Takeaways From UCLA's 56-6 Loss to Indiana

The UCLA Bruins  (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten) were reminded of the pecking order during their 56-6 shellacking at the hands of the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.

The Bruins were simply outplayed, outcoached and outmatched against Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten). It started on the first drive when UCLA quarterback threw his first interception within a minute of the game to Aiden Fisher, who returned it for a touchdown.

Iamaleava couldn't get anything going. He finished the game 13-of-27 (48%) passing for 113 yards and two interceptions. On the ground, the redshirt sophomore got out for 28 yards on seven scrambles. Iamaleava was sacked three times.

UCLA struggled to get anything going against an overwhelming Indiana defense, including establishing the run game. With Anthony Woods out, the Bruins were already shorthanded in the backfield and finished with just 88 rushing yards on 25 carries, good for an average of just 3.9 yards per rush.

The Bruins go back home and have a bye this week before hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Rose Bowl. UCLA is just two losses away from losing a bowl game bid with a gauntlet ahead of them.

As UCLA heads into its final bye week, let's dive into three of our boldest observations from this loss.

1. Early Season Defensive Woes Returning?

Despite giving up 56 points, UCLA's defense outperformed its offense for the second consecutive week. But, it looks like Bruins defenders are reverting back to a problem that plagued them early in the season -- tackling.

There were plenty of instances in this game where Indiana may have had to punt if UCLA defenders were able to adequately wrap up. One play in stood out in particular, a 16-yard Fernando Mendoza run on 3rd-and-9, where the Heisman quarterback broke a few tackles before gutting out a first down in Indiana's opening drive.

The drive ended in the first of UCLA's two interceptions, but the play was a microcosm of various other defensive mistakes that allowed the game to get out of hand.

2. Offensive Charm Worn Out?

Jerry Neuheisel assumed much of the national credit for UCLA's turnaround after his offensive play-calling debut against Penn State. He followed it up by dropping 38 on Michigan State.

Since then, the Bruins have averaged 11.5 points per game. Saturday against the Hoosiers, UCLA averaged 3.5 yards per rush and just 4.0 yards per pass.

I'm afraid to say it, but as the Bruins' defense has risen over the past few weeks, the offense has fallen off a cliff.

3. Is a Bowl Game Still Possible?

The Bruins drop to 3-5 on the season and are two wins away from not qualifying for a bowl game and matching last season's loss total.

The story of Tim Skipper coming in and leading a 0-4 team to a bowl game turnaround would be a great one, but it's looking more unlikely by the week.

UCLA needs to win three of its last four games of the season. Who are those games against? Nebraska, No. 1 Ohio State, Washington and USC.

Go ahead and count that road game against the Buckeyes as a loss while we're here. This means the Bruins have to beat each of Nebraska, Washington and Southern California to get a bowl game bid. Each of those three teams has either been ranked or received votes to be ranked across multiple weeks this season.

I just don't see it, but I'd love to be wrong.