After inheriting a 0-3 UCLA team that appeared dead in the water, Bruins’ interim head coach Tim Skipper has slightly turned the program’s fortunes in the right direction.
Entering Saturday’s contest, Skipper held a 3-3 record at the helm of the UCLA football program — with three straight wins to start his interim tenure, followed by a trio of successive losses. On Saturday, Ohio State handed Skipper and Co. a fourth-straight loss, handling the Bruins 48-10 at Ohio Stadium.
Despite the blowout loss, Skipper felt his team played Ohio State with plenty of fight — particularly in the second half, during which UCLA scored all 10 of its points.
“I like how we came out of halftime. I think the guys were fighting. We got some stops when we came out of the locker room. The energy levels were good in the locker room. All that good stuff. I mean, when you play the number one team in the country, you're fighting for everything, so I thought the guys fought. They got the best of us, and we just have to move on from here.”– UCLA Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper
During the lopsided win for the Buckeyes, Ohio State’s Lorenzo Styles Jr. returned a kickoff for a touchdown — marking the first time the program registered a kick return touchdown since 2010. Skipper lamented his team’s kick coverage on the historic play for the Buckeyes.
“So we kind of kicked it in the corner. They returned it back to the field, and our guys got pinned over there in the corner, and it was just free racing. I don't think anybody touched him, so we just had to get it corrected on the sideline. We have to recognize the blocks and counter, and we didn't do a good job of that.”– UCLA Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper
UCLA ruled out starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava on late Friday evening due to a concussion. In stepped redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan, who made his first career start against the vaunted Ohio State defense.
Skipper noted that Iamaleava had spent the week in concussion protocol and was unable to be cleared by the UCLA medical staff before the Bruins’ tilt with Ohio State.
“At the beginning of the work week, he was not feeling well. He was out there, and he couldn't stay out there. He went in, and we did all the tests and things like that, and he came back diagnosed with a concussion. He went into the concussion protocol, and he just never cleared out of that, so he wasn't able to go today.”– UCLA Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper
Duncan threw for 154 yards and a touchdown while completing 70 percent of his passes against the Ohio State secondary in his debut, and Skipper felt pride in the way his quarterback competed against the Buckeyes.
“It was his first career start right here in the Horseshoe, so as the game went on, he got more and more comfortable. That's what I was proud to see from him. That's a tough deal, and just proud of that kid for fighting. He never blinked an eye and just kept moving forward, so he'll build off of that.”– UCLA Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper
Ohio State's title defense marches on next week, as the Buckeyes host Rutgers for a noon kickoff from Ohio Stadium on Nov. 22. The game will be televised on FOX.
