UCLA still has eyes on Pac-12 championship game
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen runs for a 37-yard, go-ahead touchdown late in the fouth quarter against Washington State.
It’s tournament time for UCLA’s football team.
“We’re in the quarterfinals,” said Angus McClure, the Bruins defensive line coach. “You win the quarterfinals, you get to the semifinals. You win the semifinals, you get to the championship game. That’s how we’re looking at it.”
UCLA must defeat Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake City and USC on Nov. 28 at the Coliseum to win the Pac-12 South and advance to the conference championship game.
A last-seconds 31-27 loss to Washington State on Saturday could have ended UCLA’s title dreams, but the Bruins received a reprieve when Arizona upset first-place Utah at about the same time.
It allowed UCLA players, some of who were monitoring the Utah game on the scoreboard ticker from the sideline, to exhale a little.
“It still didn’t take away from the fact that we wanted to win that game,” safety Jaleel Wadood said.
Said running back Paul Perkins: “We realized we had a mulligan.”
In an odd twist, UCLA might be better off playing its final two regular-season games away from home.
The Bruins have won 12 of their last 13 away from the Rose Bowl. At home, they have lost seven of 13.
The Rose Bowl woes are something no one in Westwood seems to understand. But Perkins has a theory on the road success: it plays into the nobody-believes-in-us mantra preached to the players.
“We just go out there with the mentality that the whole world is against us,” Perkins said. “We only have 53 people traveling. We have a brother camaraderie.”
Catching on
Receiver Eldridge Massington reemerged against Washington State.
The lanky sophomore had three receptions for 44 yards after entering the game with just five catches this season and only two in the previous seven games.
Quarterback Josh Rosen found him for 16 yards on a third-and-10 play that led to a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.
“Before the game, Josh came up to me and said, ‘We’re going to connect this week,’” Massington said. “It felt great having him throw my way.”
Massington has put in extra time working with Rosen after practice, and it paid off.
“I had to let him know that he can trust me,” Massington said.
Massington had 25 receptions for 367 yards and three touchdowns last season.
Fleet footed
Rosen’s 37-yard sprint for a touchdown that gave the Bruins a temporary lead against Washington State with a minute left surprised one teammate.
“Man, is he fast?” Perkins said. “I didn’t know he was that fast.”
Guard Caleb Benenoch said he knew.
“Josh reminds me a lot of Andrew Luck,” Benenoch said. “He’s not a guy who runs a lot, but he can. People assume that because he is such a great pocket passer that he can’t run. He is very athletic.”
Rosen has rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Friends and foes
Kylie Fitts, who transferred from UCLA a year ago, starts at defensive end for Utah.
“He is very good football player and I certainly wish him the best,” said McClure, who recruited Fitts to UCLA.
Fitts has 29 tackles, including 4 1/2 sacks.
Twitter: @cfosterlatimes
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
