After UCLA’s 33-14 season-opening win over San Diego State on Saturday, defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough looked hungry to get back on the field, eager to replay the Aztecs’ hot start that resulted with touchdowns on their first two drives.
“That first series, we had two penalties that killed us, and we preach all the time how much that hurts,” Bullough said. “We had a couple missed tackles. We had gaps we didn’t fill up right. So we got them on the sidelines and tried to settle them down. After that, they responded.”
Bullough said – and head coach Rick Neuheisel agreed – that UCLA’s response, a 30-0 finish to the game, was not so much a matter of adjusting to SDSU, but rather, execution.
“We didn’t have many more penalties, and then we ended up settling down and we didn’t miss assignments,” Bullough said. “If we can just play mental error-free football, we should be OK.”
And then, turnovers took over.
SDSU quarterback Ryan Lindley threw three interceptions to Rahim Moore, a school record, and on most plays, Moore did not have to move more than a few feet to grab the ball.
“Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers,” Bullough said. “He did a great job. He has great ball skills; if the ball is anywhere near his area, he’s going to go get it.”