After a beautiful 3-0 kick, UCLA’s comeback had the ESPN analysts sold on their potential. But all that optimism crumbled within the first fifty-seven seconds of the game, and the Bruins fell again, with a fifty-point loss. Tim Skipper came under scrutiny, and quarterback Nico Iamaleava took the blame.

“That’s a rough start,” the star QB said to the press, which set the tone of the game and how the offense played in the next 60 minutes. A shaky start, accompanied by a sack and a six-pick, showed the early glimpses of a crumbling offense. After three consecutive wins, one of which recorded a jaw-dropping 96.6 QB rating against Penn State, he succumbed to a mere 18.4 QBR (lowest for the season) against the Hoosiers. “They were bringing a lot of pressure, trying to you know play games up front, and you know we got to do a better job of picking it up.”

Ahead of the game, even Curt Cignetti was on high alert. Basically, the Bruins’ season started with the win over Penn State, and even the Hoosiers’ HC did not shy away from acknowledging it. “We’re playing a 3-0 football team that’s undefeated.” Indiana’s defense, which, ahead of the game, ranked No. 3 in team sacks and No. 4 in scoring defense, never let the Bruins reach the end zone.

With 23 quarterback pressures and five tackles for loss, the Hoosiers limited the Bruins’ roster to just two field goals. Nico Iamaleava continued. “We just didn’t execute on our part.” He couldn’t run the game. Barely 28 yards, on seven carries, with the longest being a 19-yard rush. The 21-year-old was sacked three times and acknowledged that Cignetti deployed a great plan.

“You know, they had a great game plan for us. You know we weren’t able to run the ball efficiently, and then, you know, just throwing the ball. We weren’t able to be efficient in that game either.” Even the aerial attack fizzled out to just 113 yards for 13-of-27 attempts against a disciplined defense that constantly pressurized the QB into quick, costly decisions. Iamaleava concluded by being hopeful for the next game. “Going into this by week, we’ve got to do a better job.”

Interim head coach Tim Skipper had a few words regarding what went wrong on Saturday.

Tim Skipper makes a “shell-shocked” admission

To anyone who watched the Hoosiers taking on UCLA at Bloomington, the trajectory of the Bruins became evident with Nico Iamaleava’s six pick during the second play of the game. With two interceptions, one fumble, and three turnovers later, Indiana stomped over again, 56-6. From the first snap of the game, the Bruins’ QB offense never found its footing. They never reached the end zone. As Skipper put it, the team never recovered from the six-pick.

“We didn’t really bounce back from that moment, you know? It kind of shell-shocked us, and it kind of took a while to get back going,” he admitted.

“We always preach starting fast, and we didn’t do that there, and playing against a team like that, that plays well in all three phases, you’re going to have to start fast,” Skipper added. “And when they create a turnover that creates points, that’s hard to overcome.” As the Bruins tripped, the Hoosiers swiftly jumped into action and gained 14 points in the first quarter. Another three touchdowns followed in the next 15 minutes, while the Bruins managed a field goal, 21-3.

The offense was 1-11 on 3rd down efficiencies and another 1-3 on fourth down. The run game barely averaged 3.5 yards per rush, while the aerial attack gave no respite, limited to just 4.0 yards per pass. And penalties? eight for 82 yards. With that, UCLA again lost its hard-found footing in front of the 54,867 attendees at Memorial Stadium.