The Penn State Football Report Card: UCLA Edition

The Nittany Lions fell to the winless Bruins in a game that raised more questions, and concerns, about their season.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

PASADENA, California | A group of UCLA offensive linemen returned to the field after their stunning win over Penn State on Saturday. They laughed at a room housing Penn State team personnel as they walked by.

It was deserved. In defeating Penn State 42-37, the Bruins put together the kind of rebound game Penn State had promised after falling in double overtime to Oregon last week. They defined goals of quick starts, squeezing UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava's rush lanes and refreshing their psyches on the road. None of it happened.

"We practice well during the week," linebacker Amare Campbell said, "and there was just a lack of focus during the game."

Penn State's report card from this game, its first loss to an unranked team since 2021, reflects all of it.

OFFENSE: C

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Quarterback Drew Allar played his best game of the season, completing 73 percent of his passes and rushing for a (wow) team-high 78 yards. He pounded his chest trying to induce a miracle after hitting Khalil Dinkins for a 40-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

But he got squeezed by a run game that Penn State's offensive staff still can't figure out. Nicholas Singleton out-touched Kaytron Allen again, rushing 11 times for 39 yards, and was on the field for the critical fourth-down series on which the Nittany Lions sought to tie the game. On his most important carry of the game, Singleton lost a yard. There were further inconsistencies, sure, and Luke Reynolds' third-quarter fumble hurt, but 30 offensive points should have been more than enough.

Penn State tried some changes to its offensive line, notably by starting T.J. Shanahan Jr. over Anthony Donkoh, who was listed as questionable but replaced struggling right tackle Nolan Rucci. But UCLA still managed six tackles for loss, two by bulldozing defensive tackle Jacob Busic.

DEFENSE: F

UCLA Bruins running back Jalen Berger (0) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

This might have been the worst defensive performance of a Franklin-coached team, considering the coordinator and opponent. Jim Knowles largely held Iamaleava in check last in last year's playoff, when Knowles was at Ohio State and Iamaleava was at Tennessee. This time, Iamaleava scrambled his way to career-highs in yards (128) and touchdowns (three) against a defense that had no midfield team speed beyond linebacker Amare Campbell. The Nittany Lions really missed injured linebacker Tony Rojas.

But the problems were everywhere. UCLA converted its first five third-down attempts and went 10-for-16 overall while averaging 7.4 yards per attempt. The Bruins converted three third downs of nine yards or longer. On one of them, Iamaleava scrambled for 52. Penn State knew Iamaleava would run but expected it more on first and second down. The quarterback's third-down run game stunned them. As a result, UCLA ran for 269 yards, the most against a Penn State defense since Michigan took apart the Nittany Lions for 418 in 2022.

All this from a UCLA offense that, entering this game, ranked last in the Big Ten in scoring offense, total offense, time of possession and third-down success rate.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Liam Clifford (2) celebrates with offensive lineman Dominic Rulli (52) after scoring a touchdown on a blocked punt during the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Penn State's special teams were involved in two of the game's most consequential plays. In the first quarter, UCLA executed a perfect onside kick, placing the ball in a completely open space on the left side of Penn State's front. Franklin said that he expected UCLA to try something aggressive, yet the group looked unprepared for it. "That’s something we’ve always got to be ready for," defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said. "I do know [coordinator Justin Lustig] always preaches, 'Make sure you see the ball off the tee.' And obviously we didn’t do that.

Then in the third quarter, Dennis-Sutton got a free release up the middle to block a punt that Liam Clifford returned for a potential game-changing touchdown. It didn't hold up, though, as the Bruins scored twice more after that. One more note: Penn State allowed UCLA punter Will Karoll to run off about 6 seconds of clock in taking a safety late in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Nittany Lions began their final drive with just 12 seconds.

COACHING: F

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin (middle) looks on after his team lost to the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

After the game, Franklin said that Penn State was unprepared and "did not handle last week's loss well." That hasn't been an issue for four years, since the Nittany Lions lost to Illinois in nine overtimes after falling at Iowa as the nation's fourth-ranked team. But this game went awry from the start, and Franklin couldn't get it back.

His defensive coordinator could not solve Iamaleava's scrambles, his offensive coordinator couldn't find Kaytron Allen on the sideline and his special teams coordinator couldn't make his unit respect the onside kick.

OVERALL: D

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) is tackled by UCLA Bruins defensive back Andre Jordan Jr. (2) and defensive back Key Lawrence (4). | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Congratulations, nine-overtimes, you're no longer the worst loss of Franklin's tenure at Penn State. Considering everything this team began the season expecting to accomplish, and everything it still had to play for after falling to Oregon, this represents a new low. On the impact scale, this might be Penn State's worst loss since 1999, when unranked Minnesota kicked a last-second field goal to topple the unbeaten Nittany Lions. Overall, a grim day.