Tim Skipper basked in the what-could-have-been. It was harder to fall further than rock bottom; the fourth loss in four games “stings,” no matter how you put it, UCLA’s interim coach said.
But the Bruins (0-4, 0-1 Big Ten), despite their 17-14 loss in Evanston on Saturday afternoon, showed fight — a hunger that from the outside looking in had previously escaped the watchful eye.
On defense — after a first half which exploited much of their same inequities on the field, allowing 17 points and 108 rushing yards — UCLA turned a corner, shutting out Northwestern in the second half.
Almost 7 yards per rush turned into 3.5 yards per rush from the first to the second half, tackles struck Wildcats to the ground, and when senior defensive analyst Kevin Coyle (hired early last week) — who called defensive plays on Saturday — signaled to send an extra man, whether a safety such as Cole Martin or a linebacker such as true freshman Scott Taylor, those Bruins made highlight plays.
Martin, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Arizona State and the son of defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin, collected a career-high nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Taylor, a Loyola High alumnus, recorded his first-career tackle and came up big for UCLA in the fourth quarter — getting a hand to a Preston Stone pass for a pass breakup that forced a punt and provided UCLA its penultimate drive down just three points.
“We were just fighting, and that was the biggest thing — just to fight,” defensive back Rodrick Pleasant said when asked about what sparked the second-half defensive stand. “We’re all we got and we’re all we need.”
Pleasant — who often, alongside Martin, would rush on a blitz in a more aggressive approach compared to the first three weeks — blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter to keep Northwestern at bay. UCLA had seven tackles for loss, more than doubling any total it had produced against Utah, UNLV and New Mexico.
“I just wish we would have played the first half better, because I think it would have been a different outcome,” Skipper told reporters after the game.
Coyle stripped back the defense, placing a new defensive playbook with Skipper — although the Bruins continued to show more of a 4-2-5 approach, similar to how they had with former defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe through three games. The broadcast crew on the Big Ten Network said the players only had 40% of the defensive play calls loaded before the game.
“This is a completely different scheme,” Skipper said, adding that he liked how many players rotated into the game. “The first half, we acted like it was a new scheme. We were thinking, and we didn’t wrap up and tackle and things like that. But in the second half, we settled down and we started playing ball.”
Flores returns
Rico Flores Jr. (torn ACL) returned to the field Saturday and started at wide receiver, tallying four catches on six targets for 43 yards.
The redshirt sophomore, who transferred to UCLA from Notre Dame a year ago, played in football camps alongside quarterback Nico Iamaleava growing up — now getting to build a connection with the signal caller in Westwood. He missed the final eight games of the 2024 season after undergoing season-ending surgery.
“It was great having Rico back, man,” Iamaleava told reporters after the game. “He’s a big-time playmaker for us, and I’m excited he’s back working for us.”