Josh Rosen leads UCLA to a 56-23 victory over Hawaii
It was Josh Rosen to the rescue once more Saturday at the Rose Bowl, this time from UCLA’s opening drive.
Rosen guided the Bruins to touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions on the way to a 56-23 victory over Hawaii that also involved several notable concerns for UCLA.
Rosen completed 22 of 25 passes for 329 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, with one of the incompletions coming on a dropped pass by Nate Starks. Rosen played one drive in the fourth quarter before giving way to Devon Modster.
But UCLA’s run defense was shredded for a second consecutive game and the Bruins (2-0) yielded 281 yards rushing. UCLA was also without five defensive starters after defensive tackle Boss Tagaloa watched the game in street clothes; linebacker Kenny Young and safeties Adarius Pickett and Jaleel Wadood were injured; and linebacker Josh Woods was ejected for targeting.
Woods’ ejection means he will also have to sit out the first half of UCLA’s game against Memphis next weekend.
Not counting a drive at the end of the Texas A&M game in which Rosen had taken a knee, the Bruins had scored touchdowns on nine consecutive drives before Rosen was sacked on the final play of the first half.
Rosen found a slew of targets including Theo Howard (seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown) and Darren Andrews (four catches for 92 yards and three touchdowns).
Quarterback Dru Brown completed 23 of 38 passes for 227 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Hawaii (2-1).
Hawaii gets a touchdown, reduces deficit to 56-23
UCLA should be thankful for Josh Rosen. Very thankful.
The Bruins’ running game still looks below average and their run defense has been shredded once again. Hawaii’s Cole McDonald just ran for an eight-yard touchdown to pull the Rainbow Warriors within 56-23 with 5:44 left in the game.
UCLA is going to win but it won’t be thanks to its run defense, which has allowed 265 yards rushing. That’s bad even without five starters who have been out for one reason or another.
Devon Modster’s first drive as UCLA’s backup quarterback ends in a safety
The first drive of Devon Modster’s career as the UCLA backup quarterback is probably one he’d rather do over.
His first pass should have been intercepted but was dropped by a defensive back. Then, Modster was sacked in the end zone, giving Hawaii a safety that reduced the Bruins’ lead to 56-16 midway through the fourth quarter.
Josh Rosen has five TD passes and UCLA holds a 56-14 lead in the fourth quarter
Josh Rosen is closing in some school records after throwing his fifth touchdown pass of the game, this one a two-yarder to Caleb Wilson in the corner of the end zone.
UCLA holds a 56-14 lead early in the fourth quarter and that could very well be the end of the day for Rosen, who has completed 22 of 25 passes for 329 yards with the five scores.
Rosen just moved past Cade McNown for the most 300-yard passing games in school history, having notched his 12th.
Bolu Olorunfunmi’s touchdown extends UCLA’s lead to 49-14
Bolu Olorunfunmi got the tribute touchdown he wanted, sprinting up the middle for a one-yard score that extended UCLA’s lead to 49-14 over Hawaii late in the third quarter.
Olorunfunmi’s late father, Peter, would have turned 52 on Sunday and the junior tailback called it a “weekend of remembrance” earlier this week. Olorunfunmi set up his touchdown with a 14-yard run in which he hurdled a defender, flying out of bounds at the one-yard line.
Olorunfunmi has 32 yards in five carries.
Photos from UCLA versus Hawaii
Hawaii’s touchdown trims its deficit to 42-14 midway through third quarter
Hawaii’s John Ursua caught a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dru Brown to pull the Rainbow Warriors within 42-14 midway through the third quarter.
Hawaii had trailed by 35 points, meaning it needs a comeback of even more epic proportions than UCLA compiled last week in wiping out a 34-point deficit against Texas A&M.
Brown had what looked like an earlier touchdown pass overturned upon a video review. He has completed 19 of 28 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against a defense missing four starters.
Josh Rosen’s fourth TD pass gives UCLA a 42-7 lead
Josh Rosen is making it look all too easy, completing his fourth touchdown pass on a 34-yard connection with Darren Andrews to increase UCLA’s lead to 42-7 over Hawaii early in the third quarter.
Bruins receiver Christian Pabico, a walk-on, also made the first two catches of his collegiate career on the scoring drive.
Darnay Holmes interception return gives UCLA a 35-7 lead
UCLA true freshman cornerback Darnay Holmes has made the first big play of his collegiate career, stepping in front of a pass and intercepting it before racing 30 yards for a touchdown that has given the Bruins a 35-7 lead over Hawaii late in the second quarter.
