Ducks run past Bruins in Big Ten win

PASADENA, Calif. – There were a few positive takeaways from UCLA’s 34-13 loss to the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl. 

“The game didn’t go the way that we wanted it to go,” said UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster. “But there were a couple bright spots. We were able to run the ball a little bit better in the second half. I think my defense played pretty well tonight, going against a high-powered offense like we did. We just didn’t really execute the way that we wanted to, offensively, to try to help our defense out.” 

“We kept putting them out there and if you keep putting them out on the field they’ll wear down a little bit. But other than that, just glad that my players kept fighting and we didn’t have guys out there quitting,” Foster continued. 

One positive to take away from the game, it could well have been a lost worse considering that the Ducks were leading 28-3 just before halftime and were about to jack that lead up another seven points before Bryan Addison decided to run back an interception 96 yards and a score. 

After surrendering 28 first-half points to the Ducks, the Bruins held Oregon to six points in the second half. UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger said Addison’s pick-six gave the defensive unit some momentum going into intermission. 

“It gives us a lot of momentum going into half, you’ve got to be able to keep it as a defense for the rest of that second half and be able to get stops. But, yeah, going into half, definitely a lot of momentum,” Schwesinger said. 

While UCLA’s defense improved its play in the second half, the same could not be said about the offense. UCLA scored three points after the halftime break. Starting quarterback Ethan Garbers and UCLA’s offensive unit could not match the efforts of their counterparts on the other side of the ball. 

Garbers threw two interceptions and was sacked four times and posted a pedestrian 12 of 22 passing completion mark for 118 yards in the game. 

“The guys up front have to protect him and keep him from getting hit, and keep him from falling on the ground,” Foster said. “It’s hard to play quarterback when you are not upright. He’s a tough kid. He’s trying to find ways to make plays. It’s just unfortunate with what’s happening but I am riding with Ethan no matter what.”

This season has been a learning curve for the young Bruins under Foster. This is Foster’s first year as a head coach. So far, it’s been rough sailing for the Bruins. After recording a win against Hawai’i in the first game of the season, UCLA has run up against some pretty good teams since. 

“We just need to go to Penn State and just continue to build on this,” Foster went on to say.  “That’s all that we’ve got to do. Like I said, we will learn from these losses. I know I see it. I know that you all see it, but some of you choose not to. But they’re improving, and we are just going to continue to improve and keep working hard. And eventually, it’s going to turn around.”

This would include defeats to Indiana, LSU, and now Oregon. Foster and the Bruins should not hold their heads down after playing through a really tough stretch with Penn State on board to be next. Oregon is ranked sixth in the country. LSU sits at No. 10, while Indiana currently holds the No. 23 spot in the AP Top 25. 

Other than Addison’s long touchdown run, the UCLA offense didn’t do much on the field to put points on the board. Oregon’s defense put the clamps on the Bruins all night. In this Big Ten Conference matchup, UCLA’s offense managed two field goals against the Ducks.   

“The turnover at the end of the half was not a good look, but outside of that our team played really well,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning remarked. “A big difference in third downs between our team and their team in total yardage and a lot of categories. Really proud of the guys’ performance, and excited about our growth. It’s going to be a quick turnaround this week so we will put this one to bed quick and move on fast.”