Interception return for a score seals victory for the Bruins
Randall Goforth interecepted a pass by Marcus McMaryion and returned it 40 yards to seal a 38-24 victory for UCLA.
The Bruins improve to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in Pac-12 Conference play. The Beavers fall to 2-8, 1-6.
UCLA’s Mike Fafaul completed 25 of 47 passes for 281 yards to help engineer scoring opportunities. He did not throw a touchdown pass and had one pass intercepted.
Bolu Olurnfunmi led the Bruins’ rushing attack with 65 yards and one touchdown in eight carries, while Jalen Starks had two short touchdown runs among his nine carries for 25 yards.
Jordan Lasley had five receptions for 105 yards while Darren Andrews had six catches for 74 yards.
McMaryion completed 21 of 32 passes for 224 yards, and like Fafaul had no touchdown throws and had one pass intercepted.
Artavis Pierce led the Beavers’ ground game with 73 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries.
UCLA can’t extend its 31-24 lead, punts the ball back to Oregon State
UCLA leads Oregon State, 31-24, but couldn’t extend its lead with 8:10 left on the fourth-quarter clock.
After throwing away a touchdown opportunity at the start of the fourth quarter, Mike Fafaul hit freshman wide receiver Theo Howard for two short gains to move the Bruins close to midfield. A few solid runs — one by Bolo Olorunfunmi for 16 yards and another two-yard plunge by Jalen Starks on third and three — set the Bruins up in Beavers’ territory.
One play later, freshman running back Brandon Stephens sprinted 40 yards into the end zone. The Rose Bowl crowd cheered, but a flag was on the field around the midfield line. The play was called back because of a holding penalty on UCLA, and the cheers turned into boos.
UCLA was aided by an Oregon State penalty on the next down, as another pass intended for Howard led to a pass interference call on the Beavers. It didn’t amount to much as Oregon State clamped down on defense and forced the Bruins to punt the ball away.
Mike Fafaul throws an interception at the one-yard line to keep UCLA’s lead at 31-24
UCLA started the fourth quarter in Oregon State territory, and Mike Fafaul scrambled for 10 yards on the first play after the break. Soso Jamabo burst through the line for 14 yards on the next play, which moved the Bruins inside the red zone.
Then UCLA was aided by another Oregon State penalty, as a pass interference call in the end zone that pushed the ball to the two-yard line. Jalen Starks ran for one yard to set up third and goal on the one-yard line, and Fafaul bounced around the pocket before throwing a weakly thrown pass that was intercepted by Manase Hungalu.
As Hungalu ran toward midfield, a thinned Rose Bowl crowd started to boo. The Beavers then took over at their own 37-yard line. As a result of the turnover, UCLA still only leads Oregon State by one touchdown at 31-24.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 31-24, after three quarters
Oregon State isn’t going away.
After getting to the three-yard line, the Beavers settled for a 20-yard field goal from Jordan Choukair. That made it a one-possession game, with UCLA leading 31-24, with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
Oregon State nearly went three and out, but Marcus McMaryion found Victor Bolden Jr. for 12 yards on third and four.
That moved the Beavers into Bruins’ territory, but a holding penalty on Oregon State then set up second and 20. Two plays later, a holding call on UCLA’s Fabian Moreau helped Oregon State convert a fourth-down try.
On the next down, McMaryion hit Timmy Hernandez for a 25-yard pass that moved the Beavers to UCLA’s three-yard line. The Bruins’ defense tightened up, keeping Oregon State out of the end zone on first down before Kenny Young brought down Artavis Pierce for a one-yard loss on second. McMaryion rolled to his right and through toward the front-right corner of the end zone on third down, but UCLA’s Randall Goforth flew in to knock the ball to the grass.
Choukair then jogged onto the field to knock in his first field goal of the game.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 31-21, in the third quarter
UCLA was punched in the gut by a fumble return for touchdown but responded with an eight-play scoring drive that stretched its lead back to 10 points.
