UCLA football: 3 takeaways from shocking loss to Arizona

Did anyone else feel like that final pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Jake Bobo hung in the air for an hour? UCLA football’s Pac-12 title hopes were seemingly riding on one last throw to the end zone against Arizona, but the pass fell just short and out of Bobo’s grasp.

With the loss, UCLA falls to 8-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play which takes them out of that bid to stick with the other one-loss teams in the Pac-12 standings.

This loss hurt.

The Bruins can still win out and make a push for the title game, but beating USC next weekend won’t be a walk in the park.

What’d we learn from this heartbreaking loss?

3. Defense just couldn’t get the key stops

There were a number of instances in which UCLA just needed to get a stop and the game could have been flipped back into the Bruins’ favor. But Jayden de Laura and the Wildcats were able to do whatever they wanted in those key plays to pick up chunk yards and respond to every UCLA score.

Arizona jumped ahead 14-0 quickly and then UCLA struck back for 14 straight points, but Arizona scored the go-ahead touchdown before the half and snagged all the momentum back.

If UCLA’s defense doesn’t give up that score, this whole second half has a different feel.

Plus, that 4th-and-4 go-ahead touchdown that the Bruins surrendered in the fourth really deflated the entire team.

The defense was a major letdown with de Laura doing basically whatever he wanted all night.