On Friday Night, the UCLA Bruins had a golden opportunity to pick up their first win of the season as they faced off against the New Mexico Lobos. The Bruins entered the game as two touchdown favorites and as soon as the game kicked off it was clear that they weren't the better team for the third straight week.
New Mexico started this game running the football at will, while it looked like UCLA needed everything to go right just to move the chains. The Lobos jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and the Bruins were lucky that they're more talented in the trenches as New Mexico turned the ball over on downs twice inside the 10 yard line.
After UCLA cut the Lobos' lead to 4 in the 3rd quarter, it looked like they may have a chance to win this game. Instead, the Lobos went on a long drive ending with a third touchdown which officially put UCLA on the brink.
The Bruins had to go for it on a fourth down with nearly ten minutes left to go, and when they couldn't convert, it led to Damon Bankston taking a screen pass 43 yards for a touchdown, sealing the game. The Lobos picked up a 35-10 victory in a game where they ran the ball like they were facing a High School rushing for 298 yards and 6.5 yards per carry.
Nico Iamaleava took care of the football, but it was an unimpressive 22-34 night with 217 yards and a touchdown with an interception, while he added 33 yards with his legs. Every game that UCLA plays in front of an empty stadium makes his decision to leave Tennessee for UCLA look so much worse as he's done severe damage to his NFL Draft stock.
In a game that UCLA should've been able to win with ease, they ended up looking like a far inferior team. The Bruins gifted New Mexico their first Power 4 win since 2008 when they beat Arizona, ending a 22 game losing streak.
One of the biggest concerns has to be how undisciplined this UCLA team is, as they gave away 116 yards in penalties. This was the easier stretch of UCLA's schedule, and now, when you look at their schedule in Big Ten play, it's hard to find many spots where they could even pull off an upset. The Bruins are now in serious danger of ending the season winless which would be an absolute disaster.
Add in the fact that UCLA paid New Mexico $1.2 Million to play this game, and it only makes this situation worse.
More UCLA Bruins News: