In Pasadena, Colorado's offensive line was the demise of the Buffs as they fell 28-16 to No. 23 UCLA on Saturday.

On almost every snap of the game, Shedeur Sanders was smothered by UCLA’s dominant front and was sacked 7 times with small windows of opportunity to find his receivers downfield. Sanders completed 27 of his 43 pass attempts for 217 yards and one touchdown.

As Sanders couldn’t catch a break with blue uniforms swarming him throughout the game, offensive coordinator Sean Lewis didn’t turn to the run game much to ease the burden on Sanders.

Colorado got its first touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Jimmy Horn Jr.

The Buffs were outgained 487-255 over the course of the game, but by the end of the first three quarters Colorado was just trailing one possession until the Bruins found their rhythm late.

In the first half, it was a tale of two defenses as both offenses struggled to find the end zone.

Colorado’s pass protection completely faltered as Sanders was sacked 5 times and had just seconds to get the ball out on many snaps. UCLA’s front was certainly a concern heading into this matchup, and on the field, the Bruins’ defense flew through the Buffs' line. Colorado collected only nine yards rushing with a total 107 yards of offense.

After the Buffs first two field goals, they punted on the following five drives.

It was an unfortunate offensive half as the Buffs' defense produced four turnovers to potentially give the offense some leverage. Travis Hunter had two skilled interceptions while Rodrick Ward and Shilo Sanders forced the ball out from Bruins running back Carson Steele.

The Buffs executed a strong defensive half, but then lost one of their best tacklers as Shiloh Sanders was ejected for targeting on a call that looked like it could have gone either way.

Rolling into the second half, the Buffs’ defense lost some steam as UCLA only needed two plays to score a touchdown right out of the gates. Similar trends on the offensive line gave Sanders minimal looks resulting in few gains producing just 53 yards and a field goal in the third quarter.

Receiver Xavier Weaver had the biggest play of the game with 45 of those 53 yards on a deep ball from Sanders.

Colorado’s offense struggled to run the ball with 11 carries for 38 rushing yards, one touchdown and an overall lack of momentum throughout the game. The Buffs head back to Boulder with a frustrating loss.

Q1

CU: Alejando Mata 31-yard field goal, 3-0

CU: Alejandro Mata 39-yard field goal, 6-0

Q2

UCLA: Carson Steele 3-yard reception (PAT KICK by R.J. Lopez GOOD)

Q3

UCLA: Moliki Matavao 26-yard reception (PAT KICK by R.J. Lopez GOOD)

CU: Alejandro Mata 34-yard field goal

Q4

UCLA: TJ .Harden 3-yard rush (PAT KICK by RJ. Lopez GOOD)

UCLA: Collin Schlee 7-yard rush (PAT KICK by R.J. Lopez GOOD)

CU: Jimmy Horn Jr. 18-yard reception (PAT KICK by Ajejandro Mata GOOD)

Passing

Shedeur Sanders – 27/43, 217 yards, 1 touchdown

Rushing

Alton McCaskill – 2 rushes, 14 yards

Dylan Edwards – 4 rushes, 12 yards

Sy'veon Wilkerson – 2 rushes, 11 yards

Receiving

Xavier Weaver – 5 catches, 86 yards

Jimmy Horn Jr. – 6 catches, 35 yards, 1 touchdown

Kaleb Mathis – 4 catches, 15 yards

Defense

Trevor Woods – 12 tackles (9 solo), 1 pass breakups

Jordan Domineck – 9 tackles (5 solo), 2 sacks

LaVonta Bentley – 8 tackles (6 solo), 1 sack

Deeve Harris – 6 tackles (2 solo), 1 tackle for loss

Amari McNiell – 5 tackles (3 solo), 1 tackle for loss