UCLA Bruins Still Pac-12 Contender Despite Loss to Oregon

PASADENA, Calif. — No. 18 UCLA saw its margin for error in the Pac-12 Championship race go from narrow to almost nonexistent following Saturday’s 42-30 loss to No. 12 Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins are not eliminated from contention despite falling below .500 in conference play, which is the result of consecutive home losses. Then again, they’ve got company among Pac-12 teams with home defeats.

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As of this moment, @pac12 teams are 12-4 in conference road games. Yes, the ROAD teams have 12 wins, to just 4 for the HOME teams.

— JB Long (@JB_Long) October 11, 2014"

UCLA is also in a very familiar position. Last year, it surrendered 42 points to Oregon for a second consecutive loss in October yet hosted Arizona State in late November with the South Division berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game on the line.

“The one positive thing is we can learn from this,” quarterback Brett Hundley said. “We can still get to the Pac-12 Championship. We can still win the Pac-12.”

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At its best on Saturday, UCLA showed flashes of championship potential. Running back Paul Perkins surpassed 100 rushing yards for the third time this season, going for 190 to pace a 328-yard day for the Bruins on the ground.

UCLA was also 11-of-19 on third-down conversions.

The Bruins closed the contest on a 20-0 run that gave the team some much-needed positivity on which to build for one last push at the Pac-12 title game.

In order to reach it, however, the Bruins must get out of their own way—something they failed to do in Saturday’s loss.

UCLA dug an 18-point hole in the first half, unable to capitalize on an effective rushing attack and opportunities in Ducks territory.

“We were able to move the ball between the 20-[yard lines], and I believe going into this game we were one of the top two or three teams in the country in red-zone offense,” head coach Jim Mora said.

UCLA’s red-zone efficiency was 100 percent coming into Saturday’s contest, with touchdowns on 80 percent of its attempts. The Bruins remained perfect Saturday, but their inability to get into the end zone on early opportunities dug a hole from which they never got out.

“We didn’t get it through the uprights, which you need to compete with a team like [Oregon],” Mora added.

The kicking game, a problem area in the Bruins’ loss last week to Utah, again made an impact. Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a second-quarter field-goal attempt with the Bruins trailing 15-3.

Fairbairn made one short field goal in the first half on a drive that should have ended in a touchdown. However, Oregon linebacker Tony Washington deflected Hundley’s third-down pass to a wide-open Devin Fuller.

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Washington can take credit for 11 points in that first half. In addition to turning UCLA’s would-be six points into three, his sack and forced fumble on Hundley deep in Bruins territory set up the Ducks’ first score.

Oregon took control midway through the second quarter on a drive a third-down pass interference flag on Ishmael Adams extended, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes put the Ducks near the red zone.

The Bruins were flagged seven times for 81 yards on the day, a figure reminiscent of the staggering numbers UCLA racked up in the previous two seasons.

“We did have a couple of costly penalties, and we’d really improved on penalties this year,” Mora said.

Vanderdoes’ penalty was an example of the emotions of the day getting the best of the Bruins—something Mora said he took responsibility for moving forward.

Coming out emotionally charged can be a positive for the Bruins as they look to get their season back on track. Linebacker Myles Jack played with some extra fire Saturday that, applied the rest of the way, can help bolster the Bruins defense.

“Me, personally, I felt I needed to bring something to the table: some type of spark, some type of energy,” Jack said.

But UCLA cannot afford to let its emotion get the best of it, either. At one point amid Oregon’s first-half run, Mora and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich were in a heated discussion on the sideline, which Fox cameras caught (h/t Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com):

“We’re both very passionate and competitive. If you don’t have that fire...something’s wrong,” Mora said.

Still, Ulbrich said he believed his outburst set a bad example for his defensive unit.

The players and coaches weren’t the only Bruins riding the emotional roller coaster. A Rose Bowl crowd of more than 80,000 deflated midway through the third quarter when Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota scored the second of his two touchdown rushes after fumbling.

Mariota’s drop bounced right back to him, more like a basketball dribble than a fumble, giving his Heisman Trophy highlight reel something unique.

An Oregon interception on the ensuing UCLA possession started an exodus for the parking lot, with the Rose Bowl audience not to return until Nov. 1.

UCLA is on the road the next two weeks. However, wins at Cal and Colorado could have the Bruins back in contention for the Pac-12 in time for a pivotal Pac-12 South matchup with Arizona to open the regular season's final month.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t give [the fans] a win, and that’s really disappointing,” Mora said. “There’s nobody more disappointed than those guys in [the UCLA locker room]. But I want everybody [who is] buying that we appreciate it...and we’re going to go out and keep fighting.”

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of the UCLA athletic department.