For the second straight season, UCLA has dropped back-to-back games in the middle of the season.

Last fall, the Bruins hit the road and fell to Stanford and Oregon, then respectively ranked No. 13 and No. 2. They only fell to 17th in the AP poll, and eventually rebounded to finish the season one spot higher. This fall, they were upset at home by unranked Utah, and then exposed by the Ducks in a 42-30 decision that knocked them from the rankings.

Despite the disparate circumstances, one player sees a common thread.

"It feels like the world is against you," said receiver Jordan Payton. "When you lose two in a row, you feel like you've lost 10."

For all the Bruins' talk about mental toughness and discipline and never giving up, Saturday's 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Cal is their biggest chance yet to prove that those words have substance.

UCLA (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) hasn't beaten the Bears in Berkeley since 1998, when it won 28-16 and made a pair of goal-line stands to remain undefeated through six games. Two years ago, the Bruins traveled to the Bay Area and left what arguably remains their worst loss under Jim Mora: a 43-17 blowout to a Cal squad that finished 3-9 and eventually fired head coach Jim Tedford.

Linebacker Myles Jack said on Saturday that UCLA's season could tilt in either direction now. The team's performance at Memorial Stadium could become an anchor, either to stabilize the Bruins or sink them.

"The teammates have been picking each other up," Payton said. "We've been drawing closer to each other, which is phenomenal. It's hard to do when you lose to understand that now, we have to be tighter than ever and just focus.

"Now, we have to win. Now, we have to do everything right. Now, our backs are fully against the wall."

Missed chance

The Bruin offense has looked listless to start nearly every game this season, having totaled just 22 points through six first quarters. Those struggles were on display again against the Ducks.

Early in the second quarter, UCLA marched down to second-and-goal on Oregon's 4-yard line. Quarterback Brett Hundley looked left to a wide-open Devin Fuller, but linebacker Tony Washington tipped the ball -- forcing Fuller to dive for a 2-yard gain.

"It was like a walk-in touchdown," Hundley said. "Things like that, basically, sort of shot us."

Instead of potentially tying the score, UCLA settled for a field goal and trimmed its deficit to 8-3. The Ducks then went on a 34-7 run, sending fans out of the Rose Bowl before the end of the third quarter.

Asked if scoring a touchdown on that second-quarter drive would have changed the team's momentum against the Ducks, Hundley said: "It's hard to get into what-ifs, but I would imagine so. It'd be closer at the start, and then maybe stuff would have went better from there."

Colorado kickoff

UCLA's Oct. 28 trip to Colorado will kick off at 11 a.m., marking the Bruins' earliest start since their season opener at Virginia. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

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