The drive ended with a four-yard touchdown run by freshman Jalen Starks — the second score of his night, and career — and the Bruins now lead Oregon State, 31-21, with 7:00 left in the third quarter.
Fafaul threw a screen pass to running back Brandon Stephens on the first play of the drive, and the freshman ran for nine yards down the left sideline. Fafaul then hit Darren Andrews on a screen on the other side of the field, and Andrews danced his way past the marker for nine yards and a first down at the Bruins’ 32-yard line.
Two plays later on second and 10, a personal foul call on Oregon State granted the Bruins another 15 yards. Beavers safety Jalen Moore was called for targeting after a replay review and subsequently ejected from the game. One down later, Fafaul hit Theo Howard for a 12-yard gain, and a facemask penalty on Oregon State moved UCLA to the Beavers’ 26-yard line.
The Bruins made Oregon State pay for their lack of discipline, as Starks carried the ball four yards into the end zone.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 24-21, in the third quarter
UCLA forced two Oregon State punts to start the second half and went to the ground at the start of its second possession of the third quarter.
But things quickly went south, as Jordan Lasley caught a pass over the middle before bobbling it to the turf. The play was ruled a fumble on the field, and Manase Hungalu scooped up the ball and ran 40 yards into the end zone.
The Bruins now lead by just three points, 24-21, with 8:39 left in the third quarter.
UCLA, leading 24-14, forces an Oregon State punt to start the second half
UCLA gained momentum with a 49-yard field goal at the end of the first half, and then came up with a big stop to start the second half.
Oregon State quickly passed its way into UCLA territory out of the break, but then a holding penalty moved the Beavers backward and set up a first and 20 from their own 43-yard line.
The Beavers did little on first and second downs, which set up third and 17. Oregon State quarterback Marcus McMaryion hit Artavis Pierce for five yards on third down, and the Beavers’ punt unit jogged onto the field.
UCLA-Oregon State: Halftime stats
UCLA leads Oregon State, 24-14, after two quarters at the Rose Bowl. Below are some notable stats from the first half.
UCLA
- UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul completed 13 of 25 passes for 177 yards in the first half. He did not throw a touchdown or have a pass intercepted.
- The Bruins rushed for 66 yards in 16 carries, a vast — albeit underwhelming — improvement for a ground attack that ranked second-to-last in the country coming into the game. Soso Jamabo led the way with 22 rushing yards in two carries, but that also included a fumble that led to Oregon State’s first score. Jalen Starks and Bolu Olorunfunmi each ran for a touchdown.
- UCLA’s Jordan Lasley led all receivers with 101 yards on four catches in the first half. He was targeted five times by Fafaul, and his 48-yard catch was the longest play of the half for either team.
- In total, the Bruins gained 243 yards in 42 first-half plays.
Oregon State
- Beavers quarterback Marcus McMaryion completed eight of 12 passes for 106 yards. He did not throw for a touchdown or have a pass intercepted in the half, but he did lose a fumble in the second quarter.
- Oregon State running back Artavis Pierce ran for 44 yards and two touchdowns in 11 carries in the first half.
- Seth Collins led all Beavers receivers with 44 yards on two catches while Timmy Hernandez collected 23 yards on two catches.
- In total, Oregon State gained 163 yards in 33 first-half plays.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 24-14, at halftime
After Oregon State tried twice to bother UCLA kicker J.J. Molson with timeouts, the freshman booted a 49-yard field goal to give the Bruins a 24-14 lead at the half.
Mike Fafaul rolled right on second and 20 — which came about after a holding penalty on the Bruins — and threw across his body into the middle of the field. The pass sailed over a few defenders and into the hands of tight end Caleb Wilson. The 15-yard gain set up third and five on the Oregon State 40-yard line with 33 seconds left in the first half.
Fafaul then found Wilson on an eight-yard crossing route to move the chains. Fafaul then rushed the offense to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with 26 seconds left on the clock.
