Bruins’ three-game winning streak snapped by Huskies

The UCLA Bruins (4-6) have their three-game losing streak snapped by the Washington Huskies (6-5) on Friday night in a road Big Ten game that saw plenty of problems for the Bruins on both sides of the ball.

It was a close game for the majority of the game as the Bruins never led but stayed in it until the final quarter. Two touchdowns late by the Huskies put the game out of reach as the Bruins fell, 31-19.

Penalties continue to plague this Bruins team as they collected nine flags for 47 yards, including several false start penalties that played a role in the Bruins’ ability to get into rhythm and sustain healthy drives.

Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns and had a pretty solid game. He was pressured hard, sacked six times, which created heavy pressure and forced him to scramble and rush more throws.

Defensively, the Bruins gave up the most points since their Week 7 win over Rutgers, 35-32. They forced two interceptions and were only able to capitalize on three points on those takeaways.

The Huskies made a change at quarterback midway through the ballgame, bringing in freshman running back Demond Williams Jr. They saw two interceptions in the first couple of second-half drives from starter Will Rogers, and the Huskies made the change after that.

Williams came in, led a pivotal touchdown drive and completed 7-9 passes for 67 yards and 31 rushing yards on six carries. He was a big difference in the game when the Huskies turned it up in the second half, specifically in the fourth quarter.

The Bruins struggled mightily to run the football, totaling just 52 yards on the ground. Much different from last week’s performance against the Iowa Hawkeyes when they rushed for over 200 yards. Junior running back TJ Harden had just 33 rushing yards.

Former Bruins offensive coordinator and current Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch went 3-1 against the Bruins in the last four years, dating back to his time at the University of Arizona. They executed accordingly in the second half, making them bowl eligible for the third straight year.

Next week is a must-win game for the Bruins as they need to win their final two games to become bowl eligible. The Crosstown Showdown is on the horizon as the Bruins and USC Trojans (4-5) meet at the Rose Bowl for the final conference game of the year.

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