Published September 11, 2015
UCLA coach Jim Mora is tired of Bruins playing "close" to the top teams in the Pac-12.
The beat-up Bruins hung with No. 2 Oregon in the first half before falling 42-14 on Saturday night. A week before, it was a 24-10 loss to Stanford.
"We're not after being close. The heck with being close. Losers can be close. We want to get it. We want to win those games," Mora said. "The coulda, the woulda, the shoulda, we don't want that. We're tired of that. It's time for UCLA to turn the page and be something different and win those games. That's what it's time to be."
The Bruins (5-2, 2-2) went into halftime with the score knotted at 14, but Oregon (8-0, 5-0) scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. The Ducks had 555 yards in total offense compared to 283 for UCLA.
Brett Hundley completed 13 of 19 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown but also threw two interceptions, including one early in the fourth quarter that led to an Oregon touchdown. He also ran for 64 yards and a score.
"We just didn't execute. We just didn't execute the ins and outs of things," Hundley said. "We know we can play with anybody that's up against us, but we have got to play so much better than that."
The Bruins were without junior tailback Jordon James, who missed his third straight game with an ankle injury. He had run for more than 100 yards in each of the Bruins' first three games.
The Bruins were also dealing with injuries on their offensive line, and as a result the team started three true freshman: Alex Redmond at right guard, Caleb Benenoch at right tackle and Scott Quessenberry at left guard. The Bruins have played 18 true freshmen this season
UCLA has not won at Autzen Stadium since 2004, and hasn't defeated the Ducks since a 16-0 blanking in 2007. The two teams last met in 2011, when Oregon downed UCLA 49-31 in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game.
The Ducks are the highest ranked opponent the Bruins have faced since they played the No. 1-ranked Ducks in the 2010 season. Last weekend UCLA fell 24-10 to No, 13 Stanford.
Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the initial BCS rankings released last weekend, was coming off a 62-38 victory at home over Washington State. The Ducks have played one other game against a ranked opponent this season — a 45-24 victory over then-No. 16 Washington at Husky Stadium,
Byron Marshall ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns for the Ducks, while Marcus Mariota threw for 230 yards and another score.
Oregon got off to a poor start, stymied by its own mistakes and UCLA's defense. On the Ducks' second play from scrimmage, Keanon Lowe fumbled a pass from Mariota. The turnover led to Hundley's 4-yard touchdown run to give the Bruins the early lead.
Rodney Hardrick ran 66 yards on a fake punt and De'Anthony Thomas finished it off with a 1-yard dive for an Oregon touchdown to even the score.
Thomas had missed the last three games after injuring his right ankle on the opening kickoff in Oregon's 55-16 victory over California on Sept. 28, slipping on turf slick from a driving rain.
Thomas was the Ducks' leading rusher with 338 yards and six touchdowns in three games before he was injured. He finished with 31 yards rushing against the Bruins.
Oregon went ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter with a 40-yard scoring run from Marshall, a sophomore who took over as starter in Thomas' absence.
UCLA blocked Alejandro Maldonado's punt late in the half, putting the Bruins in Oregon territory. They capitalized on Hundley's 11-yard scoring pass to Thomas Duarte to even the game at 14.
Midway through the third quarter, Mariota fumbled on first-and-goal at the UCLA 5, but the Bruins were forced to punt and the Ducks quickly responded with Marshall's 11-yard touchdown run.
Avery Patterson intercepted Hundley early in the fourth quarter and the Ducks went on to score on Mariota's 8-yard pass to Bralon Addison. Marshall added a 3-yard touchdown dash with 8:47 left and freshman Thomas Tyner ran for a 2-yard TD with 2:25 to go for the final margin.
It was Marshall's fifth straight game with at least 100 yards rushing this season.
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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/no-12-ucla-gets-worn-down-by-no-2-oregon-42-14-to-drop-second-straight-to-pac-12-power