UCLA struggles in loss to Indiana in first Big Ten game

Running back TJ Harden scored the only touchdown of the game for the Bruins,

Sep 15, 2024 - 08:00

UCLA struggles in loss to Indiana in first Big Ten game

Head coach DeShaun Foster of the UCLA Bruins walks of the field after Indiana Hoosiers defeated the UCLA Bruins 42-13 to win a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)

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PASADENA — The UCLA football team lost in its Big Ten Conference debut to Indiana, 42-13 on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins could not recover from a lackluster first half in which the Hoosiers raced to a 21-0 lead.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke completed 25 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns and the Hoosiers (3-0) rushed for a collective 123 yards.

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers was 14-for-23 passing with no touchdowns and one interception.

Garbers narrowly avoided a sack and scrambled for 20 yards and a first down to help UCLA end the first half on a high note. TJ Harden punched the ball in from 1 yard out for the first and only Bruins touchdown of the night.

The energy continued on the other side of halftime. Garbers recovered his own fumble while rushing on a quarterback keeper but was set back 5 yards in the process. UCLA got the yards back and then some when Indiana’s CJ West was ejected on a targeting penalty and the Bruins advanced 15 yards.

TJ Harden hurdled an Indiana defender for a first down and a 24-yard gain after the penalty as the Bruins went on a nine-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani.

Bhaghani added a 34-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 28-13.

Harden was the primary ball carrier for UCLA on Saturday evening and finished the game with 48 yards on 12 carries.

The game featured a matchup of first-year coaches in Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and UCLA’s DeShaun Foster, both in their first Big Ten conference matchup.

Indiana took control early.

Trailing 7-0, Garbers fumbled with 8:21 on the clock in the first quarter after what appeared to be a miscommunication between the quarterback and Harden.

Indiana recovered and quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw his second touchdown of the game, this one a 14-yard pass to Ke’Shawn Williams.

Rourke’s first touchdown was a 3-yard pass to Miles Cross. The pair also teamed up for another 3-yard touchdown with 4:55 remaining in the third quarter.

Three Hoosier receivers ended the game with 50 or more receiving yards in Cross, Sarratt and Omar Cooper, Jr.

Indiana added two touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the game. Cooper, Jr. hauled in a 23-yard pass from Rourke and Elijah Green scored on a 14-yard rush.

UCLA cornerback Kanye Clark, a former walk-on, left the game in the third quarter due to an apparent injury suffered on a kick return. He was helped off the field and eventually left on a trainer’s cart with a brace that covered his left leg.

UCLA (1-1) next travels to No. 16 LSU (2-1) on Sept. 21. The kickoff time has yet to be announced.