UCLA Bruins Get Bulldogged by Fresno State, 38-14

Dick Vermeil, Terry Donahue, Bob Toledo, Karl Dorrell, Rick Neuheisel, and Jim Mora.

None of these UCLA Bruins coaches started a season 0-3.

Gas was 40 cents a gallon. Stamps were 8 cents. And, the magical Walt Disney World opened the last year that the Bruins started a season 0-3. The year was 1971 and Pepper Rodgers was the coach.

Charles Edward “Chip” Kelly has now done something that none of the above mentioned coaches ever did. Chip’s Bruins are now 0-3.

How did this happen on this beautiful September night at the Rose Bowl? Well, it started as soon as the game started as the first quarter of Bruins football brought out some boo birds at the Rose Bowl and rightly so. The Bruins played better during the second quarter, but ended the half down, 16-7.

UCLA’s offense started the second half with an uneventful three and out. The Bruins punted, and the Bulldogs muffed the punt, and the Bruins recovered the fumble at Fresno State’s 17 yard line. On the first play after the fumble, Dorian Thompson-Robinson scrambled for 11 yards, and that set up a Bolu Olorunfunmi run for 2 yards for a TD. UCLA trailed the Bulldogs by two early in the second half.

In the middle of the third quarter, a huge play in the game came at the 9:45 mark. The Bulldogs were faced with a 3rd and 5, and Marcus McMaryion dropped back and faced pressure and threw an incomplete pass. However, a UCLA roughing the passer by UCLA’s Quentin Lake gave the Bulldogs a first down, and an eventual score. The Bulldogs added a two-point conversion and went up 24-14.

On UCLA’s next possession, Thompson-Robinson was intercepted on a tipped pass. The Bulldogs scored quickly on five plays, with the big play being a Marcus McMaryion screen pass to Jordan Mims for 45 yards. McMayion capped it off with a quarterback keeper for a TD to put the Bulldogs up 31-14.

This score by the Bulldogs seemed to be where the game ended for the fans, and it will be where it ends for me sharing important plays for either team, because that is not what anybody wants to read at this point.

At this point, let me share some thoughts from Bruins Nation on Twitter.

The final tweet that I’m sharing pretty much sums it up:

Final Thoughts

We all thought that Chip would install an offense that had creativity and put players in the best position to excel. We thought players would tackle better and be more disciplined. We had a multitude of thoughts before the season started. What do we have now? We have nine games left in which we will be the underdog in each game except for maybe one, and it’s very possible that the Bruins could lose all of them.

There is this constant belief by some in Bruins Nation that UCLA has talent. Maybe this game will, once and for all quiet, that talk. As this team currently stands, this team might have talent, but it is 100% talent that is mostly untapped and not current collegiate level talent. And I would still argue that there is not the talent that some think there is on this roster. You do not lose to Cincinnati and Fresno State at home if you have talent.

I know, we have to be patient, that’s what everybody is saying. Do you know something? They are correct. We have to be patient because we have no choice.

I said that I will give Chip until year three to judge what he has done with this program and that is what I will do. I know there will be many in Bruins Nation that will get upset with some of us critiquing this start so harshly. We can only critique and comment on what we see and what we are currently seeing is not what a single UCLA Bruins fan expected. Therefore, the harsh criticisms are fair with an expectation, a hope, and a prayer that things get better.

Things will definitely not get any easier for UCLA as they travel to Boulder, Colorado and Folsom Field on Friday, September 28th to take on the 3-0 Colorado Buffaloes. CU demolished the University of New Hampshire Wildcats earlier today 45-14.

I cannot wait to hear your thoughts Bruins Nation. So sound off below.


GO BRUINS!