UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen doesn’t appear ready to return from an injury

Reporters were allowed to observe UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen for about 15 minutes during the warmup portion of the team’s abbreviated practice Saturday. There wasn’t much to see.

The right-handed Rosen gingerly lobbed a few short passes with his left hand before appearing to intentionally short-arm the ball on a handful of right-handed passes.

Barring a dramatic breakthrough, it looked like UCLA’s passing game remained firmly in the hands of backup quarterback Mike Fafaul with only a few days left before the Bruins’ game against No. 23 Colorado on Thursday evening at Folsom Field.

UCLA Coach Jim Mora did not provide an update on the status of Rosen, who is waiting for a nerve in his throwing shoulder to start firing again before he can play for the first time since he was hurt during the final minutes of a loss to Arizona State on Oct. 8.

“We’re just hopeful,” Bruins quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo said. “One day at a time and we’ll see what happens.”

Fafaul looked overmatched while filling in against the Sun Devils and in the first half against Washington State the following week before experiencing a burst of success. He threw for three touchdowns in the second half against the Cougars before a prolific day last week against Utah, when he set school records for passes attempted (70) and completed (40) while throwing for 464 yards and five touchdowns.

Fafaul also had four passes intercepted and lost a fumble, contributing to the Bruins’ third consecutive defeat.

“If we could hold onto the ball a little better, I think you’re going to see that show up in the win-loss column,” Tuiasosopo said of Fafaul’s production. “I think that’s what we’re focused on as a position group and he’ll be the first person to tell you that that’s the thing that bothers him most.

“He doesn’t care that he got the records. He doesn’t care about the passing yards. The first thing he cared about was ‘I can’t turn the ball over.’ And to me, that’s what the quarterback is all about; it’s having the focus in the right place.”

Fafaul’s performance against Utah was magnified because UCLA practically abandoned the run in that game, though it may not become a trend. Tuiasosopo said the Bruins were working on their running game “to be well-balanced and have an attack that cannot be so one-sided.”

Fafaul’s rise would be considered storybook stuff had the Bruins (3-5 overall, 1-4 in Pac-12 Conference play) not lost four of their last five games to put themselves in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2010. The fifth-year senior wasn’t even on scholarship until last season, when he was the third-stringer behind Rosen and Jerry Neuheisel.

“That takes toughness because it gets old really fast,” Tuiasosopo said of being a backup. “The first year it’s fun, the second year, it gets into to the doldrums. Third year, same. Fourth year, same. Now you’re a fifth-year senior and you love your teammates and you love your school. You’re out here because you love football, now you have an opportunity to step in and play.”

Gadget (re)plays

Utah gashed UCLA’s defense for 360 yards rushing last week in part because the Bruins were slow to recognize the counters being run by the Utes’ offensive linemen.

Starting next season, the NCAA will allow the use of technology already adopted in the NFL and in high schools that could accelerate in-game adjustments.

“The kids who come off on the sidelines, you’d have your iPad right there and you could review the series with them of what exactly happened and then to make adjustments and things like that,” UCLA defensive line coach Angus McClure said.

Of course, those adjustments would go both ways.

“Also the [other team’s] offense has it, so they’re going to see our alignments and they can do different blocking schemes and things also,” McClure said. “The chess match would continue, but you’d have your answers immediately.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch