It was the latest start in UCLA football history, a season twice delayed culminating in the game's first kickoff sailing into cool November air.
Somehow, it felt like a repeat.
There were the turnovers. The defense getting smushed. The huge early deficit.
The Bruins' bid to reverse their plunging fortunes under coach Chip Kelly hit a new low Saturday evening at Folsom Field. In a game it was widely expected to win, UCLA was outclassed by Colorado during a 48-42 loss in the debut of Karl Dorrell, the Buffaloes coach whose final act in the same post with the Bruins was walking stonefaced up the Coliseum tunnel after a 2007 loss to USC.
Those might have qualified as the good old days compared to what happened Saturday.
Four turnovers in the first 1 1/2 quarters sent UCLA spiraling toward what became a 28-point deficit. It would have been unimaginable had the Bruins not experienced similar messes in recent seasons. Anyone remember the quick 21 points UCLA spotted Oregon State or the 32-point hole against Washington State in 2019?
This has become routine for UCLA under Kelly, who has started 0-5 in 2018, 0-3 in 2019 and now 0-1 in 2020. His 7-18 record in three seasons has not yielded much return on investment, particularly given he's making $4.3 million this season.
The Bruins momentarily looked as if they might write a better ending to their latest tale of woe.
Redshirt freshman Keegan Jones pulled UCLA to within 42-35 late in the third quarter after he caught a screen pass for a 26-yard touchdown, prompting some momentary drama for the 554 family members of both teams permitted to attend the game amid a pandemic.
But the Buffaloes tacked on two field goals and got two fourth-down stops, stuffing UCLA running back Brittain Brown for no gain and benefiting from a shaky throw from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson that fell incomplete.
The turnovers were the story early in the game. Thompson-Robinson, who said he did not commit a turnover in all of training camp, lost a fumble and had a pass intercepted. Kyle Philips fumbled a punt return. Running back Demetric Felton Jr. bobbled a carry.
The Buffaloes continually cashed in on the miscues, building a 35-7 lead late in the second quarter against a UCLA defense that also looked like versions from seasons past. The Bruins played without one defensive player who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week but appeared far more shorthanded in giving up 525 yards while continually missing tackles.
Colorado quarterback Sam Noyer, a converted safety making his first career start, faced little pressure while completing 20 of 31 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. Running back Jarek Broussard was equally prolific, topping 100 yards before halftime on his way to 187 yards.
UCLA wasn't as productive in its running game outside of Thompson-Robinson's 109 yards in nine carries, turning its lonely eyes to the departed Josh Kelley. Felton, making his first start since the 2019 season opener, managed 57 yards in 10 carries, a healthy 5.7 yards per carry but not much of a workload given the Bruins spent most of the game in comeback mode.
