PASADENA, Calif. — Second-year head coach DeShaun Foster threw around words like buzz after UCLA signed quarterback Nico Iamaleava this offseason. The Tennessee transfer justifiably came in with plenty of hype, and a new offensive coordinator brought in its own expectations.

Instead, what transpired late Saturday night was quickly a season-opening dud — but mostly because the Bruins’ offense had to be otherworldly to make up for the other side of the ball.

UCLA trailed by 20 before coming up with a response, as the defense never showed resistance in a 43-10 loss to Utah in front of an announced attendance of 35,032 fans at the Rose Bowl.

“A lot of stuff to learn from. Not the outcome we wanted in the first game, but we’ve just got to learn from this,” Foster said.

The Bruins (0-1) were gashed for 492 yards, including 286 on the ground, and the Utes converted 14 of 16 third-down opportunities to dominate the contest.

Utah (1-0) averaged 5.3 yards per carry thanks in large part to New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier, who was elusive on his feet but mostly had as much time as needed to operate in a clean pocket. Dampier ran for a game-high 87 yards and a touchdown and completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two more scores.

“He’s a good quarterback, he’s mobile,” Bruins linebacker Isaiah Chisom said. “Something coming into the game we knew that we had to focus on. But, you know, good players make plays, and that’s what was happening.”

Iamaleava finished 11-of-22 passing for 136 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He ran 13 times for a team-high 47 yards, as the Utes’ defense got pressure as the game wore on.

Iamaleava was sacked four times, including twice by Utah defensive end John Henry Daley.

“Man, we just didn’t execute well. Gotta finish drives,” Iamaleava said. “You know, coach Tino (Sunseri) put us all in the right position to go out there and execute. Me personally, I gotta be better.”

Turning point of the game

The defense’s early issues included a lack of pressure up front and an inability to tackle. UCLA safety Key Lawrence whiffed on an attempt that led to Smith Snowden’s 8-yard touchdown run to push Utah’s lead to 13-0 before the end of the opening quarter.

Trailing 20-0 in the second, Iamaleava briefly gave the Bruins their only signs of life on a drive that featured his own 21-yard run and later a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Anthony Woods with 6:46 left in the half.

UCLA then finally got a third-down stop after Utah converted its first six opportunities. Cornerback Rodrick Pleasant forced an incompletion and Chisom stopped Dampier on the run to force a punt.

However, the Bruins were unable to cut into the deficit any further before heading into the locker room down 23-7 after Utes kicker Dillon Curtis’ 54-yard field goal as time expired.

With possession to open the second half, UCLA had a promising drive stall and settled for a 46-yard field goal from Mateen Bhaghani to pull within 23-10.

The defense continued to show an inability to tackle, and it was clear before the fourth that there would be no comeback. The dagger was a 20-play, 80-yard drive that lasted more than 9 1/2 minutes and ended with a 2-yard Dampier touchdown on fourth-and-goal.

Early in the fourth, Iamaleava threw an interception on a short throw over the middle to Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds with 8:37 remaining to underscore the all-around uninspiring performance.

UCLA postgame press conference

Below is what Foster, Iamaleava and Chisom had to say following the loss:

UCLA standout on offense: RB Anthony Woods

One of the few bright spots was the former Idaho and Utah running back who appeared in his first game since sitting out all of last season with a knee injury.

Starting running back Jalen Berger was ineffective early and California transfer Jaivian “Jet” Thomas” didn’t fare much better. Woods then entered the game at the start of the Bruins’ third drive early in the second quarter.

Woods ran for 13 yards on three carries and led the team with three catches for 48 yards to provide a momentary spark.

UCLA standout on defense: N/A

After a performance like this one, it’s easy to make this short and sweet: There were no glimmers of encouraging moments on defense.

The quality of opponent certainly didn’t help, but there’s plenty to clean up before next week’s contest at UNLV.

Why UCLA lost

The Bruins were thoroughly outclassed in the trenches. The Utes had possession for more than 37 minutes and dictated the action.

Utah ran for 164 yards in the first half to set the tone.

UCLA never contained Dampier and did little to make life difficult. The team’s tackling was a glaring issue.