Once scheduled for a Saturday, UCLA’s final nonconference game was quietly pushed up a day last spring to provide a bigger spotlight for the Bruins.

It revealed perhaps the biggest embarrassment of the early college football season.

There’s no other way to spin it for UCLA after a third consecutive loss during what was supposed to be the soft part of the schedule raised a frightening prospect: Will the Bruins win a game this season?

They didn’t look capable of beating a quality high school team after dropping a second consecutive game to a Mountain West Conference opponent.

UCLA’s 35-10 loss to New Mexico on Friday night at the Rose Bowl represented new depths after the Bruins once again looked lost on both sides of the ball.

“It’s pretty low right now,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster acknowledged after stoically walking off the field and later remaining expressionless when he met with reporters. “I’ve been around this program for a long time and it’s just unfortunate, what’s going on right this moment. Just not executing.”

It appears to be a lot more than that for a team that has been outscored by a combined 108-43 margin this season, a figure that would be even worse had two Lobos drives not ended inside UCLA’s five-yard line on a fumble and a turnover on downs.

Fans started streaming out of the stands midway through the fourth quarter after New Mexico’s Damon Bankston turned a short pass into a 43-yard touchdown, breaking a couple of tackles along the way.

UCLA is not only 0-3 for the first time since 2019, the Bruins have not held a lead this season after falling into another big hole on a night they were 15.5-point favorites. Their defense gave up 6.5 yards per carry and 298 rushing yards against the Lobos (2-1). They were outgained, 450-326, in total yardage. They committed 13 penalties for 116 yards after Foster said reducing penalties would be a priority.

“It blows my mind, you know?” Foster said when asked about his discipline message not getting through to his players. “It blows my mind. It’s something I’ve never been around and we’re going to figure it out.”

A bye week before opening Big Ten play on the road against Northwestern will certainly lead to a long list of questions for Foster after his record fell to 5-10 early in his second season.

Among the possible queries: How does he account for a team that appears as bad on offense as defense after adding star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the biggest name in the transfer portal? Can he rally his team for one victory during a season in which it might not be favored the rest of the way?

Foster insisted he was still the right coach to lead this team. What makes him feel that way?

“Because I can get these boys to play,” he said.

Does Foster agree with those who have remarked that it appears as if he’s overmatched?

“Nope,” he said. “Not at all.”

Foster said a lack of talent was not the issue after a roster overhaul that required 57 players, including 37 transfers in their first season.

“We have enough,” Foster said. “We just have to execute. It’s coming down to execution.”

What makes him think that after back-to-back losses to opponents from a lesser conference?

“There’s people wide open,” Foster said, “they’re not getting the ball, there’s people not catching the ball, there’s people missing blocks, there’s people not making tackles, people not staying in their gaps.”

The Bruins were staring into the abyss after Bankston (154 yards in 15 carries) ran for a two-yard touchdown that put the Lobos up 21-10 with 10:42 left in the game.

It only got worse from there, after things had tilted in the Bruins’ direction in the third quarter when UCLA forced its first turnover of the season.

With New Mexico facing a fourth and one at the Bruins’ five-yard line, Deshaun Buchanan ran for two yards before having the ball stripped by UCLA safety Key Lawrence. Bruins defensive end Devin Aupiu recovered the fumble to thwart the drive.

The Bruins soon benefited from another Lobos mistake after Will Karoll’s punt was muffed and recovered by Kyle Miller at the UCLA 41.

UCLA wide receiver Mikey Matthews is upended by New Mexico cornerback Jon Johnson (12) and safety Caleb Coleman in the first half Friday at the Rose Bowl.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

UCLA eventually drove for Mateen Bhaghani’s 51-yard field goal that shaved the Bruins’ deficit to 14-10 late in the third quarter, but only after left tackle Garrett DiGiorgio was called for false starts on back-to-back plays.

“We gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot, man,” Iamaleava said, “and it’s costing us points.”

It was a third consecutive ho-hum performance for Iamaleava, who has now lost as many games as a Bruin as he did in his final season at Tennessee. The quarterback completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards to go with one touchdown and one interception on a tipped pass.

In keeping with an early season tradition, UCLA found itself down by multiple scores before posting its first points. After trailing 20-0 against Utah and 23-0 against Nevada Las Vegas, the Bruins fell behind 14-0 against the Lobos after displaying more leaky defense and sputtering offense.

New Mexico hurt UCLA with both the run and the pass, following Scottre Humphrey’s one-yard run with Jack Layne’s eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Simon Mapa on fourth and two early in the second quarter.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava runs with the ball during the first half of the Bruins’ loss to New Mexico on Friday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Boos could be heard inside the stadium. More embarrassingly, the Big Sky Conference’s official Twitter site responded to a post jokingly saying that UCLA was reportedly exploring a move to its conference by responding, “No thank you.”

Finally mustering a counter thanks in part to a roughing the passer penalty on the Lobos, UCLA finally got on the board when Iamaleava zipped a 12-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala midway through the second quarter.

The Bruins then mismanaged a final drive before halftime with questionable playcalling and timeout usage. But there was no second-guessing of Foster from his quarterback after the game.

“I totally believe in coach Foster, man,” Iamaleava said. “You know, he gives me self-belief every day I come in the building to go and work. [He] just gives you that want to go out there and practice and practice hard. So, you know, we’re doing him a disservice, not performing for him ‘cause he’s telling us everything we need to hear, he’s telling us everything we need to do, and we’re not executing as players. So it all falls back on the players.”

