Analysis: UCLA stepped up, Penn State didn't in stunning loss

PASADENA, Calif. — You could argue Penn State’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff were on life support before its match with winless UCLA kicked off in the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon.

James Franklin’s Nittany Lions were 3-1 after losing in double overtime to Oregon at home, and they still had road games against Iowa and Ohio State and a home contest with Indiana ahead of them.

None of that matters now, after the unthinkable happened in California.

The Bruins, 24-point underdogs, beat the No. 7 team in the country, 42-37, in front of a sparse crowd.

Let’s get to some takeaways, and all of them are ugly.

Penn State’s defense got worked

UCLA built a 27-7 first-half lead, the final dagger a 54-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani on the last play of the second quarter.

The Bruins’ offense, ranked 118th in total offense (321 yards per game), piled up 285 yards and 14 first downs in the first 30 minutes. UCLA converted 7 of 8 third-down attempts, and quarterback Nico Iamaleava accounted for 209 total yards — 158 passing and 51 rushing.

PSU missed too many tackles early and could not get any pressure on the quarterback. It was more of the same in the second half as UCLA finished with 435 yards. Iamaleava was almost unstoppable, generating 294 yards, 128 on the ground.

Offensive struggles

The Lions had no interest in leaning on Kaytron Allen and Devonte Ross. Allen, the Lions’ leading rusher coming in, did run for two touchdowns. But he only carried eight times for 50 yards. Nick Singleton carried 11 times for 39 yards.

Plus, with PSU driving late in the game for a tying touchdown, Allen was not on the field for the Lions’ unsuccessful six-play drive.

And Ross, the speedy wideout who scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns against Oregon? Zero catches.

The defense was bad, and so was offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s plan.

Passive, not aggressive

UCLA was the more aggressive team from the start. The Bruins got the ball first and moved 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. UCLA never punted in the first half and never stopped going after Jim Knowles’ defense at every level.

The Bruins also caught PSU’s special teams flat-footed, recovering an onside kick at the PSU 46 after their first touchdown. UCLA converted the bold call into a field goal that made it 10-0.

Late in the second quarter, PSU’s offense took possession trailing 24-7 and took its time driving from its 25 to the UCLA 44. Then, on a fourth-and-2 play from the Bruins’ 36 with 26 seconds left, quarterback Drew Allar was sacked for an 11-yard loss.

Zero sense of urgency from Franklin and PSU.

By the time the Lions’ offense woke from its slumber, it became too difficult to catch the hosts.

Hole in the defense

Penn State really missed Tony Rojas. The athletic linebacker is out with a long-term injury. Rojas’ speed would have made it easier for the Lions to limit the damage done by Iamaleava with his legs.

Without Rojas, vet Dom DeLuca played a ton of snaps at linebacker. It did not go well for PSU.