UCLA’s Ishmael Adams gets shut out against Oregon

Two weeks after returning a kick return for a touchdown and an interception for another score, Ishmael Adams was essentially shut out against Oregon. He was so good against Arizona State that one CBS writer gave him a fifth-place Heisman vote. He was so nondescript against Oregon that a man in the press box questioned whether or not Adams was injured.

Against Oregon, Adams returned three kicks for 45 yards — well below his 25.1 yards per return average — and didn’t record any defense stats.

“They’re doing a good job of placing the ball away from me, and keeping me guessing on where they want to kick the ball,” Adams said. “It is what it is.”

Adams also said that he thinks teams are studying more film on him than in the past, which makes those big returns all the more difficult. The theme of his responses to questions about teams shutting him down was, “It is what it is.”

The biggest play of Adams’ day against Oregon might have been a penalty. Down eight points and needing a stop in the second quarter, Adams got called for holding on third down after Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota threw an incompletion.

Later in the drive, defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes would be called for a personal foul after he appeared to throw a punch, and the Ducks would use those two penalties to drive down the field and take a 15-3 lead. The holding penalty proved costly.

“It got to me, it did,” Adams said, after declining to say whether or not he thought the penalty call was correct or not. “It bothered me a lot. It was a third-down play, and [the referee] told me that the ball went over my head after initially I had went and grabbed the ball after it got done hitting the ground. So it bothered me a lot, but it is what it is. Like I said, I just have to keep going out there and playing.”

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook