PASADENA, Calif. – Dani Dennis-Sutton and several other Penn State football players returned for their senior years because they wanted to play for a championship.
After their shocking 42-37 loss to previously winless UCLA Saturday, those hopes are in jeopardy.
‘We just weren’t ready to play, I guess,” Dennis-Sutton said. “I don’t have an answer exactly why we lost. Obviously, as a unit on defense, it was a terrible start. We let them score. It was just a bad day for our defense.”
The Bruins (1-1 Big Ten, 1-4) didn’t look like 24.5-point underdogs, dominating time of possession, total yards, obliterating the Nittany Lions defense and handing James Franklin the worst loss of his coaching tenure.
That, despite UCLA changing its head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator in the last several weeks.
Penn State (0-2, 3-2) looked nothing like a championship contender and might have seen their College Football Playoff hopes disappear with its second straight loss.
Its 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon, a top-flight team, was understandable. This was not.
“Obviously we did not handle last week’s loss well,” Franklin said. “We did not come out with the right energy to start the game. Before you know it, they get a touchdown drive and an onside kick. Now you’re fighting.
“They gain confidence and we’re fighting for the next three quarters. That’s my responsibility. I didn’t get it done.”
The play of Penn State’s defense was especially shocking, considering it ranked among the national leaders in several categories.
UCLA’s offense was stopped just three times all afternoon, on a missed 56-yard field goal, on a blocked punt that Liam Clifford returned 6 yards for a touchdown and a fourth-down tackle by Zakee Wheatley.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was unstoppable. The ballyhooed Tennessee transfer completed 17-of-24 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns and carried 16 times for 128 yards and three TDs. He was a one-man wrecking crew.
“I feel like we did a poor job today of containing the quarterback,” linebacker Amare Campbell said. “We all have to do our assignments. That’s on us as players. I feel like today there was a lack of focus.
“I feel like we practiced well during the week. There was just a lack of focus out there in the game.”
UCLA took advantage of a defense that played without starting linebacker Tony Rojas, who sustained a long-term injury earlier in the week. UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava often had chunks of open field in front of him on scrambles.
“He had a lot of yards at critical points,” Franklin said. “A couple times we spied him and when we spied him, he was able to make the spy miss or run away from the spy. We lost a significant player (Rojas). Normally that would be his responsibility.
“A couple other times they caught us in man coverage without a spy. We got out of our rush lanes. He made a ton of plays.”
Despite the defense’s troubles, Penn State still had a chance to tie it or win it at the end.
Wheatley dropped Iamaleava for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the UCLA 32 with two minutes to go.
The Lions drove to the 9, where they faced fourth-and-2. But quarterback Drew Allar was stopped for a 3-yard loss after faking a handoff to Trebor Pena on a jet sweep with 37 seconds left. The Bruins had both options covered.
“They brought edge pressure, which we knew was coming,” Franklin said. “They beat the block and got penetration. Give them credit for the aggressive call.”
Allar completed 17-of 23 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and carried 11 times for 78 yards, but it wasn’t enough.
UCLA outgained Penn State 435-357 and converted 10-of-16 times on third down.
Penn State played its worst first half in quite some time, falling behind 27-7. The Bruins set the tone by taking the opening kickoff and driving 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown, an 11-yard pass from Iamaleava to Kwazi Gilmer.
UCLA then caught the Lions napping, recovering an onside kick when Dejuan Lane left his space on the end of the front line. Iamaleava made a great throw to Titus Mokiao-Altimalala for 24 yards to set up Mateen Bhagani’s 24-yard field goal that made it 10-0.
“The opening sequence of the game was significant,” Franklin said. “The touchdown and then the surprise onside kick we talked about all week long. We knew they were going to take significant risks in this game.
“From that point on, we were battling.”
Penn State’s offense finally got on the field and drove 75 yards for a touchdown, a 13-yard run around the left side by Kaytron Allen. Allen and Nick Singleton combined for six carries for 39 yards and Allar was 4-for-4.
The defense, though, couldn’t stop the Bruins, who scored on an Iamaleava pass and a short run.
Penn State tried to muster something on offense and did move to the UCLA 36, where it had fourth-and-2. But defensive end Jacob Busic sacked Allar for an 11-yard loss with 22 seconds left.
Two passes for 17 yards set up Bhagani’s 54-yard field goal that made it 27-7 as time ran out.
UCLA outgained the Lions 285-92 in the first half and had the ball for 19:25 to 10:35 for Penn State.
“I think we all just have to take accountability and just try and learn,” Dennis-Sutton said. “It’s a tough loss, but everybody’s just got to look in the mirror.”
Source: Berkshire mont