» Center Jake Brendel returned after sitting out UCLA’s season opener recovering from a sprained knee, but two more Bruins went down on Saturday during the Bruins’ 42-35 win over Memphis.
Receiver Eldridge Massington looked wobbled his way off the field, appearing to hurt his left ankle. His limp didn’t look severe and he moved without assistance on the sideline. The redshirt freshman tore his left ACL back in high school, but this injury doesn’t look related.
Safety Randall Goforth left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. He had injured his shoulder in training camp, and likely aggravated it on Saturday. His potential absence is especially concerning given that the UCLA secondary has underachieved compared to preseason expectations. The unit looked like one of the Bruins’ deepest, but hasn’t locked down opponents through two weeks.
Junior Fabian Moreau, who looked like a lockdown corner through spring and training camp, might be the most disappointing member of the defensive backfield.
» UCLA gave up 469 offensive yards to Memphis, the most the Bruins have surrendered to a regular-season nonconference opponent under third-year head coach Jim Mora.
Perhaps more concerning was that the Tigers scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. It was the second straight game that UCLA failed to outscore their opponents in the second half; the Bruins had done that against eight straight nonconference opponents — compiling a 190-51 advantage through the past two seasons.
» This might be the most surprising stat of the season so far: Through two games, UCLA has notched just one sack while allowing nine to opposing teams.
Junior Ellis McCarthy and freshman Matt Dickerson combined for the Bruins’ first sack of the season in the fourth quarter against the Tigers — forcing a punt with less than three minutes left. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich took responsibility for making UCLA’s scheme “too simple,” but again fell back on his argument that sacks sometimes come when defenses abandon assignments.
He has a valid point; sacks aren’t the be-all and end-all of defensive success. Even so, the Bruins have faced two average-at-best offensive lines in Virginia and Memphis, and it’s a safe bet players are itching to rack up a few.
» Quarterback Brett Hundley’s 422 offensive yards was the fifth-highest single-game total in UCLA history. His 396 passing yards were seventh-highest. He did throw a pick-six, but the offensive line clearly gave Hundley more time in the pocket on Saturday.
“I felt like we were more settled,” Mora said. “The ball was snapped and we were moving together like you’re supposed to.”
» Mora hasn’t been pleased with his receivers so far this season. In the season opener at Virginia, he counted seven drops. Against Memphis on Saturday, he counted five — a number he said could rise after he watches film.
He did point out the impressive performance of junior Jordan Payton, who for the second week in a row set a career high with 104 receiving yards. Payton has been Hundley’s most reliable option so far, breaking tackles when necessary and showing off a surprising bit of speed on Saturday when he ran down the sideline — getting tripped up from behind by one last tackler.
But the big star was inside receiver Thomas Duarte, who turned in career highs of four catches, 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Together, Duarte and Payton’s showings marked the first time UCLA had two 100-yard receivers in one game since 2005.
Receiver Devin Fuller, the team’s top returner, also rebounded with 58 yards on a career-high nine receptions after going without any catches last weekend. He did miss a catchable deep ball late in the first half, however.
» Mora wouldn’t officially commit to Paul Perkins as the team’s No. 1 back, but the numbers speak for themselves: Perkins has 39 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns this season; former starter Jordon James has seven for five yards.
Although James can do more in space, Perkins is clearly a more consistent runner that’s finally rounding into the type of player Hundley promised he would be nearly 19 months ago.
True freshman Nate Starks made his career debut with two carries for 11 yards, gaining all of those on his first touch.
» Linebacker Myles Jack debuted at running back and scored a four-yard touchdown on his second carry, carrying multiple defenders into the end zone. He also ran for for two yards on a crucial fourth-and-one when the game was tied 35-35, and finished with seven yards on three carries.
Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said after the game that he would’ve liked to use Jack more, while Mora said that the offensive package will gradually expand moving forward.
» The UCLA-Memphis attendance of 72,098 was the largest for a Bruins’ home opener since Sept. 8, 2007 vs. BYU (72,986).
“The crowd was awesome, especially because school is not in session,” Mora said. “We felt their energy. The third-down stuff helps and in the fourth quarter, they were there for us. We really appreciate that.”