In front of more than 86,000 screaming fans in Norman, Okla., the UCLA defense temporarily quieted the crowd by stopping Oklahoma on its first drive. But in the seemingly safe confines of the Rose Bowl against Fresno State last Saturday, the UCLA defense couldn’t get off to the same start. The Bruins instead committed a face mask penalty on the second play of the game and gave up a touchdown on the first drive.
The first defensive drive set an ominous tone for a 38-14 loss to Fresno State that dropped UCLA to its first 0-3 start since 1971.
“I wouldn’t say we underestimated our opponent, but I would say we weren’t to the level of mental preparation where we wanted to be,” safety Quentin Lake said.
Perhaps the team’s lack of early focus showed most in the penalties, 11 in all and seven in the first half. Fresno State took a 13-0 lead after the first quarter in which UCLA rushed for just 38 yards and had 40 penalty yards.
The Bruins did both things head coach Chip Kelly said they would work to improve. They committed the procedural penalties from their season opener against Cincinnati, including two illegal formation calls and an illegal motion. They tacked on more costly penalties with holding and pass interference calls, the type of fouls Kelly said the team had to clean up after the loss to Oklahoma.
Three of the penalties Saturday negated positive plays on offense for the Bruins and four others gave Fresno State first downs. Lake’s third-down roughing-the-passer call in the third quarter of what was then a two-point game extended a Fresno State drive that resulted in a touchdown and a two-point conversion. It was suddenly a two-possession game.
“You always want to get the big hit on the quarterback,” Lake said of the penalty, “but it’s kind of a gray area of when you should let off and when you should really keep going.”
The Bruins rank 95th in the country in penalties per game (7.67). During the Jim Mora era, they never ranked higher than 86th and were 100th or lower in each of the other five seasons under Mora.
“You can’t have that many penalties and expect to be in a football game,” Kelly said.