UCLA Football: Bruins get stomped Week 1 against Utah, 43-10

The offseason buzz surrounding transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava and a retooled Bruins squad was vanished in the home opener. UCLA endured a nightmare against the Utah Utes, losing 43-10 in their Week 1 showdown.

The 0-1 start snaps a four-game winning streak in season openers for UCLA, moving the all-time record to 69-33-5 (1-1 under head coach DeShaun Foster).

UCLA vs. Utah: Week 1 Recap

Statistical Disadvantage for the UCLA Bruins

Utah stepped into the Rose Bowl and outclassed UCLA in every phase of the game in Week 1. Once the Utes gained momentum, there was no stopping them.

Under Pasadena’s bright lights, Utah dominated every key statistical category. Whatever UCLA attempted, Utah executed better. The Utes recorded 202 more rushing yards, 70 more passing yards, 16 more first downs, 12 more third down conversions, 30 more plays, four more sacks, three more tackles for loss, one less turnover and controlled nearly 15 more minutes of possession.

“A lot of stuff to learn from,” head coach DeShaun Foster said. “Not the outcome that we wanted in the first game, but we just have to learn from this. It’s not going to be easy, but one positive thing I can take away from this is the way they’re sounding in the locker room right now … They understand that we’ve got to stay together, and they can’t splinter.”

It’s rare to see any team at any level win when falling that deep behind in game-altering stats. The issues must be addressed and resolved before the Bruins can add any wins to their schedule.

UCLA Struggles to Contain Devon Dampier’s Magic

Utah, led by transfer quarterback Devon Dampier, dominated at will. Whether it was escaping the pocket to extend plays or tucking it and running, Dampier’s elite rushing ability was far too much for UCLA to contain. The Bruins’ pressure also never really affected Dampier, and their four-man rush was nonexistent. Even when a blitz was dialed, Dampier would magically escape.

In his Big 12 debut, Dampier threw for 205 yards and two passing touchdowns off of an 84 percent completion rate (21-25), and tallied 87 yards and one touchdown with his legs. It doesn’t get much better than that.

“I’m not going to take anything away from him, he’s a great quarterback,” UCLA linebacker Isaiah Chisom said. “Coming into the game, we knew he was something that we would have to focus on. Good players make plays.”

The goal was not sustained, and UCLA’s thin, unproven front seven paid the price. However, Chisom’s play is promising. The redshirt sophomore had a game-high 17 tackles, setting a new career best (previously 11). Chisom is still adapting to his new role and could quickly find himself as the leader if his play continues to impress.

As much credit as Dampier deserves, UCLA shot itself in the foot with poor tackling for four quarters. Having an agile quarterback is one issue, but failing to wrap up ball carriers is another. The Bruins looked rusty to say the least. It could very well be the first game jitters, but the urgency didn’t look to be there.

Way too many missed tackles — even in the backfield — allowed the Utes to make positive gains.

UCLA’s Offensive Woes and Rust

For as bad as the defense performed, the offense didn’t scale to anything major either. Iamaleava’s debut was not what was expected, and he looked average.

“We just didn’t execute well,” Iamaleava told reporters. “We need to finish drives. Coach Tino [Sunseri] put us in the right position to execute, but me personally, I have to be better. We all have to be better as a unit … We just take this as a learning experience. We’re going to face many more tough opponents on the schedule and we have to be ready.”

With how fast Utah got out and going, Iamaleava and Foster had a negative game script the whole night — not ideal for QB playing in a new system. The goal was to have a simple game plan set for Nico, but it led to him trying to make home run plays every drive.

However, accuracy was a concern. Overthrown balls were the story on offense. It seemed to occur on almost every drive, and some of which, like the one to a wide-open Mikey Matthews, costed a touchdown.

Iamaleava finished his first game as a Bruin with 11 completions for 136 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also tacked on a team-high 47 rushing yards. Again, not the pretties outing, but the best is in store. He did look good on both of the Bruins’ scoring drives, hitting his receivers in stride and making the plays that we expect.

What’s next in Week 2?

The Bruins will travel to Las Vegas, where they will look to bounce back from Week 1’s disaster.

“Everything we want is still ahead of us,” Iamaleava added. “It’s week one and our mindset is shifted to our opponent in week two. We have to go out there and dominant, execute at a high level like our coaches are putting us in a position to do.”

The 2-0 UNLV Rebels will host UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m. UNLV is another high-octane offense, setting up another early season test for the Bruins’ defense.