Bruins defense scrambling to plug holes

There is no free fall in Westwood, though UCLA did drop from seventh to 20th in the Associated Press poll.

The 38-23 loss to Arizona State on Saturday did not severely damage the Bruins’ season. But it did underscore the need for defensive adjustments.

Attrition has set in, and the Bruins are scrambling to plug holes.

Arizona State rolled up 465 yards, 192 gained on the ground. And that was a week after Arizona had 468 yards, with 353 in the run game.

Injuries have changed the look of UCLA’s defense.

“When you eliminate certain players from the puzzle, it has to fit together a little differently,” Coach Jim Mora said.

Big pieces have been removed from the table. Linebacker Myles Jack, defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes and cornerback Fabian Moreau are lost for the season. Linebacker Jayon Brown, Jack’s replacement, sat out the Arizona State game and starting cornerback Marcus Rios played little.

Mora said that it has slightly altered how the Bruins do business on defense.

“Every player has a strengths and weakness,” Mora said. “The challenge for us is making sure we constantly are doing the best job identifying what they do well.”

The bye week, Mora said, will help.

“It will give us a chance to settle in a little bit,” Mora said. “We came out of camp and felt really good where we were defensively. The things that have happened threw us into a little state of flux. I’d like to see us get back to doing what we can do, what is better for us.”

Arizona State had 134 yards rushing in the second half. That included a final 23-yard touchdown run by Kalen Ballage that looked more like a group hug as the offensive linemen and receivers appeared to push Ballage through UCLA players the last 15 yards.

UCLA’s defense was on the field for 37 minutes.

It has to be concerning for the Bruins, who play a physical Stanford team Oct. 15.

“I’ve always looked in the mirror first, not out the window,” defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. “So I look at myself first.”

Breakdowns

A few plays don’t make a game. But there were moments that highlighted what was happening on the field.

—UCLA was trailing, 15-10, when Josh Rosen found a wide-open Nate Iese on a third-and-five play. Iese dropped the ball. Instead of a first down inside the Arizona State 40-yard line, the Bruins punted.

—The Sun Devils, faced with third and six on their next possession, got a six-yard run from quarterback Mike Bercovici. He scored on a 34-yard run three plays later.

—UCLA got an erratic throw on third down by Josh Rosen and punted.

—Mike Bercovici connected with Kody Kohl for a 32-yard play on third and 11. Later in the drive, Bercovici threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Foster.

Those four third-down plays turned a five-point game into a 29-10 Arizona State lead.

“I can’t tell you one thing that was difficult, I can tell you we were inconsistent — and inconsistency will lose you a game,” receiver Jordan Payton said. “A team like ASU, who wanted it, their heart was in right place. We battled, but we have to be consistent.”

As for where the Bruins go from here, Payton said, “I don’t tend to look at all the hoopla. I look at what is in front of me and why it happened. I know we took a loss tonight and we have to fix it.”

Rios returns

Rios had a scare this week, after suffering migraine headaches and sinus troubles. It was similar to the problems he had in 2012, when he nearly died of a fungal infection. He spent three days in the hospital last week.

“They put him on an IV and made sure the fungal infection wasn’t back,” Mora said. “They determined it was something else. They are going to be very, very, very, very careful with what he’s gone through.”

Rios played briefly Friday.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfostrerlatimes