Minnesota vs. UCLA: The Elite, The Meh & The Ugly

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-4) were sunk by a fourth quarter to forget as their upset bid short-circuited in a 34-20 loss to the No. 8-ranked UCLA Bruins (9-0).

The Elite

The Gopher run defense. UCLA came into the game boasting the Big Ten’s top rushing attack, averaging 219.5 rushing yards per game. The defensive game plan was to stop the run and Minnesota succeeded for the most part, limiting the Bruins to 98 rushing yards through the first three quarters. UCLA was able to tack on yards on the ground in their final two possessions, once the game was out of reach and the goal was to chew up game clock. But credit to the Gopher defense for putting the brakes on a high-powered run game. Unfortunately, the plan to force the Bruins to beat them through the air backfired spectacularly.

Jalen Smith. It has not been the breakout season fans had hoped for, but the third-year wide receiver had his best game of the season, recording five receptions for 85 receiving yards. Smith sparked Minnesota’s first touchdown drive of the game with a 21-yard reception to end the first quarter, and he put the Gophers in the red zone in the fourth quarter with an impressive 35-yard back shoulder catch down the sideline.

George Rohl. With top tight ends Pierce Walsh and Julian Johnson both sidelined with injuries, the true freshman tight end is seeing the field more and hauled in his first career touchdown reception on Saturday.

Turnovers. The Bruins have won the turnover battle week in and week out all season long, but on Saturday it was Minnesota that had the edge in turnover margin. Linebacker Maverick Baranowski read the eyes of UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach perfectly in the closing minute of the second quarter and stepped in front of a pass for an interception, setting up a game-tying field goal drive before halftime. Later, rush end T.J. Bush prevented the Bruins from taking a two-touchdown lead with a strip sack in the red zone in the fourth quarter.

Quayd Hendryx. The freshman wide receiver made an impact in the return game, including a 45-yard kickoff return in the first half and a 35-yard return in the second half.

The Meh

Luke Drzewiecki. So he is human after all. A week after hitting a go-ahead 60-yard field goal in the fourth quarter against Indiana, the Gophers’ kicker missed a pair of 56-yard attempts, snapping his streak of 26 consecutive made field goals dating back to last season with New Mexico. Drzewiecki finished the game 2-of-4, with a 38-yard field goal before halftime and a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

The Ugly

The Minnesota secondary. What a disaster. Bruins (back-up) quarterback Ty Dieffenbach was 8-of-16 for 303 passing yards and three touchdowns, averaging 37 yards per completion. He only completed three passes in the second half, two of which went for 75-yard touchdowns on back-to-back drives. Defensive coordinator Danny Collins got flat-out outcoached by UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy in the second half. I can understand giving up one 75-yard touchdown pass. Busted coverages happen. But two? On back-to-back drives?

The first 75-yard touchdown pass comes with UCLA in 11 personnel. Two wide receivers are split out on the field side, one receiver is split out on the boundary side, and the tight end stays in to block Minnesota’s five-man rush. The outside receiver on the field side is running a post corner route (with cornerback Naiim Parrish in coverage), the inside receiver is running a deep post (with safety Kerry Brown in coverage), and the receiver on the boundary side is running what looks like a dig route to me (with cornerback John Nestor in coverage). Zack Harden is the post safety, so it’s his responsibility to protect the deep middle of the field. But he drifts too far to his left and Brown, who is expecting help over the top from Harden, gets beat deep for the easy touchdown.

The second 75-yard touchdown pass is inexcusable. Both safeties bite on the play-action fake and coming crashing down towards the box, leaving both cornerbacks in single coverage with no help over the top. Cornerback Aydan West has too much ground to cover on the field side and the wide receiver easily gets inside leverage off his break, and Dieffenbach hits him in stride for another easy touchdown.

The offense. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? I am certain P.J. Fleck would point out that 20 points is more than the 13.4 points the Bruins’ defense was allowing per game, but this is also the fifth straight game that the Gophers have have been held to 20 points or fewer. You’re not going to win a lot of games if 20 points is your ceiling on offense. And the same issues persist, week after week. On almost every play, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. If the offensive play-call is good, the offensive line that can’t block the play effectively. If the offensive line holds up, the play design is poor and none of the receivers are open. If the receivers are open, Drake Lindsey makes a poor throw or doesn’t have the confidence to even throw the ball at all. There’s just no consistency from one play to the next. It’s a total system failure.

Injuries. Defensive tackles Riley Sunram and Jaylin Hicks were both lost to serious injuries during the game. Sunram, who has been playing through upper body injuries, went to the locker room and returned in street clothes with his arm in a sling, and Hicks left the game on a cart after his left leg had to be stabilized with an air cast. Minnesota’s five-man rotation on the interior defensive line is now likely down to a three-man rotation with Theo Randle, Naquan Crowder, and Xion Chapman.