Arizona vs. UCLA: Game Grades, Analysis for the Wildcats and Bruins

The UCLA Bruins got off to a slow start offensively with only three points at halftime, but the two touchdowns in the second half proved to be the difference.

Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley had arguably his best outing of the season, throwing for 189 yards and adding 131 on the ground.

UCLA's defense really set the tone, forcing Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon into throwing 30 incompletions on the night. The pressure from the Bruins' front four made it tough for Solomon to ever get anything going.

You can find the box score for the game here, courtesy of NCAA.com.

Game Grades for the UCLA Bruins

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	B-	B
Rushing Offense	B	B+
Pass Defense	B	B+
Run Defense	B	B
Special Teams	B	B+
Coaching	B	A

Passing Offense

Hundley didn’t take a ton of shots down the field, but he was very efficient overall. He finished 19-of-26 passing, including a 70-yard strike in the second half.

Rushing Offense

The zone read was very effective for the Bruins Saturday night, and Hundley had his best rushing game of the season. The UCLA quarterback finished with 131 yards on the ground, leading all rushers.

The ability to run the ball allowed UCLA to control the clock and also sustain drives, which in effect kept Arizona’s offense on the sidelines.

Pass Defense

The Bruins made things tough on Solomon by getting pressure on him. The Arizona quarterback didn’t throw for many yards because of the amount of pressure.

He finished the game 18-of-48 passing, so it was a good night for UCLA’s secondary.

Run Defense

The Wildcats spent the fourth quarter in catch-up mode, so the run totals aren’t going to be as high. The credit has to go to UCLA’s defense, though, which held Arizona to just 80 yards on the ground.

Special Teams

UCLA missed a field goal, but the punting is what gives the special teams a high grade. Matt Mengel booted six punts inside the 20-yard line Saturday night.

Coaching

The coaching was excellent from head coach Jim Mora and his staff. The crowd didn’t like the decisions to punt the ball at times, but Mora knew what his defense was capable of, and he didn’t put his offense in bad situations.

Game Grades for the Arizona Wildcats

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	D	D-
Rushing Offense	C	D
Pass Defense	C	C
Run Defense	C	D-
Special Teams	C	D
Coaching	C	C-

Passing Offense

Solomon will likely want to forget the night he had Saturday against UCLA. The freshman was 18-of-48 passing and also threw an interception. He ended up with 175 yards, but some of those were in the fourth quarter when the game was pretty much decided.

Rushing Offense

The Wildcats couldn’t get much going on the ground either. As a team, they only averaged 2.6 yards per carry, rushing for 80 total yards. Arizona running back Terris Jones-Grigsby led the rushing attack with 50 yards on 11 carries. The ability to run the football could have helped Arizona pick up first downs, but it couldn’t get it going.

Pass Defense

Hundley was able to complete 73 percent of his passes, and he connected on a 70-yard pass in the second half. I gave Arizona an average grade here because Hundley only threw for 189 yards.

Run Defense

The Wildcats allowed 271 yards rushing on 59 carries Saturday night, which came out to an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Hundley led all rushers with 131 yards, but UCLA running back Paul Perkins was also able to hurt them with 78 yards and a touchdown.

Special Teams

Not much went right for the Wildcats Saturday night, including special teams. The final field-goal attempt was blocked, which would have made it a one-possession game. Casey Skowron also missed another kick in this one.

Coaching

It’s hard to blame it all on the coaches, but ultimately Arizona’s staff didn’t have any adjustments for what UCLA brought defensively. The Wildcats were unable to consistently move the ball, and the defense gave up some big plays also.