UCLA misses chance to turn season narrative around, loses to LSU

As they ran through a tunnel to the locker room at halftime, the UCLA players were serenaded in a nearby corner of Tiger Stadium by a group of fans chanting the school's four-letter name.

After largely lackluster performances in the first two games, the Bruins finally gave cause for celebration by countering every shot thrown by Louisiana State and thus surprisingly earning a tie.

Most of the progress was due to quarterback Ethan Garbers, who fended off heavy pressure, fired two touchdown passes and gave the Bruins offense some much-needed momentum.

But when faced with the chance to pull off a win that would have reversed the early history of the DeShaun Foster era, the Bruins' offense went quiet and their defense faltered in the second half of a 34-17 loss to the 16th-ranked Tigers in front of 100,315 mostly relieved fans.

“It's four quarters and we were on the court in two of them,” Foster said, “and when you play against a team as good as that, you have to be on the court in all four.”

With 9 minutes and 25 seconds left, any chance of a comeback was over. His team was down by two touchdowns and needed a kickoff. Garbers threw a pass that was intercepted by Tigers safety Jardin Gilbert at the Bruins' 45-yard line.

After showing such promise and pulling to a 17-17 halftime tie, UCLA (1-2) held a clean sheet for the remainder of the game. The Bruins' defense also struggled in the final two quarters as the Tigers (3-1) outscored them 17-0.

“We can't always beat ourselves, we have to allow a team to beat us,” Foster said, “but these are baby steps and I just like the way my team fights – they are resilient and constantly try to fight throughout the game.”

Two major problems continue to plague UCLA: the lack of pass rush and a running game that is virtually stagnant.

UCLA only ran for 14 yards, although that stat is a bit misleading since it included five sacks that set the team back 41 yards. The Bruins' running backs gained 56 yards on 13 carries and wide receiver Carter Shaw gained nine yards on a reverse.

“We're one block away, one step away,” said Foster, who was particularly encouraged by Jalen Berger's 19 yards on three carries. “The running game isn't quite where I need it to be, but it's improving, you know?”

The same cannot be said for UCLA's pass rush. The Bruins did not record a single sack, just two tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. That lack of pressure gave LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier all the time he needed to complete 32 of 44 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

UCLA coach DeShaun Foster talks with kicker Blake Glessner during the second half of Saturday's loss to LSU.

(Matthew Hinton/Associated Press)

LSU took the lead midway through the third quarter with some help from the Bruins. One play after UCLA cornerback Jaylin Davies was called for pass interference in the end zone, Tigers running back Josh Williams stormed forward with a two-yard touchdown run to give his team a 24-17 lead. LSU's Caden Durham later added a 35-yard catch-and-run, evading a tackle by UCLA's Carson Schwesinger, to give the Tigers a two-touchdown lead.

About an hour earlier, the momentum for the Bruins had been so great.

On his team's final drive of the first half, Garbers was under a lot of pressure and, just as he was taking a heavy hit, he threw a pass to slot receiver Logan Loya for an 11-yard touchdown to tie the score at 17-17.

“We thought we had a really good chance to win the game – and we did,” Garbers said. “We got the ball back in the third quarter and needed to build a drive, but we just didn't execute.”

Earlier, Garbers had beaten tight end Jack Pedersen with a 20-yard touchdown pass over the middle to tie the game. When kicker Mateen Bhaghani made a 47-yard field goal late in the first quarter, the Bruins took the lead for the first time this season.

UCLA tight end Jack Pedersen scores a touchdown in the first quarter on Saturday.

(Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

What was the difference? The team that had looked so good in training finally showed what it could do in the game after taking a deep breath and playing its best football of the season.

“Our attitude was better,” Garbers said. “You know, all week we talked about, 'Hey, we're not under pressure to go out there and perform.' We just have to play freely and without pressure. I mean, everyone did their job, everyone knew what to do and we executed. So it seems like it worked.”

UCLA responded to every early setback, including four sacks by the Tigers and a holding call on left tackle Reuben Unije that negated a Garbers touchdown pass before halftime. No matter. Garbers threw another two plays later.

At some point the Bruins ran out of answers.

Garbers completed 22 of 36 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, plus an interception and a lost fumble. That wasn't enough.

“I'm proud of how we played in the first half against a great SEC team,” Garbers said. “However, I'm not proud of the result and I know we still have a lot of work to do to get back to what we hope to do as a team.”