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Utah’s Anderson, Carter shine against UCLA in return to Southland

Utah wide receiver Dres Anderson catches a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kendal Thompson with UCLA's Ishmael Adams and Fabian Moreau defending in the second quarter Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Utah wide receiver Dres Anderson catches a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kendal Thompson with UCLA’s Ishmael Adams and Fabian Moreau defending in the second quarter Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Two players on Utah’s roster made particularly notable returns to Southern California on Saturday.

Receiver Dres Anderson and defensive back Tevin Carter scored the Utes’ first two touchdowns.

Anderson, the son of former UCLA receiver Flipper Anderson, caught a 42-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Dres Anderson played at Riverside North High.

Carter, who played at Los Angeles Southwest College, intercepted a Brett Hundley pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Utah has 31 Southern California natives on its roster. That includes 10 starters — Anderson, Carter, offensive lineman Siaosi Aiono (West Covina South Hills High), defensive back Brian Blechen (Moorpark), receiver Kaelin Clay (Long Beach Poly), long snapper Chase Dominguez (Orange Lutheran), defensive back Dominique Hatfield (Los Angeles Crenshaw), linebacker Jared Norris (Bakersfield Centennial), receiver Kenneth Scott (Fontana Colony) and quarterback Travis Wilson (San Clemente).

Hundley dumped

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Utah came into the game tied for the national lead in sacks, averaging 4.5 per game. The Utes surpassed that in the first half, getting to Hundley five times.

Hundley was sacked 12 times in UCLA’s first four games.

Redmond out

UCLA guard Alex Redmond did not suit up for the game. Redmond injured his right ankle against Arizona State last week.

Ed Lacy replaced Redmond on the offensive line, as he had in the Arizona State game. It was the first start of Lacy’s college career.

It left the Bruins without two linemen projected as starters before the season began. Tackle Simon Goines is still recovering from knee surgery.

Adams double duty

Defensive back Ishmael Adams made his offensive debut Saturday night. He lined up at wide receiver and gained two yards on a reverse.

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Adams has scored three touchdowns this season, two on interception returns and one on a kickoff return.

QB switch

Kendal Thompson replaced Wilson as Utah’s quarterback in the first quarter. He completed his first seven passes for 68 yards, including the touchdown pass to Anderson.

Looking ahead

UCLA plays Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, looking to end a six-game losing streak to the Ducks.

UCLA last defeated Oregon in 2007.

The Ducks were ranked No. 9 but had already lost quarterback Dennis Dixon, a Heisman Trophy candidate, to a knee injury.

Oregon used three quarterbacks in the game, none of whom were effective. The Ducks had 105 yards passing and had three passes intercepted. They finished with 148 total yards — often an average quarter for Oregon these days.

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Still, the Bruins labored to a 16-0 victory. The only completed pass for either team in the first half was a forward lateral on a kickoff return. UCLA finished 220 yards.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes

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