"There was probably a joke to be made about UCLA moving practice this week to its intramural fields after being so thoroughly outclassed in its season opener. The intent was to prepare for the artificial turf the Bruins will play Saturday inside Allegiant Stadium, but they will also need to significantly level up to beat Nevada Las Vegas."
"While coach DeShaun Foster's "We were close" declaration didn't go over well with fans in the wake of a 33-point loss to Utah, defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and inside linebackers coach Scott White indicated through their body language and words that there was significant work to be done on a defense that missed so many tackles."
""Trying to get it fixed, man," White told reporters during a chance encounter outside the Wasserman Football Center. Two days later, Malloe said essentially the same thing while walking past reporters, adding an expletive for emphasis."
"Unfortunately, the issues facing this team transcend defense. UCLA must get its run game going. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava needs to stop overthrowing receivers. The Bruins also have to start converting third downs more regularly after finding success on just two of 11 opportunities a week ago."
UCLA moved practice to intramural fields to prepare for artificial turf at Allegiant Stadium while recovering from a season-opening blowout. The team suffered a 33-point loss to Utah and faced fan backlash after coach DeShaun Foster said "We were close." Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe and inside linebackers coach Scott White signaled that the defense missed many tackles and requires substantial work. White said, "Trying to get it fixed, man," and Malloe echoed the sentiment with stronger language. Offensive problems include a stalled run game, quarterback Nico Iamaleava overthrowing receivers, and only two successful third-down conversions on 11 attempts.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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