The Bruins weren’t able to pull off a victory against Arizona despite being the better overall team. The offense failed to get into a good rhythm all night and the defense could not stop Arizona’s screens. Arizona favored handing the ball off early in the game, and UCLA couldn’t stop it. This was a tough game to watch and quite possibly the worst offensive performance all year. If they continue to struggle in the same fashion, USC will be an even tougher game.

Jayden de Laura QB Arizona

De Laura had a great game against the Bruins and showed off his mobility. Although it didn’t show in his final stats, he was running all night using his mobility to his advantage when extending plays. Arizona was running a west coast style offense with shorter routes, not asking much from him. It defintiely seemed like a very quarterback friendly offense with not many complex concepts. Most of the big plays he had were receivers that were wide open, not having to thread the needle. He had a pretty clean pocket most of the night, but if he couldn’t escape pressure his mechanics on the run were quite sloppy. De Laura’s release looked pretty good and he’s got a decent arm, the ball seems to come off with good zip and hits the receivers on the numbers. Overall he’s got good dual threat potential but needs to work on reading defenses better and working on his mechanics under pressure.

Mo Osling III DB

Osling had a solid game leading the team in tackles most likely due to the fact that no one else on defense got very involved. He did miss a tackle leading to a touchdown from Wiley, but did fine in coverage. UCLA ended up playing more 1 high safety looks due to the fact that they couldn’t stop the run. Osling has become an anchor on the back end and has taken a role similar to Quentin Lake. He needs to work on his tackling in open space, but has great play recognition and lateral movement.

Zach Charbonnet

Charbonnet was the true definition of workhorse for the Bruins against Arizona. He totaled more than 200 offensive yards as well as having three rushing touchdowns. His physicality shined on some tough runs barreling through Arizona defenders. Charbonnet caught nine passes against Arizona which was a career-high. He was heavily involved in the passing game due to game script, but didn’t always find success. Most of those throws were check downs to him in the flats, and he dropped a pass that could have turned into a big gain. Another big missed passing opportunity came in a similar situation where there was a miscommunication and the ball ended up hitting his helmet.

His 7.5 ypc is ridiculous for a running back and leads all of college football among backs with 1,000 yards. Charbonnet is efficient every time he touches the ball, usually picking up a first down. However, he needs to learn how to make defenders miss and run around them versus running through defenders. It’s pretty often that you see him have tough runs and avoiding contact more will help prolong his career. He’s by far the best player on the offense, but UCLA can’t solely rely on him to move the ball.

Michael Wiley RB Arizona

Wiley was a threat on the ground and in the passing game. He totaled nearly 150 total yards with a big plays on screens. The Arizona offense ran a very catch and run type scheme with many screens and dumpoffs in the flats. The UCLA defense couldn’t seem to stop him when he caught the ball as he gashed them for 7.7 yards per attempt receiving. He was dangerous with the ball in his hands forcing missed tackles. His strengths were elusiveness and the pass catching ability.

Dorian Thompson Robinson

It was an interesting game for QB1, as this is the most off rhythm I’ve seen from him all year. His performance against Arizona was reminiscent of last year where there were some really questionable decisions. The Arizona defense forced him into a lot of drop back pass situations which is his main weakness. When the UCLA receivers were covered it usually resulted in a check down to Charbonnet or a QB run. DTR struggled to read the defense at times and it seemed like the offense never made any adjustments. His offensive line didn’t give him much help and by the time he was at the end of his drop he was met by a defender. From miscommunications to great defense it was a tough night for him.