UCLA still fighting

UCLA Football: Under Construction but Still Fighting the Good Fight

 By Jason Burrell | South Bay Black Journal

Losing to the No. 2 team in the country isn’t shameful. But it’s revealing. Indiana didn’t just win; it demonstrated what a fully formed football program looks like. From the opening whistle, the Hoosiers played like a team that’s been built, tested, and trusted, while UCLA looked like a team still learning what it means to build, test, and trust.

 That contrast wasn’t subtle. It was structural. Indiana responded like a program that knows who it is, a full-service operation with continuity across coaching, culture, and execution. UCLA, meanwhile, is running on interim fuel: an interim head coach, coordinators trying to establish rhythm, and a roster of players still adjusting to a new tone after years of instability. 

If we’re honest, this is exactly the kind of game Penn State’s brass, alumni, and boosters wanted to see when they dismissed their own coach earlier this season, a complete demolition of a rebuilding opponent. Indiana obliged. The Hoosiers pounced early, forced turnovers, and never let UCLA breathe. For a Bruins team still finding its footing, this was a masterclass in what “program maturity” looks like.

A Rough Start and a Lesson in Pressure:

 The game unraveled before UCLA could even exhale. Two plays, two pressures, and a pick-six later, Indiana had already put the Bruins on their heels.

 “Yeah, first play under pressure, sack. Second play under pressure, pick six,” said Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper.“We always preach starting fast, right? Well, we didn’t do that there. And playing against a team like that,  that’s very good in all three phases, you have to start fast. We didn’t really bounce back from that moment. It kind of shell-shocked us.” 

Indiana’s defensive front dictated tempo. They disguised pressure, twisted gaps, and spied the quarterback with precision. UCLA’s protection, missing key pieces like Eugene Brooks, couldn’t find a rhythm. Skipper admitted it: “They did some unscouted looks that kind of messed with us, and we were chasing the rest of the game.” 

The fake punt that could’ve flipped momentum? Snuffed out. “We got the look we wanted,” Skipper explained, “but got caught up trying to get out of there, and it messed up the timing.” A microcosm of UCLA’s night, ideas were there, execution wasn’t. 

When Belief Meets Reality: 

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a freshman still growing into his star billing, felt the heat from the first snap. “That was a rough start,” he admitted. “They were bringing a lot of pressure, playing games up front. We’ve got to do a better job of picking it up.” 

The Bruins’ offense,  which had averaged 233 rushing yards over the previous three games, was held to just 60 without their quarterback’s scrambles. “We didn’t win in the trenches,” Skipper said bluntly. “We didn’t move them. We missed too many tackles on the other side. It’s just flat-out the trenches. We lost that battle.” 

Defensive lineman Keanu Williams echoed the sentiment. “They’re disciplined. They don’t really mess up a lot. We had self-inflicted wounds, and they took advantage.” 

That phrase, self-inflicted wounds, became the postgame refrain. Four pass interferences. Missed tackles. Turnovers that led directly to points. Against elite competition, those mistakes don’t just sting; they compound.

The Message: Don’t Waste the Lesson: 

In defeat, Skipper didn’t posture. He coached. “You’re going to learn from this game,” he said. “We’re not throwing this one away. When you watch a film, it’s just as important as practice. We’ll evaluate everything and get ready for the next one.” His players echoed the accountability. Iamaleava called it a “clean slate” mentality: “This game’s already lost in my mind. It’s done. When we come back, we attack.”

The Bye Week: Regrouping and Rebuilding:

 Monday morning, Skipper spoke with the media again, the loss still fresh but the focus already shifting. “You know how the top teams in this conference play, now you know how you need to play,” he said. “We didn’t see the strain. We didn’t see the fanatical effort. Those are the things we need every week.” The bye week will be about balance: healing bodies, rebuilding confidence, and resetting the standard. “It’s not going to be a take-the-week-off mentality,” Skipper said. “But it’s also not going to be scrimmage time all day. We’re 

going to balance getting better and getting healthy.”   

The Bigger Picture:

The truth? This is what a rebuild looks like;  jagged, unpredictable, humbling. UCLA’s climb isn’t measured by wins yet; it’s measured by response. Can the Bruins take a punch, recalibrate, and come back better?  I believe the answer is Yes!  But that’s the question every interim coach faces,  not whether they can fix everything, but whether they can build belief strong enough to endure the storm. Skipper has the belief part down. The players respect him!  They play hard for him. They know he’s earned his voice, not inherited it. But belief alone doesn’t patch leaks or move piles. Skipper’s got the right driver and the lines for the track, but the car’s still running with a wobble and two bald tires. It’ll stay on the course, sure, but you can’t open the throttle with that much drag. And that’s where UCLA is; on the track, believing, but not yet built for full speed.