PASADENA, Calif. – A huge mystery in Washington’s 46-16 loss to UCLA Saturday was the plight of standout receiver Reggie Williams.
Why, after Williams caught eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the first half, did he catch just two more passes the rest of the game?
And after explanations by Williams, quarterback Cody Pickett, UW head coach Keith Gilbertson and offensive coordinator John Pettas, it remains a mystery.
What’s not a mystery is this: After Pickett enjoyed a creditable first half in which he was 21 of 30 passing for 218 yards and a touchdown, he completed just six of 12 passes for 63 yards and two interceptions.
“We had a lot of stuff called to Reggie,” Gilbertson said. “He wanted the ball and sometimes it just didn’t get there.”
UCLA inexplicably had 5-foot-9 corner Matt Clark on the 6-4 Williams through much of the first half. Except, when Washington got close to the goal line, where the Huskies like to use Williams on fade routes, in which he can win jump balls with almost any corner you name. In those situations, UCLA’s 6-3 corner Matt Ware drew the assignment.
In the second half, said UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, the Bruins switched up coverages.
“We matched up better with him with zone and man,” he said. “We were able to put pressure on Cody and make him hold the ball longer than he wanted. We made some great adjustments on defense.”
No, they didn’t, Williams said.
“I was open every time because they were scared of me,” he said.
So why didn’t he get the ball more in the second half?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I felt I was open every time. No one, not Ware or anyone else they put on me, could stop me.”
Said Pickett: “I got him the ball every time he was open. A couple times, I threw him the ball when he wasn’t open. You can’t get him the ball every play or they’re going to send more guys over there.”
Red zone blues: Washington place-kicker Evan Knudson made all three of his field-goal attempts, but Washington coach Keith Gilbertson said the Huskies should have had more points than that.
Penalties, missed passes and other mistakes prevented Washington from scoring TDs.
The Huskies’ opening drive penetrated Bruin territory to the 16, but Williams ran into Ware and was called for pass interference. That spotted the ball at the 31, and Washington had to settle for a field goal.
In the second quarter, the Huskies had the ball, first-and-10, on the Bruin 11-yard line, but the drive stalled after two running plays netted just 4 yards and Pickett missed Zach Tuiasosopo on pass. Another field goal.
Toward the end of the first half, Pickett methodically took the Huskies downfield, but missed on two of three passes before Rich Alexis took a handoff 27 yards to the Bruin 19-yard line. Again, Washington settled for a field goal.
“I’m very upset about our red-zone performance,” Gilbertson said. “It was very poor. You’ve got to get touchdowns out of those. You’ve got to get the ball in the end zone.”
Bruin receiver moves up: UCLA wideout Craig Bragg passed Cormac Carney and Dorrell to rank ninth on the all-time Bruins reception list. Bragg had eight catches Saturday, 115 for his career.
“He’s only a junior, so that’s a slap in the face,” Dorrell joked. “What better person than him to pass me?”
Short bursts: After Roc Alexander had two straight poor kickoff returns, he was replaced by Charles Frederick. Reserve quarterback/slotback Isaiah Stanback also took his turn on the kickoff-return team … Thirty-nine second-half points are the most UCLA has scored since the Bruins put up 45 on Houston in a 66-10 win Oct. 4, 1997 … UCLA defensive end Dave Ball had 1/2sacks Saturday to give him a career total of 23, fifth on the all-time UCLA list.
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