Bruins fall from a slippery slope

SALT LAKE CITY -- It is difficult to determine which was the greater reach:

UCLA receiver Marcus Everett stretching the ball for the goal line, just before he became a highlight-reel blooper. Or the Bruins deeply held belief that they were actually a Bowl Championship Series-caliber football team.

Everett’s red-faced moment in the third quarter was a harbinger for the reality that came in a 44-6 loss to Utah on Saturday in front of 43,056 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The 11th-ranked Bruins (2-1) might wonder now how far they will slip in the next polls, but this much seems clear: Among the things that dissipated into the thin mountain air included the thought that the Bruins are a team that belongs among the best in college football.

The Utes (1-2) left UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell going through postgame questions in taut-jaw anger, saying, “Do we have enough time to discuss all the issues we have?”

While postgame prancing by Utes’ fans went on outside, teary-eyed UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis sat in front of his locker, offering nothing that could be considered hyperbole.

“Right now, this is the most sickening feeling I have ever had as a college football player,” he said. “Their fans are running around out there dancing on the field. We can hear [the Utah players] next door, but they earned it.”

The Utes did, as there was no part of the game they didn’t dominate.

They employed tag-team strategy at quarterback, using Tommy Grady (passer) and Corbin Louks (runner), who put up 30 second-half points in making it a Mountain West Conference landslide.

The Utah defense sent the Bruins’ West Coast offense south, intercepting three Ben Olson passes, sacking him five times and forcing five turnovers -- converting three into 17 points.

But the linchpin to the Bruins’ second-half collapse could be traced to Everett’s oh-so-close, oh-so-disastrous moment.

With the Bruins trailing, 17-6, Olson found Everett deep. As the receiver churned toward the goal line with free safety Robert Johnson in pursuit, Everett leaped forward and extended his arms, only to have the ball come free and roll out of the end zone for a touchback that gave Utah possession.

At that moment, the Bruins could follow the bouncing ball to their worst nonconference loss since Nebraska walloped them, 42-3, in 1984.

“I was just stretching and the ball came out,” Everett said. “I knew people were right behind me. I was trying to get in the end zone before they could get to me.”

Instead of the Bruins pulling to within four points, the Utes went on an 80-yard drive that ended with Louks, a freshman, finding tight end Dallin Rogers, another freshman, wide open in the flat for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

It was Louks’ first touchdown pass, Rogers’ first touchdown catch, and the Bruins’ first inkling of the ton of Ute-red bricks that were about to land on them.

“I saw some heads go down,” Davis said about the Everett fumble. “I was doing my best to keep everybody in the game and keep everybody going and try to calm everybody down. This is a little overwhelming today.”

Asked about the play, Dorrell paused, then offered up, “I want to secure the ball.”

Everett, though, was just the photo-op that gave a clear picture on the Bruins’ overall performance.

“It’s an embarrassing loss,” was Dorrell’s blanket assessment.

The Utes lost five offensive starters the first two weeks -- losses to Oregon State and Air Force -- including quarterback Brian Johnson. Grady made that less of a concern on the seventh play against UCLA, throwing a 53-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Wilson, who had left Alterraun Verner alone with his thoughts 20 yards upfield.

“The most disappointing is, we got to answer the bell all the time, we didn’t do that,” defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said.

The Grady-Louks combo was a new twist this week, and was talented enough to bury the Bruins. Grady threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, and Louks engineered a misdirection running game that produced a 107-yard, one-touchdown rushing effort by Darrell Mack, who also caught a 12-yard touchdown pass that allowed the Utes to take a 14-6 lead into halftime.

“Darrell ran what we call violently today,” Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham said.

But the Utes’ effort was aided and abetted by the Bruins, who missed assignments and gave up 27 points in 12 minutes during the second half.

“This week we practiced a whole new offense. They didn’t know what to expect,” Mack said.

Things weren’t any better for UCLA on offense. Twice in the second quarter, the Bruins had false-start penalties on third down while in Utah territory.

The Bruins also couldn’t protect Olson, and he was erratic when he did get time to throw.

“I take responsible of making the play decisions and not taking care of the ball,” Olson said. “We came out and looked awful the whole day. I looked awful.”

Johnson intercepted two passes. Both set up touchdowns.

“They were a team that had nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Davis said. “We had everything to lose and we slipped.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Chris Foster’s keys to the game and how UCLA measured up:

1. Pressure or protect. Utah was able to keep the Bruins off quarterback Tommy Grady, allowing him time to complete key passes, including a 53-yard touchdown to Marquis Wilson on the seventh play of the game.

2. Win the battle beyond the line of scrimmage. The Utes were able to manage the Bruins’ best playmakers. Brandon Breazell had six catches for 121 yards and Marcus Everett had a 51-yard gain -- one that ended with a fumble -- but Utah was in control in the secondary.

3. The first quarter. Utah scored on its first possession, giving the Utes the “we-can-do-this” momentum. The Bruins, meanwhile, mustered only two first-half field goals and trailed, 14-6, at halftime. That set the table for the Utes’ 30-point second-half blitz.