BOULDER, Colo. _ Life without Josh Rosen never gets any easier.
UCLA learned it would play the rest of its season without its star quarterback Thursday and the Bruins pressed on in familiar fashion.
They played well in spurts. They had a chance to go ahead in the final minutes. They lost.
Two special teams breakdowns prevented any last-second drama during UCLA's 20-10 loss to No. 15 Colorado at Folsom Field in a sloppy, penalty-marred game.
Colorado's Isaiah Oliver returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown with 5 minutes 27 seconds left, sidestepping UCLA snapper Johnny Den Bleyker and punter Stefan Flintoft on the way to the end zone.
Bruins freshman kicker Andrew Strauch then pulled a 36-yard field goal wide left, one of three missed field goals by UCLA. On the previous play, Bruins receiver Eldridge Massington dropped a pass in the end zone.
UCLA's fourth consecutive defeat assures the Bruins (3-6 overall, 1-5 Pac-12 Conference) of their most losses in a season under Coach Jim Mora and leaves them facing the strong likelihood that they will not play in a bowl game for the first time since 2010. UCLA needs to win its final three games _ against Oregon State, USC and California _ to become eligible for a bowl.
The possibilities are far more tantalizing for Colorado.
The Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1, No. 21 in AP) maintained their hold on the Pac-12 South Division lead while matching their win total in conference play from the previous five seasons combined. UCLA had won all five previous games between the teams since Colorado joined the Pac-12 before the 2011 season.
It was a day of disappointment for the Bruins. Mora disclosed before the game that Rosen was out for the rest of the season because of the lingering effects of a shoulder injury suffered last month against Arizona State.
UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul did not have one of his stronger showings, completing 15 of 29 passes for 185 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Bruins renewed their commitment to running the ball, without much to show for it. UCLA gained 25 yards rushing and averaged 0.8 yards per carry. Tailback Soso Jamabo gained 66 yards in 23 carries, but Fafaul was sacked three times and the Bruins also lost 22 yards after a snap sailed over Fafaul's head.
UCLA was still within a field goal with 6{ minutes left after defensive end Rick Wade blocked Chris Graham's 36-yard field goal, but the Bruins' next drive included a dropped pass from Jamabo and a sack of Fafaul on third down.
Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau showed some grit late in the third quarter when he twice escaped sacks on the same play to complete a first-down pass. UCLA's defense showed some senselessness on the same drive by registering penalties for a facemask, unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.
But Bruins defensive end Takkarist McKinley sacked Liufau on third down and Colorado's Chris Graham had to kick a 37-yard field goal that gave the Buffaloes a 13-10 early in the fourth quarter.
The Bruins escaped potential embarrassment midway through the third quarter after an illegal-substitution penalty allowed Colorado to convert a fourth and one at the UCLA eight-yard line. But the Bruins' defense held inside the five, forcing Colorado to kick a 21-yard field goal that pulled the Buffaloes into a 10-10 tie.
UCLA's defense forced four turnovers in the first half, but the Bruins converted the takeaways into only three points on freshman kicker J.J. Molson's career-best 48-yard field goal.
They also failed to score any points after getting a first and goal at the nine-yard line. Two runs that went nowhere and an incompletion were followed by a blocked field goal.
The UCLA defense was far more productive. Safety Tahaan Goodman and linebacker Cameron Judge intercepted passes from Liufau, which was noteworthy because the quarterback had gone 152 passes without an interception prior to Goodman's takeaway.
McKinley later walloped Liufau from his blindside, forcing a fumble that linebacker Jayon Brown returned 49 yards to the Colorado 18. Liufau was hurt on the play and forced to leave the game for the rest of the first half. His replacement, Steven Montez, fared no better, having his second pass intercepted by UCLA safety Randall Goforth.
The Bruins called more running plays in the first quarter (11) than they had in their previous game against Utah (10). It didn't amount to much as UCLA gained only 31 yards in the first half when factoring in a 22-yard loss caused by the snap that sailed over Fafaul's head.
Fafaul was largely responsible for both touchdowns in the first half. He forced a pass into coverage that was intercepted by Colorado linebacker Kenneth Olugbode, leading to the game's first points on tailback Phillip Lindsay's one-yard touchdown run.
But Fafaul pulled the Bruins into a 7-7 tie later in the first quarter when he connected with receiver Darren Andrews along the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown pass.