Ultimately, reminded of his team’s deficiencies across the board, Foster took some responsibility.

“Everything that happens can fall on me,” Foster said. “I’m the head coach, so it can fall on me. We don’t have to try to word things differently or whatnot. I’m the head coach. But what I do know is that eventually this team’s gonna play with discipline. It’s gonna happen. It’s eventually gonna happen.”

The big question facing UCLA and its coach during what figures to be a frustrating fortnight: When?

The first separation Saturday of the college football season is upon us, as a divide between contenders and pretenders will begin to form. High-profile in-league and nonconference games dot the day, which will culminate with a blockbuster evening slate for the SEC.

In the early window, No. 12 Clemson is traveling to Georgia Tech for a big ACC battle. At the same time, No. 19 Alabama will host Wisconsin as the Crimson Tide enter a must-win spot against a Big Ten opponent. The afternoon slate is highlighted by a showdown between No. 6 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee and an in-state battle between No. 5 Miami and No. 18 South Florida.

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Among the evening headliners is a showdown between No. 3 LSU and Florida in a matchup that often produces drama. But the headliner of the evening slate may be No. 8 Notre Dame’s showdown with No. 16 Texas A&M. The Fighting Irish were off in Week 2 following a Week 1 loss at Miami and can ill-afford an 0-2 start on their College Football Playoff quest. 

On the flip side, if the Aggies can march into South Bend and come away with a marquee victory, it would send the A&M hype machine into overdrive. By night’s end, we’ll have a clearer picture of what the national hierarchy looks like.

All times Eastern 

Noon | ESPN fubo (Try for free) This pick is contingent upon King suiting up for Georgia Tech, which seems to be the case as of now. Philo’s a capable backup, but Georgia Tech is going to need King’s edge if it wants to pull off an upset. So far, regardless of who’s playing quarterback, the Yellow Jackets have looked like the better team. They beat Colorado on the road and handled business against an obviously overmatched Gardner-Webb team. Clemson lost at home to LSU and then struggled at home against what should have been an obviously overmatched Troy team. Georgia Tech may not have enough gas to fully pull off the upset, but it will keep it within a field goal. Pick: Georgia Tech +3.5 (-110) — Will Backus 

Noon | ABC Fubo (Try for free) Wisconsin’s offense has not looked great in either of its first two games but managed to hit a few big plays in the passing game last week against Middle Tennessee. For some reason I don’t think the Middle Tennessee team that lost to Austin Peay is in the same weight class as Alabama, so it’s hard for me to imagine the Badgers having a lot of fun on offense here unless Alabama turns the ball over frequently. Pick: Alabama -20.5 — Tom Fornelli

USC at Purdue

3:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium Purdue pulling off the outright upset would be one of the biggest surprises of Week 3, but the rebuilt Boilermakers could have enough to keep this Big Ten opener to a respectable margin. Their path is clear: shorten the game and limit USC’s possessions. Purdue ranks 23rd nationally in called run play percentage (57.0%), while USC’s defense has struggled against the run, sitting tied for 80th in success rate (60.8%). If Purdue controls the tempo on the ground, it can hang around longer than expected. Pick: Purdue +20.5 — Cody Nagel

3:30 p.m. | ABC Fubo (Try for free) Georgia has been inconsistent on offense, but the Bulldogs are demolishing their opponents on defense. Kirby Smart has historically done a solid job locking down Josh Heupel’s offense. Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar will have some moments, but will falter during his first appearance on the big stage. Georgia will pull away at the end, but the under also could be a smart play. Pick: Georgia -3.5 — Shehan Jeyarajah

4:30 p.m. | CW Fubo (Try for free) USF has done great work to set itself up for a College Football Playoff run should the Bulls be able to win the American, but that giant-killer mentality will be put to the test against a Miami team that is an upgrade on both lines of scrimmage. As long as Miami can do a better job of applying pass rush to Byrum Brown and limit the explosive plays that powered each of the last two USF wins, the Hurricanes should be able to defend home turf and win handily. Pick: Miami -17.5 — Chip Patterson

No. 3 LSU vs. Florida 

7:30 p.m. | ABC Fubo (Try for free) Florida is limping in after a loss to South Florida, but the defeat was about poor game management, lapses in discipline and substandard execution. The Gators have plenty of talent, and it’s way too soon to put them on quit watch. LSU’s offense is still finding its way and has yet to illustrate the explosive gear that will likely be required to pull away in SEC games. LSU should win, but Florida’s defense can keep it close. Pick: Florida +7.5 — David Cobb

7:30 p.m. | NBC Fubo (Try for free) It’s been 11 years since Texas A&M defeated a ranked team on the road. Avenging a 10-point loss at home to Notre Dame last season with a win Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium sure would be a nice break from the trend. Marcel Reed provides the Aggies’ offense a different dynamic that the Irish did not have to contend against last season, and for as much as Marcel Reed wants to be known for his passing, the key for him is sparking the rushing attack, which means he needs to tuck the ball and run for hard yards. Notre Dame has the better rushing attack with Jeremiyah Love and has a quarterback, CJ Carr, who proved himself a capable runner when needed. The feeling here is that the Irish run the ball more than the 28 times for 93 yards they had against Miami. Pick: Notre Dame Money line -258 — Brandon Marcello

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