The UCLA field-goal unit jogged onto the field after three incomplete passes. Molson lined up the 49-yard attempt before Oregon State tried to ice him with a timeout. The freshman kicker then lined it up once more, and the Beavers called another timeout. On the third try, his field goal sailed through the uprights to give the Bruins a 10-point halftime lead. That was the longest make of Molson’s young career.
UCLA and Oregon State trade possessions, but not points, as the first half winds down
Both UCLA’s and Oregon State’s offenses stalled for most of the second quarter, leaving UCLA with a 21-14 lead in the final minutes of the first half.
Oregon State pulled to within a touchdown and then forced UCLA to quickly punt after an unceremonious three and out.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, the Beavers’ Marcus McMaryion found Seth Collins for a 33-yard gain. But the Bruins — after yielding another first down — were bailed out by a McMaryion fumble. It was recovered by UCLA linebacker Kenny Young and gave the Bruins possession on their own 30-yard line.
The offense went right to work, as Mike Fafaul found Darren Andrews for a 19-yard pass that moved UCLA into Oregon State territory. But then the Bruins’ drive stalled as Jalen Starks was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 21-14, in the second quarter
Both UCLA and Oregon State were slow out of the gate in the second quarter, but the Beavers broke that trend with a three-yard touchdown run by Artavis Pierce.
UCLA still leads Oregon State, 21-14, with 7:05 left in the second quarter.
The Bruins nearly gave the ball right back to the Beavers in the middle of the second quarter, but then quarterback Mike Fafaul found Jordan Lasley for an 18-yard gain. UCLA wide receiver Alex Van Dyke was called for a pass interference penalty on the next down, which set up first and 25. The Bruins then faced third and 17 two plays later, and a Fafaul pass intended for freshman Theo Howard was punched out of bounds.
A tricky special teams play — in which Oregon State acted as if it were blocking for a decoy return man on one side of the field while Rahmel Dockery caught a punt and returned it on the other sideline — set the Beavers up at the Bruins’ 15-yard line.
Three plays later, Pierce ran for his second touchdown of the game.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 21-7, in the first quarter
UCLA forced a three and out after pushing ahead by seven and then blocked the ensuing punt.
Wide receiver Jordan Lasley then picked up the bouncing ball and ran it 23 yards for a touchdown. The Bruins now lead Oregon State, 21-7, with 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
The punt was blocked by freshman defensive back DeChaun Holiday, who is wearing No. 37 and does not have his last name on the back of his jersey.
With that play, he is no longer going unnoticed.
UCLA leads Oregon State, 14-7, in the first quarter
This time it was UCLA scoring after a turnover as freshman running back Jalen Starks ran for three yards to give the Bruins a 14-7 lead with 2:01 left in the first quarter.
Oregon State wide receiver Jordan Villamin fumbled and UCLA linebacker Jayon Brown recovered, which set the Bruins up on the Beavers’ 32-yard line.
Starks carried for four yards on first down and then gained four more yards to set up third and two. Conor McDermott was then called for a false start, but Mike Fafaul connected with Darren Andrews for a first down. The pass to Andrews gained 15 yards and moved the Bruins to the Oregon State 12-yard line.
On third and five, Fafaul rolled right before throwing out of the back of the end zone. But a holding penalty on Oregon State kept the Bruins’ drive alive and gave them first and goal on the three-yard line.
On the next play, Starks rumbled into the end zone for the first touchdown run of his career.
UCLA gets a rare burst on the ground before punting the ball away
UCLA had some positive signs on the ground, but its drive quickly stalled and Austin Kent had to punt the ball away.
The Bruins and Oregon State are tied, 7-7, with 5:37 left in the first quarter.
UCLA faced third and 10 after two plays, but freshman running back Brandon Stephens ran for 14 yards to move the chains. It was only Stephens’ 17th carry of the season and preceded Mike Fafaul hitting Jordan Lasley for 30 yards on the next play.