Josh Rosen having a day and UCLA takes a 28-7 lead over Hawaii late in second quarter
After going almost a full season without a trick play in 2016, UCLA is two for two this season.
Tight end Caleb Wilson completed a 39-yard pass to Nate Starks and quarterback Josh Rosen cashed in the trickery shortly thereafter with a nine-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Darren Andrews to give the Bruins a 28-7 lead over Hawaii late in the second quarter.
Rosen has completed 12 of 14 passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns and UCLA has scored touchdowns on nine consecutive drives going back to its season opener against Texas A&M.
UCLA also converted a trick play in that game when Rosen faked a spike and found Jordan Lasley in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.
Injury alert: UCLA safety Jaleel Wadood takes a hit to the head
Demetric Felton touchdown run gives UCLA a 21-7 lead in the second quarter
UCLA has a running game, courtesy of a receiver.
Receiver Demetric Felton lined up at tailback, took a pitch from Josh Rosen and cut outside for a one-yard touchdown run that gave UCLA a 21-7 lead over Hawaii with seven minutes left in the second quarter.
The Bruins are generating some success with their running game, having rushed for 69 yards in 11 carries for an average of 6.3 yards per carry. Nate Starks has led the way with 32 yards in three carries.
Hawaii scores to shave UCLA’s lead to 14-7 in second quarter
Hawaii moved the ball again and finally got on the scoreboard with a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dru Brown to Diocemy Saint Juste that trimmed the Rainbow Warriors’ deficit to 14-7 against UCLA early in the second quarter.
UCLA’s defense is down three starters after linebacker Kenny Young was hurt on a vicious block and safety Adarius Pickett appeared to hurt his right leg or knee. Tackle Boss Tagaloa is not in uniform.
UCLA’s offense keeps rolling, gets another touchdown for 14-0 lead
UCLA is picking back up where it left off on offense against Texas A&M.
The Bruins have scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives, the latest coming on a 26-yard pass from Josh Rosen to Theo Howard. Rosen connected with Howard around the eight-yard line, and Howard cut back inside to evade the defensive back on the way to the end zone.
Rosen has completed seven of eight passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. The only incompletion was a drop by Nate Starks.
Hawaii misses a 50-yard field goal
Hawaii put together its second consecutive decent drive but still has nothing to show for moving the ball after missing a 50-yard field goal.
UCLA defensive end Jaelan Phillips made the big stop on the most recent drive, pulling down Diocemy Saint Juste for a five-yard loss on third down.
Josh Rosen touchdown pass gives UCLA a 7-0 lead
UCLA’s first offensive drive was about as good as it gets.
The Bruins drove 99 yards in only seven plays, with Josh Rosen completing all five of his passes, including a 25-yard touchdown strike to Darren Andrews that gave them a 7-0 lead over Hawaii.
There was also a good start for the much-maligned Bruins running game when an enormous hole opened and Nate Starks ran through it for a 25-yard gain.
Rosen already has 68 yards passing, fulfilling his stated desire to continue the momentum he generated in the final 18 minutes of the comeback victory over Texas A&M in the season opener.
UCLA wins toss and defers to the second half
UCLA won the coin toss and will defer to the second half, meaning that Hawaii will receive the opening kickoff this afternoon at the Rose Bowl.
The matchup of unbeatens is moments away from starting.
UCLA receivers were key to the Bruins’ success against Texas A&M
They always believed in me. If I dropped a pass in practice, they would be like, ‘You’re better than that, Caleb, that’s not like you.’ I think my team really pushed me.
— UCLA tight end Caleb Wilson
Josh Rosen’s eyes momentarily shifted toward the television camera fixed on him before UCLA’s game Sunday, the quarterback winking as one corner of his mouth curled into a smile.
It was as if he knew what was about to happen and who was going to help make it possible.
Rosen’s career-best performance during the Bruins’ crazy comeback victory over Texas A&M was created in large part by the success of his receivers.
Tight end Caleb Wilson’s 15 catches set a school record, and UCLA had three 100-yard receivers in a game for only the second time in school history, joining a 2005 triumph over Arizona State.
Wilson finished the game with a career-high 203 receiving yards. Receiver Darren Andrews set career highs with 12 catches and 142 yards and tied another career high with two touchdown catches. Receiver Jordan Lasley had four catches for 100 yards, including the tying touchdown in the back of the end zone with 43 seconds left.
“We needed it,” UCLA coach Jim Mora said of having three receivers with at least 100 yards. “We wouldn’t have won without that.”
UCLA preparing to face Hawaii at the Rose Bowl
UCLA knows it has a quarterback who can bring his team back from the brink of oblivion. It has a roster rife with players who won’t quit.
