Adarius Pickett waved his right arm and backpedaled a few feet as the punt descended toward him.
The ball carried a little farther than the UCLA punt returner expected, caroming off his chest and rolling onto the Autzen Stadium turf. Pickett tried to chase it down but was beaten by Oregon’s Tony Brooks-James, who recovered the ball at the Bruins’ 11-yard line.
The devastation was immediate. Pickett held his helmet in his hands and pounded the turf with his right hand. For the second time in as many games, he had muffed a punt.