But the Bruins then went backward, as Fafaul held the ball for too long and was sacked for a nine-yard loss. That set up third and 19 on the UCLA 48-yard line, and Fafaul handed the ball to Jalen Starks for no gain.
UCLA and Oregon State are tied, 7-7, in the first quarter
After fumbling away its first possession of the game, UCLA responded with a quick seven-play drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Bolu Olorunfunmi.
The Bruins and Oregon State are now tied, 7-7, with 11:03 left in the first quarter.
UCLA went to the air on their second drive, first losing three yards on a screen and then moving all the way to the Oregon State 25-yard line when Mike Fafaul hit Jordan Lasley on a deep ball.
Fafaul found Nate Iese for a first down two pays later, setting UCLA up at the Beavers’ 12-yard line. Two plays after that, Olorunfunmi spilled into the end zone to knot the score.
UCLA trails Oregon State, 7-0, in the first quarter
UCLA received the ball to start the game, but a quick turnover led to an easy score for Oregon State. Artavis Pierce ran one yard into the end zone for the Beavers, giving the visitors a 7-0 lead with 13:36 left in the first quarter.
UCLA running back Soso Jamabo fumbled on the Bruins’ second play from scrimmage, and the Beavers returned it to UCLA’s four-yard line.
Two plays later, Pierce barreled into the end zone for the first score of the game.
UCLA fans are slow to trickle into the Rose Bowl, if they’re coming at all
UCLA and others feel the burn of disappointing seasons and falling out of rankings
I’ve coached for a long time, and I’ve come to know that coaching is very much a roller coaster. There are things around the corner that you don’t necessarily anticipate.
— UCLA Coach Jim Mora
With his UCLA football team in a free fall, Coach Jim Mora is trying to put things in perspective.
“I’ve coached for a long time, and I’ve come to know that coaching is very much a roller coaster,” he said. “There are things around the corner that you don’t necessarily anticipate.”
After starting in the top 25 and being mentioned as a dark horse for the playoffs, the Bruins have hit a four-game skid and now rank among the biggest disappointments of the season.
But they aren’t alone. While many of the top-ranked teams have performed to expectations this fall, a sizable group that once occupied the heart of the Associated Press poll has faltered.
The list includes Notre Dame, Mississippi, Michigan State, Texas Christian and Oregon.
UCLA could really use a win over Oregon State to keep bowl hopes alive
One thing will certainly happen at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night: A four-game losing streak will be broken.
UCLA (3-6, 1-5 in Pac-12 play) welcomes Oregon State (2-7, 1-5) for a battle of backup quarterbacks. The Bruins have lost four straight. So have the Beavers. The Bruins will trot out Mike Fafaul at quarterback after Josh Rosen had season-ending shoulder surgery. The Beavers will trot out backup quarterback Marcus McMaryion with starter Darrell Garretson on the shelf since the beginning of the season.
UCLA has three games left on its schedule, as it will welcome No. 20 USC next week and then play at California to finish the season. It is possible for the Bruins to sneak into a bowl game with a 5-7 record, but it’s likely they will need six wins to be eligible.
That makes Saturday’s 6 p.m. meeting with Oregon State a must-win game of sorts, especially with how well the Trojans are playing as of late.
Mike Fafaul has kept the faith while waiting for his opportunity with the Bruins
He’s a tremendous example of a guy hanging in there, hanging in there, believing, working, and once he gets his opportunity, taking it.
— UCLA Coach Jim Mora
His last name sounds like “faithful,” and the silver cross that dangles from a chain around his neck isn’t there for decoration.
Mike Fafaul is a believer.
He was a backup quarterback until his senior season in high school, when a series of prolific performances didn’t lead to much interest from major college teams. He spent a year at a military prep school, rising from third-stringer to starter over the Ohio State-bound Cardale Jones, and even that produced scholarship offers from only small programs.
Fafaul arrived at UCLA as a walk-on in the fall of 2012 with little hope of ever running the offense. He was the seventh-stringer who threw six passes in his first four seasons.