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UCLA Football: Bruins Struggle In Win Against UNLV

By Mike Regalado

September 10, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Brandon Stephens (20) runs the ball against the UNLV Rebels during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
September 10, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Brandon Stephens (20) runs the ball against the UNLV Rebels during the second half at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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It was a rough home opener at the Rose Bowl as the UCLA Football team struggled to put away the UNLV Rebels.

In what was expected to be a blow out turned into struggle to find cohesiveness as the UCLA Football defeated the UNLV Rebels, 42-21.

For the most part, the offense was a lot more fluid than they were last week against Texas A&M as they put up 499 total yards. Bruin QB Josh Rosen went 23-for-36 and threw for 270 yards and one touchdown.

The ground game was strong for the Bruins as they ran for 218 yards, which was led by Soso Jamabo who had 3 touchdowns on 90 yards. UCLA has also been touting two true freshmen, Brandon Stephens and Jalen Starks. Both made an appearance in this game and Stephens was particularly impressive as he ran for 70 yards.

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Unfortunately, an old foe, the penalty flag, reared its ugly head once again for UCLA. The Bruins committed 9 penalties for 75 yards in a hair-pulling affair. Once again, this seems to be an issue for Mora’s team.

If that was not enough, the glaring problem in this game was the defense. With Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley rearranging his squad to the 4-3 defense in the off season, specifically to stop the run, it seems as though it is not going as planned.

The Bruins gave up 5.6 yards per carry to UNLV’s lead back, Lexington Thomas who piled on 111 yards and one touchdown.

A lot of the Bruins defensive woes came in the third quarter, one that saw DT Eddie Vanderdoes come out of the locker room in street clothes and his knee wrapped in ice. EV apparently strained his knee and will have it evaluated on Sunday.

The defense allowed UNLV to run over them in the third quarter. This led to their third touchdown of the game and made the Rebels look like a very efficient running team. Fortunately, that score would be he only one they got for the remainder of the game as the Bruins were able to shut out UNLV in the fourth quarter.

A win is a win, but there are some serious concerns right now, especially with UCLA heading to BYU next week and th ten hosting Stanford the following weekend.

Next: Welcome Back to the Rose Bowl

Hopefully UCLA can shore things up, but if they cannot, it will be an extremely long season.