Ucla football

Breaking down the most notable storylines that came out of the Bruins' win over the Utes on Saturday.

It feels odd to set expectations so high, given how UCLA has performed over the past seven years, and maybe they'll fail to meet them yet again. An undefeated season may sound outlandish, but the Bruins are technically halfway there, and the strength of schedule will be pretty steady from this point on. ESPN's FPI gives UCLA the 17th-best chances of making the CFP, but the system still has Utah above them, along with two-loss Texas and Notre Dame teams. Those three are also leading the way for ranked, undefeated Power Five teams as well, and Thompson-Robinson is safely on that same tier with them when it comes to the postseason awards race. At this point, an appearance in the Pac-12 championship game should be widely expected of UCLA. Thompson-Robinson became UCLA's all-time leader in passing touchdowns on Saturday too, adding to the historical importance of his super senior campaign. Maybe the craziest part of his 236.2 passer rating on the day is that it would have been 256.0 if Kelly didn't try to go for it on fourth down up by 17 in field goal range with less than a minute left. On the ground, he's up to 231 yards and four touchdowns. It should not go overlooked just how special the first half of this season has been, considering the Bruins haven't started 6-0 since 2005. All over the field, transfers new and old were making big plays to lift UCLA to victory. The 2017 season opener against Texas A&M will not be soon forgotten, nor will the 2018 win over USC behind Joshua Kelley's instantly iconic performance. Running back Zach Charbonnet, who came over from Michigan in 2021, rushed for 198 yards and a touchdown.

Chip Kelly often looks like he'd rather face a firing squad than reporters. The UCLA coach parses questions, looking for any flaw in their logic.

15 Washington](https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2022-10-01/ucla-finds-its-clutch-gene-four-takeaways-from-victory-over-washington). [Zach Charbonnet](https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/liveblog/ucla-utah-live-updates-college-football-blog-start-time-score) ran for a career-high 198 yards and a touchdown against the Utes, blowing through holes and bouncing off defenders like he was playing bumper cars. The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in fumbles recovered (five), rank third in interceptions (seven) and rank fourth in sacks (15). [The Bruins](https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla) are [No. Rising ran the two yards for a two-point conversion, cutting UCLA’s lead to 21-18. Grayson’s penalty was enforced on the kickoff, allowing Utah to kick the ball from midfield. [Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson](https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2022-10-08/dorian-thompson-robinson-ucla-best-quarterback-la-utah) is finally getting some national attention after accounting for nine touchdowns — seven passing, two rushing — in the victories over Washington and Utah, but how about that running back? UCLA is generating a consistent pass rush, regularly forcing turnovers and getting big stops. 11 in the latest Associated Press poll](https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2022-10-09/ap-top-25-georgia-alabama-ohio-state-usc-ucla), rising seven spots and leapfrogging four teams that won Saturday. 11 UCLA (6-0 overall, 3-0 Pac-12) has won nine consecutive games going back to last season, giving Kelly a 24-25 record at the school. Kelly was gracious, engaging and even a touch humorous, apologizing to a columnist for not watching his appearances on television. The 15-minute interview was the longest since his introductory press conference in November 2017.

Nationwide and West Coast reactions pour in after UCLA throttles Utah, changes Pac-12 race · Share this article · DTR RESPECT · AWAKENING · SOARING · NOT USC -- YOU ...

Zach Charbonnet has been terrific today too with 165 rushing yards and Duke transfer Jake Bobo has two TD catches. Offense has absolutely nothing in the red zone. Not only did it protect DTR, but gave him time and space to work. The offensive line has to be recognized for its efforts. [October 8, 2022] Chip Kelly’s team answered the call in every way possible, defeating Utah 42-32.

Utah's defense allowed 42 points and 511 total yards against UCLA. Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns and also ...

Jordan Noyes was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts, missing a 43-yarder to end the first half. Here are three things Utah football can improve on after the loss to UCLA. UCLA was leading 21-18 with 3:47 left in the third quarter and Utah appeared to force a three-and-out after Thompson-Robinson’s pass was incomplete on third-and-6. Instead, Utah linebacker Karene Reid was called for roughing the passer, giving UCLA a first down. We couldn’t get a stop the rest of the way,” Whittingham said. He was 18-for-23 and only had one mistake all game — a pick-six with 50 seconds left and the game wrapped up in a situation where UCLA should have been running.

QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 18 of 23 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns to lead the No. 18-ranked UCLA football team past No.

Tavion Thomas capped the Utes’ drive with a five-yard touchdown rush with 3:14 to go in the second quarter. Five plays later, Thompson-Robinson connected with Jake Bobo in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown pass. UCLA took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter on a seven-play, 97-yard drive after linebacker Darius Muasau had intercepted a pass to secure possession for the Bruins. Cameron Rising scored on a six-yard touchdown carry and then kept the ball on the two-point attempt, a two-yard run for the Utes’ quarterback. Leading 14-10 at halftime, UCLA added to its lead with a touchdown on the opening possession in the third quarter. Utah countered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion midway through the third quarter.

Pasadena, Calif. • One game is not going to define your season, but there is a caveat there as it pertains to the University of Utah.

That included a 27-yard return out to the 29, a 33-yard return out to the 39, and a 43-yard return out to the 48. Both are 3-0 in the Pac-12, both have a bye this week. UCLA is a contender, which was not the case last season. USC is a contender, which was not the case last season. The gigantic Pac-12 game coming up is now UCLA-Oregon in Eugene on Oct. A year ago, the Pac-12 was split into divisions, with the winner of each playing in the Pac-12 championship game. It can score a ton, but you’re watching the games, you’re paying attention, right? A game-altering moment at a time where Utah’s defense was all but off the field? The result was Reid making enough contact where a roughing the passer penalty was warranted. Later on that drive, on first-and-10 from the 28, Rising hung in the pocket, but was picked off at the 5 by Darius Muasau as he tried to squeeze one into Yassmin through heavy traffic. I didn’t totally grasp this sound bite in the moment, and it’s a little tough to grasp now. That number has a lot to do with, and Kyle Whittingham alluded to this a few weeks ago, SUU and San Diego State not looking to throw the ball much, so the passing defense number, which was at one point 90 yards per game, probably was not indicative of, well, anything at that point.