UCLA football: A fan’s look back at Arizona

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So did you see all the good things that happened Saturday?

Kansas State roared to the top of the Big 12 Conference North standings with a gritty win over Colorado, Tennessee nearly knocked off No. 1 Alabama on the road had it not been for a few foibles on special teams, and San Diego State won its first Mountain West Conference game at Colorado State with a glittering offensive performance.

These are all teams UCLA defeated this season and they’re all teams that actually seem to be making progress since those losses to the Bruins.

It’s hard to say the same about the Bruins, who suffered their fourth consecutive loss Saturday and are increasingly in danger of labeling this another lost season.

Here are ‘observations, opinions and reflections from the fan’s chair’ after UCLA’s 27-13 loss to Arizona.

-- It’s getting more and more difficult to start each of these reports with something positive, but we’ll try. Wow, did you see Jeff Locke’s 81-yard punt? (Yes, it has become this sad.)

-- Actually, Rahim Moore showed himself again with two more interceptions, increasing his nation-leading total to seven for the season. Moore had five through the first two games but had not really been heard from since.

-- Point: The Bruins forced five turnovers, yet scored only 13 points. Conclusion: This illustrates how inept the offense really is, if there was even a question; a paltry 10 first downs and a pathetic two for 15 on third-down plays.

-- Geez, even kicker Kai Forbath (the Bruins’ MVP to this point) missed a field-goal attempt to end a string of 16 in a row. Sure, it was a 52-yard attempt, but earlier in the game Forbath nailed a 53-yarder that would have been good from 65 (yes, 65). His previous miss before Saturday was a 51-yarder at Tennessee.

-- Once again, the only touchdown the Bruins scored Saturday was delivered by the defense when cornerback Tony Dye alertly picked up the ball on what was ruled a lateral (and fumble) when most of the other players had quit on the play, thinking it was an incomplete pass.

-- One more thought on Dye’s fumble return: How did Akeem Ayers not catch the lateral from Arizona quarterback Nick Foles? It was right in his hands and no one was pressuring him. Had Ayers come up with it cleanly, he would have been the one with clear sailing to the end zone.

-- Last thought on the Dye play: On the official stat sheet, UCLA’s Gavin Ketchum was credited with the ‘forced fumble’ that led to the touchdown. Ketchum also is credited with three solo tackles. Before Saturday, I had no idea that Ketchum, who was a receiver his first four seasons (one was declared a medical redshirt season) with the Bruins, had moved to defense.

-- The defense also forced Foles into three interceptions. We already told you about the two Moore collected, but did you see the other one? Jerzy Siewierski made one of the most athletic plays I’ve seen for a defensive lineman when he was able to track down a deflected pass and keep the ball from hitting the ground to complete the play.

-- We want more of Korey and Kyle Bosworth. The brothers continue to show they are two of the most valuable players the team has, doing all the little things and going all out all the time. The Bruins need more of this in all facets. Too bad the Bosworths don’t have another year to try to add themselves to this list.

-- As well as the defense played in spots, the unit did not record a sack, though it did have seven tackles for losses.

-- To put it mildly, Courtney Viney got a little turned around on Arizona’s first scoring play, huh? Foles passed 41 yards to a wide-open Juron Criner, who shook past Viney with a nifty stop-and-go move -- an ankle-breaker as they say.

-- One more point on the defense: Why did it seem that every time Arizona ran an end-around play it went for a significant gain? That’s one area the Bruins never seemed to adjust to.

-- Is it safe to say that the Bruins’ quarterback situation is officially a mess?

-- I know Kevin Prince is only a redshirt freshman and I know Norm Chow says he has never had to work with a freshman quarterback, but man is this frustrating. (Incidentally, didn’t Chow ever work with a freshman in all those years as offensive coordinator at Brigham Young? I don’t claim to know. I’m just wondering.)

-- Speaking of Chow, was it coincidence that freshman Randall Carroll hardly saw the field Saturday after the recent Twitter revelation critical of the team’s offensive philosophy? I know Carroll doesn’t play a lot, but I don’t even remember his name being called.

-- With Kevin Craft and true freshman Richard Brehaut also playing quarterback Saturday, it’s showing how desperate things have become, and you have to wonder what direction the coaches will take this. Whatever the answer, time is running out for making this a positive experience for Prince or Brehaut (since Craft is a senior).

-- Christian Ramirez started at tailback in place of Johnathan Franklin (who had been nursing a sore ankle) and had a solid 31 yards in six carries. Franklin ended up with a team-high nine carries and 39 yards and there was no explanation that I heard for why Ramirez was the starter.

-- Weekly lament: Still waiting for that go-to receiver to emerge. Saturday’s leaders: Logan Paulsen, three catches, 23 yards. Nelson Rosario, a team-high 27 yards and two catches.

-- This is the first time UCLA is 0-4 in the Pac-10 since 1994, when the Bruins lost their first five conference games.

-- Final grade: D-plus. Things have been bad for the offense, but this performance was a disaster and it’s hard to imagine things getting any better. The players and coaches talk about all the talent on the team, but no one seems to be able to explain why there isn’t any production. This broken record is getting increasingly more difficult to listen to every week.

-- Jim Barrero