UCLA falls to Houston, 38-34, and questions persist

Reporting from Houston -- Anyone wondering how Houston quarterback Case Keenum would bounce back from a devastating knee injury in 2010 merely had to watch his leaps and bounds while giving fans postgame high-fives.

Anyone wondering how UCLA’s defense would bounce back after a devastating 2010 season … well, they are probably still wondering.

Keenum pirouetted off the field after Houston’s 38-34 victory Saturday. The Bruins trudged to the locker room of Robertson Stadium.

Body language doesn’t lie.

“Tomorrow is going to determine the rest of our season,” UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin said. “How we come back and do our workouts will show who we are.”

Keenum showed who he was Saturday. Repeatedly.

He was billed as a Heisman Trophy candidate a year ago but was carted off the field at the Rose Bowl during a loss to UCLA. Granted an extra season, Keenum started it by completing 30 of 40 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns.

By the time the first half was over, Keenum had answered questions about his knee and UCLA’s defense was facing the same questions it did in 2010, when the Bruins finished 94th nationally in total defense.

The Cougars had the ball twice at the end of the half; in a total of 1 minute 18 seconds, they scored two touchdowns for a 31-14 lead.

“This is going to be the best soreness waking up tomorrow that I’ll ever have,” Keenum said.

The Bruins’ aches and pains won’t be as enjoyable.

“It’s a bitter pill, but you can’t look at it as the season is lost,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

With San Jose State up next, things are certain to get better. But the Bruins start the season in a hole after losing six of their last seven games in 2010.

Personal responsibility littered UCLA’s locker room during the post-game post mortem.

“I take responsibility for the way the defense played in the first half,” safety Tony Dye said. “We had no fire.”

The Cougars converted on eight of 13 third downs.

“I feel like I let my teammates down with all the missed tackles I had,” linebacker Sean Westgate said.

Keenum carved up UCLA’s defense by throwing under the coverage. Houston finished with 469 total yards.

“I’ve got to do better,” defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. Asked what he had to do better, Tresey said, “Did you see the game?”

Keenum, Neuheisel said, “is a wizard at finding his guys. You’re playing against a six-year veteran.” But the Bruins walked away thinking this was a self-inflicted wound.

“It was a joint effort of mistakes,” Westgate said.

This went beyond the defense.

Quarterback Richard Brehaut, taking over after starter Kevin Prince sustained a concussion in the second quarter, had trouble with the signals from the sideline while trying to rally the Bruins. Kip Smith was shaky on point-after kicks and missed a 32-yard field goal try late in the fourth quarter. The offensive line had four false-start penalties.

But the offense also rolled up 554 total yards. Brehaut threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, and had another 87 rushing.

There were no silver linings for the defense, which was worn down by the Cougars’ high-tempo offense.

“It was hard to communicate,” Westgate said. “We were trying to get lined up, but we were so tired it was hard to yell formations.”

Other things were out of the Bruins’ hands — like Houston ballcarriers. Running back Michael Hayes slipped out of Westgate’s arms and bounced off safety Dalton Hilliard on the way to a 34-yard touchdown run for a 24-14 lead.

Still, Dye said, “It’s not a here-we-go-again feeling. We’re going to change this.”

chris.foster@latimes.com

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