Robinson ruled out before the game started, it seemed like Chip Kelly’s return to Eugene was going to be ugly.

Well, it wasn’t. The Bruins stepped up and nearly pulled off the road upset, falling by just three points in Autzen Stadium, 38-35.

Kelly has to be happy with the way his team played without its starting quarterback, especially on the defensive side of the ball against the run. Also, freshman quarterback Chase Griffin did just enough to make sure the Bruins were competing until the final whistle.

What’d we learn from UCLA’s loss to Oregon?

3. UCLA’s run defense was impressive

For the first time all season, UCLA’s run defense played well. Through the first two games, the Bruins allowed a total of 300-plus yards on the ground but against one of the best rushing teams in the Pac-12, they surrendered just 88 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries.

Just how impressive is that? Oregon had 297 yards over two games, averaging about 150 yards per contest to start the season.

CJ Verdell has been one of the best backs in the conference and Travis Dye is not a bad No. 2 option in the backfield but both were held in check on Saturday afternoon. In fact, they combined for 48 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. That’s how you win games.

UCLA’s run defense kept them in this game even when Dorian Thompson-Robinson wasn’t healthy enough to go.

Home/UCLA Bruins