The UCLA Bruins (3-7, 3-4 Big Ten) found hope during their three-game winning streak against Number 7 Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland.
But two games against the nation’s top teams completely stopped their comeback.
The Bruins lost badly to the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, 48-10.
This loss officially ended what was already an impossible goal of reaching six wins after starting the season 0-4.
UCLA fans won’t forget that three-week stretch where their team showed what they could really do.
During that time, the Bruins climbed to 64th in college football on ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI).
This was a huge jump from their low of 93rd three weeks into the season after a bad loss to New Mexico.
After Saturday’s loss in Columbus, ESPN’s updated rankings now have UCLA at 71st in the country.
That’s three spots down from where they were before the game.
The Bruins rank just behind Michigan State (70), even though they beat the Spartans 38-13 over a month ago.
Luke Duncan wasn’t Bad for his First Start
Saturday night on national TV in the defending champion’s stadium; what a tough spot for your first college start.
But with all the pressure against him, Duncan did okay.
The first few drives weren’t great, which makes sense given Ohio State’s loud stadium.
But once the redshirt sophomore calmed down and fixed his clock management problems, he played fine.
You could see Duncan getting more comfortable and making faster decisions as the game went on.
He finished with a 140.2 passer rating and momentum to build on for the rest of the season.
Since starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava has a serious concussion, Duncan might start the last two games.
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For a first-time starter against the best team in the country, he showed promise.
UCLA’s Defense Keeps Getting Better
This has been a common topic during the second half of this season; UCLA’s defense keeps improving every week.
Even though Indiana and Ohio State scored a lot of points, the Bruins competed at levels they didn’t reach early in the season.
You have to wonder where UCLA would be if its defense played with this energy all year long.
They would definitely be in a better spot right now, maybe still having a chance to reach bowl eligibility (six wins).
The defense’s improvement shows the team is developing, even if the record doesn’t reflect it.
Coach Tim Skipper deserves credit for getting players to keep fighting despite the losing season.
Get Ready for Saturday’s Final Home Game
Now that this game is over, the Bruins have just one home game left, and it might be bigger than people think.
With talk about UCLA moving its home games to SoFi Stadium, Saturday’s Rose Bowl game could be the last regular-season match in Pasadena.
Adding to that, nobody knows if Nico Iamaleava will return next year.
The redshirt sophomore said before the season he wanted to enter the NFL draft, but given his rough year, he’ll probably come back.
Saturday might also be the last time Tim Skipper coaches in the Rose Bowl.
Say what you want about UCLA’s season, but Skipper did everything he could with what he had.
The two-time interim coach will definitely get a head coaching job somewhere, but it probably won’t be with the Bruins.
The university is expected to hire a big-name coach to lead the program forward.
Ohio State showed why they’re ranked Number 1, controlling the game from start to finish.
The Buckeyes scored on all five possessions in the first half with three touchdowns and two field goals.
Ohio State out-gained UCLA 294-50 in the first half as the Bruins couldn’t cross midfield.
The home team had 16 first downs compared to just two for UCLA in the opening half.
Despite the lopsided score, Duncan completed 16 of 23 passes (70 percent) for 154 yards and one touchdown.
Junior kicker Mateen Bhaghani added three points on a 32-yard field goal.
The game was played in front of 104,168 fans at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State improved to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in Big Ten play.
UCLA now focuses on finishing the season strong in its final two games.
The Bruins hope to send their seniors out with wins and build momentum for next year.
