If UCLA Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel was on the hot seat before Thursday's nationally televised contest against the Arizona Wildcats on ESPN, it's hard to imagine the level of heat he will experience now. UCLA is getting embarrassed in the desert, trailing the Wildcats 42-7 at halftime at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.
UCLA had four drives in the second quarter, and all three ended badly.The only reason the fourth drive didn't end in disaster was because time ran out in the first half, a merciful end to a beating by Arizona. Though the final drive did include a bizarre bench-clearing fracas which culminated in a pair of ejections, including wide receiver Taylor Embree for UCLA.
The Bruins were unable to take advantage of a pair of big plays by Josh Smith. He returned a kickoff to the 36-yard line after Arizona expanded their lead to 21-7, but three plays later running back Johnathan Franklin fumbled the ball at midfield. Arizona scored a touchdown on the subsequent drive too.
Smith began the Bruins next drive with a catch and run for 55 yards, putting UCLA at the Arizona 20-yard line. However, three plays and one lost yard later, senior kicker Tyler Gonzalez missed a 39-yard field goal try.
After yet another Arizona touchdown, UCLA began with a strong play, a 26-yard pass to Nelson Rosario, but he had the ball taken away from him at the Arizona 41.
The Bruins gained 109 yards in the second quarter on just 15 plays, but they had two turnovers and a missed field goal. However, all of that didn't matter as much as Arizona scoring a touchdown every single time they had the ball.
Six drives, six touchdowns for the Wildcats. Arizona had 416 yards and 22 first downs. Absolutely no defense from UCLA.
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