UCLA’s loss to UNLV showcases its plethora of problems once again

Las Vegas – It was not close, no matter what the dashboard said. It was a full -fledged debacle.

Given the possibility of quickly straightening things after an opening defeat of the season, the UCLA has rather doubled disappointment.

There was another terrible start. A defense that was slow and often out of position. An offense could not support readers until it is too late.

Even with an inspired return which failed after a col of Nico Iamaleava was tilted and intercepted with 52 seconds to do, the defeat of the Bruins 30-23 against the Nevada Las Vegas on Saturday evening at the Allegiant Stadium presented many of the same problems which had afflicted them a week ago.

After examining the images of the 33 -point setback of his team against UTAH, the UCLA coach, Deshaun Foster, identified all the things that went almost well and said that his team was “close” to the execution of the games that had to be won.

Where are the Bruins now?

In a scary place. They have 0-2 for the first time since they lost their first three games in 2019 on the way at the end of 4-8.

A year after losing two games in the first three months of the season on the way to help Tennessee reach the play football playoffs, Iamaleava has already absorbed so many defeats after two games as a bruin.

“I hate to lose, guy,” said Iamaleava with aqueous eyes after finishing 29 of the 41 passes for 255 yards with a touch and an interception with a touch of 30 yards. “So you know, it’s a difficult position to participate. But you know, that tells us how difficult we need to work.”

This effort begins at the top. A defeat against an opponent of the Mountain West conference will undoubtedly increase the pressure on Foster and will raise more questions at the start of his second season. Can his defense stop someone? Why is his attack not more productive, especially at the start of the games?

The UCLA quarter, Nico Iamaleava passes against UNLV in the first half of the Bruins defeat 30-23 on Saturday at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

(Ian Maule / Getty Images)

A week after having been late, 20-0, the Bruins fell into a deeper hole when they faced a deficit of 23-0 at the end of the second trimester. Foster said he had tried several things in practice to stimulate his players at the start of the games, in vain.

The 10 consecutive points of the UCLA in the fourth quarter did nothing to save things.

“I’m just frustrated,” said Foster, “because when you know that you can execute better than us and assemble two halves as I would have liked us and this result would have been different.”

Thanks to some questionable rebels of play involving deep passes when they tried to miss the stopwatch, the UCLA had the chance to force overtime or to go for the victory when it recovered the ball at its own 19 yards while dragging by seven points with a little more than two minutes.

Iamaleava quickly moved the ball in the territory of the rebels. But fate intervened when the quarterrière tried to connect with Mikey Matthews in the middle and his pass was tilted by the Nevada Las Vegas Marsely McDuffie and intercepted by Aamaris Brown on the 13 yards of the UNLV, ending the hopes of the Bruins.

“Made a bad decision to launch it in the middle,” said Iamaleava. “Guy turned the ball switch, and, yeah guy, I have to be better.”

End, Hudson Habermehl tapped iamaleava on the helmet while the quarterrier came out of the field, although there was really no consolation after UNLV (3-0) beat a Big Ten team for the first time from the head of the Wisconsin in 2003. The Rebels Quarter Anthony Colrea were the biggest, launching for 203 yards.

UCLA found herself faced with a new concern against the UNLV.

One week after having recorded only three penalties, the UCLA hired 14 for 129 yards, several of which have erased large games. Iamaleava seemed temporarily to have been connected with Kwazi Gilmer for a touch in the third quarter before he was destroyed by interference of offensive passes on Titus Mokiaoo-Atimalala, finally forcing the Bruins to launch a basket.

“The guys were able to own it,” said Foster about the lack of discipline. “You have to see what you did there and have you put your best foot forward and think” we “on” me “.”

Coincidence or not, the UCLA offensive began to move the ball after making a change along the offensive line in the second half. Garrett Digiorgio took the place of Courtland Ford in the left tackle and Reuben Unije took the place of Digiorgio in the right tackle. Foster said Ford was dealing with an unpertified leg injury.

“There were lightnings in there,” said Foster after his team has ahead of the rebels 20-7 in the second half, “to see when this offense strikes on all cylinders, we can move the ball and it will be effective.”

The UNLV seemed to have tidy up the match with a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter which gave the rebels an advance of 30-13, but the Touché Nifty d’Iamaleava and another basket gave the Bruins one more chance after their defense made a stop to make them the ball.

They did not convert. Not even near.