UCLA’s defense is scorched again in loss to Utah 48-17
Josh Rosen didn’t make the trip here, sidelined by a concussion.
It was the other no-show that doomed UCLA.
The Bruins’ defense somehow sank to a new low Friday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium, giving backup quarterback Devon Modster no chance during a 48-17 loss to Utah in which the redshirt freshman also went down after hitting his thumb on a helmet.
“I’ve never been a part of anything like this before,” UCLA coach Jim Mora said after his team lost player after player to injury while suffering its third defeat in its last four games, “but you have to find ways to endure.”
The Utes entered the game with seemingly even more problems than UCLA but felt considerably better about themselves after gouging the Bruins’ worst-in-the-nation run defense and their secondary with equal ease. UCLA gave up 401 yards of offense … with 22:13 left in the game.
The Bruins’ shorthanded defense failed to cover receivers or running backs or exert much pressure on Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley while yielding 506 yards of total offense, including 272 rushing yards. The Utes outscored UCLA 31-7 in the second half and gained an average of 7.0 yards per play for the game.
“I honestly can’t tell you what happened,” said Bruins defensive lineman Chigozie Nnoruka, who had one of his team’s two sacks.
Injury was added to insult early in the fourth quarter when UCLA receiver Darren Andrews hurt a ligament in his right knee after planting his leg awkwardly and crumpling to the turf. He had to be lifted to the sideline without putting any weight on either leg, suffering what is probably a season-ending injury.
Andrews’ departure left the Bruins without their top three pass catchers, because tight end Caleb Wilson is out for the season with a foot injury and receiver Jordan Lasley has been suspended indefinitely over a disciplinary issue.
Things only deteriorated further for UCLA when cornerback Darnay Holmes was called for targeting, resulting in his ejection. Holmes must also sit out the first half of the Bruins’ game against Arizona State next week after his second targeting ejection of the season.
UCLA (4-5 overall, 2-4 Pac-12 Conference) will need to win two of its last three games — against Arizona State, USC and California — to become eligible for a bowl. Two of the games are at the Rose Bowl, where the Bruins are 4-0 this season.
It’s not known whether Rosen can come to the rescue. The Pac-12’s leading passer stayed behind in Los Angeles because of a concussion he sustained last week against Washington.
Modster played reasonably well in his first college start, though he cooled off considerably after completing all seven of his passes for 101 yards in the first half. He finished the game completing eight of 12 passes for 103 yards and one touchdown before hurting his thumb and giving way to third-string quarterback Matt Lynch in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The severity of Modster’s injury was not immediately known.
UCLA’s ninth consecutive road loss could in no way be pinned on Rosen’s backups or a run game that generated only 134 yards considering the way UCLA’s depleted defense played.
“We’re trying to plug holes right now,” Mora said. “You see who’s out there; we’ve got a lot of kids out there trying to play. We played well in the first half, and then the bottom fell out.”
The free fall started on the first play of the third quarter when Holmes collided with teammate Jaleel Wadood, allowing Utah’s Troy McCormick Jr. to run uncovered out of the backfield and catch a pass for a 75-yard touchdown on a wheel route.
“Obviously, something like that is very upsetting,” Nnoruka said of the first of the Utes’ three touchdowns in the third quarter that turned the game into a rout.
It might not have been the Bruins’ most embarrassing moment.
Defensive end Jaelan Phillips flexed a biceps on Utah’s next drive after a play in which the Utes ran for a first down.
“What are you going to do?” UCLA defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said of the struggles. “You’ve just got to stick together. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of holes we’ve got to plug.
“Some of these guys, they’re not coming back at all. It’s not a one- or two-week deal, we’re constantly with new guys having to learn new things all the time.”
Tailback Zack Moss ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Utes (5-4, 2-4), who broke their four-game losing streak. Huntley ran for 93 yards and completed 15 of 22 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns.
“It got tough,” Mora said with a sigh when asked about his defense’s mentality on the sideline late in the game. “It got real tough. We were trying to piece it together as we went, coach them up on the sideline, and it’s hard.
“I’ve never been through something like this before in my 30-something years of coaching. It’s no fun.”
Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch
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