This time there would be no turning back. There would be no shrugging off a bad first half. There would be no plausible excuses.

UCLA was outclassed from start to finish in a 42-13 loss to Indiana on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, raising concerns about the Bruins’ ability to make a successful debut season for coach DeShaun Foster.

It was a frustrating follow-up to a poor opener that the Bruins pulled out of thanks to a strong second half. They were given a bye week to correct the breakdowns they endured against Hawaii, but they only looked worse in their Big Ten Conference opener.

Their defense couldn’t do much against Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who completed pass after pass for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Their own quarterback, Ethan Garbers, fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and didn’t do much to save himself.

There appears to be no improvement in sight for the Bruins (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) with games against nationally ranked Louisiana State, Oregon and Penn State.

Indiana (3-0, 1-0) was superior in every way, outscoring UCLA 430-238 in total yards, and fans were thrilled to be back in the stadium for the first time since the 1968 Rose Bowl.

Indiana wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams dives into the end zone to score a touchdown in the first half of the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Any remaining hope for the Bruins was extinguished when Rourke completed his fourth touchdown pass on a 23-yard connection to Omar Cooper Jr. midway through the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers held a 35-13 lead and most of the blue-and-gold wearers among the 47,811 spectators headed home.

There were hardly any highlights for the Bruins.

With a daring escape maneuver, Garbers prevented his team from being eliminated in the first half for the second game in a row.

Just when it looked like Garbers was going to be sacked for a huge loss at the Indiana 30-yard line, he spun away from defenders and ran all the way to the one-yard line. Bruins running back TJ Harden plowed into the end zone on the next play to cut his team’s deficit to 21-7.

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers passes during the first half on Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Before that, it had been all Hoosiers. In a sign of things to come, Rourke completed five of six passes on his team’s opening drive, including a three-yard touchdown to Miles Cross.

Meanwhile, the Bruins were off to a less-than-synchronized start. On the first play from scrimmage, Garbers lost his grip on the ball and fumbled at the UCLA 17. Indiana scored a touchdown three plays later on Ke’Shawn Williams’ 14-yard catch.

Indiana was a model of efficiency in the first half, making six of eight third downs. The most impressive was a one-handed, 33-yard catch by Cross that put the ball at the Bruins’ one-yard line. Justice Ellison ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play, giving the Hoosiers a 21-0 lead.

They had only just begun.