But can the Bruins run the ball? Can they stop opposing tailbacks from stomping all over their defense?
Some answers might be forthcoming Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl when UCLA (1-0) plays host to Hawaii (2-0) in what the Bruins hope is a much less stressful followup to the biggest comeback in school history.
UCLA passed for 491 yards during a 45-44 victory over Texas A&M but ran for only 63 yards. The latter figure was worse than the Bruins’ average last season, when they ranked No. 127 out of 128 major college teams in rushing offense.
UCLA’s defense also has something to prove. The Bruins allowed 382 rushing yards against the Aggies, though they did stiffen considerably in the second half to help enable the crazy comeback.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen suggested this week that his team’s offensive struggles before it unspooled 35 unanswered points were at least partially the result of learning a new offense under first-year offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch.
“It’s a little bit of a break-in period,” Rosen said Wednesday, “but we turned it around and hopefully this next game we can just basically play a fifth quarter of what we were at last week and keep going where we left off.”
UCLA’s Bolu Olorunfunmi draws inspiration from his late father
If there’s one thing I learned from my dad, it’s that no matter the situation, you’ve just got to keep fighting through and have faith. You’ve got to work hard and things are not handed to you.
— UCLA running back Bolu Olorunfunmi
Bolu Olorunfunmi hears the message before every game.
Sometimes he’ll play it on his iPhone. If the UCLA tailback worries he might get too emotional, he’ll just think about what was said. He long ago memorized every word from his father’s final voicemail.
Sorry I can’t make it to your game today. I’m proud of you. Everything you said you would do you have done, and I got to see it. Keep going and try to get as far as you can.
Olorunfunmi was surprised to find the voicemail on his phone after his father died in December 2015 because he usually deletes his messages. He had no reason to save this one because although he knew his father was fighting liver cancer, he didn’t realize the disease was in its final stages.
“When he passed away,” Olorunfunmi said Wednesday, “I just was like, wow, this is almost like it was meant for me to have because I usually don’t keep my messages like that.”
Peter Olorunfunmi would have turned 52 on Sunday, the day after his son will play in what amounts to a tribute game against Hawaii at the Rose Bowl during what he called “the weekend of remembrance.”
UCLA focuses on its run game in preparation for Hawaii
We have to be able to run the ball better than we did. I thought we’d be able to run it better; we didn’t run it well enough.
— UCLA coach Jim Mora
About two hours before the pandemonium at the Rose Bowl, there was mock applause.
UCLA tailback Bolu Olorunfunmi took a handoff late in the second quarter Sunday, stutter-stepped outside the left tackle and plowed ahead for a seven-yard gain on second and six. It was the Bruins’ first first down since their opening drive of the game. The scoreboard read Texas A&M 31, UCLA 3.
Fans who hadn’t had much to cheer finally did, though it sounded less than wholehearted.
The Bruins’ struggles that required the greatest comeback in school history were largely rooted in the running game — their inability to generate one or to stop Texas A&M’s tailbacks from leaving cleat marks on what looked like every inch of the field.
UCLA coach Jim Mora referenced those issues early and emphatically during his postgame remarks, citing the need to improve before the Bruins (1-0) face Hawaii (2-0) on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
“We’re not going to let the euphoria of this big win overshadow all of the things that we need to fix,” Mora said after his team’s 45-44 victory over Texas A&M. “We have to be able to run the ball better than we did. I thought we’d be able to run it better; we didn’t run it well enough. We have to be able to stop the run. I thought we would be able to stop the run better.”
How they matchup: UCLA vs. Hawaii
Hawaii vs. UCLA (1-0)
Saturday, 2 p.m., Rose Bowl, TV: Pac-12 Network. Radio: 570.
Marquee matchup
Hawaii running back Diocemy Saint Juste versus the UCLA run defense. Saint Juste became the first Rainbow Warrior to top 200 rushing yards in a game twice in his career after he pulverized Western Carolina for 202 yards last week while operating out of a spread offense. The Bruins were pummeled by the run facing Texas A&M’s spread offense last week, allowing 382 rushing yards, albeit against far more heralded players than they will face Saturday.
Getting offensive
Hawaii (478 yards per game/39.5 points per game): The Rainbow Warriors feature a balanced offense that has received solid production from quarterback Dru Brown, who has completed 61% of his passes for 545 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.
UCLA (554 yards per game/45 points per game): The Bruins hope they can run the ball effectively (sound familiar?) so that quarterback Josh Rosen doesn’t have to engineer another crazy comeback like he did last week, when he passed for 292 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M.