The Bruins fought through the penalties and the dropped passes and the missed tackles Saturday against Arizona State, a big defensive stop producing one last chance with 93 seconds left.
UCLA trailed by three points and needed only to drive into field-goal range behind the play of a quarterback who finally resembled the player the Bruins hoped they were getting as a graduate transfer.
Consecutive false starts pushed the Bruins back and bled precious seconds off the clock, the final indignities of a 31-28 loss at Sun Devil Stadium.
The penalties forced Speight to heave a desperation pass over the middle that fell incomplete on the game’s last play, giving UCLA another reminder of how close the Bruins are to a breakthrough as well as how much work remains to be done.