Monday’s sound bites from UCLA practice

There’s not much to say here, other than to preview what is going to be another week of questions surrounding a loss. This team was supposed to be a national championship contender. Now, there are legitimate concerns the Bruins might not be able to slow down Jared Goff and the Cal offense. It’s been a strange couple of months in Westwood.

We’ve got posts on Ishmael Adams being shut out against Oregon, the Bruins not being able to score in the first quarter, and UCLA having its backs against the wall. Plus, a story on Jordan Payton outlining what the Bruins need to do to improve.

And, some quotes for your Tuesday:

Junior wide receiver Jordan Payton

On losing to Oregon: “This one hurts a lot, because you put a lot of time and effort into understanding how big that game was. For us to go out there and kind of just play like we did is sad, it’s hard, but it’s what comes from this game and we understand that.”

Redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley

On redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins: “You can see Paul Perkins is going to be a special back here for us at UCLA.… To see him grow up into who he is now, it’s special, but it’s crazy to see we’re still playing football together.”

Redshirt sophomore Ishmael Adams

On the identity of the defense being in flux: “Possibly, but at the end of the day, we want to get back to what we hang our hats on — running after the ball and hitting. We just have to get back to that. But if we’re doing that, regardless of what scheme is out there, we should be able to stop anybody.”

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