UCLA loses to a Arizona State 17-7 in a stunner at the Rose Bowl
🏈 Arizona State 17, UCLA 7 — FINAL
Ethan Garbers and Dante Moore can’t return from injury soon enough for UCLA.
Plagued by a dismal offense that couldn’t convert on third and fourth downs, UCLA also struggled on defense when it mattered most to suffer consecutive losses for the first time this season.
Quarterback Collin Schlee made his first start for UCLA but struggled to find rhythm on offense. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown before sustaining an apparent injury on the Bruins’ final possession. Chase Griffin took over for Schlee but was nearly picked off on fourth down, ending UCLA’s hopes of a comeback.
Cameron Skattebo was the difference-maker for the Sun Devils. Listed as a running back, Skattebo wasn’t limited to just running the ball as he threw for a touchdown and took snaps throughout the game. He scored on a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the win during a drive extended by UCLA penalties on third down.
Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet completed 19 of 34 passes for 149 yards, with an interception. Skattebo finished with 61 rushing yards in 12 carries. Elijhah Badger caught 12 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown for the Sun Devils.
UCLA had 300 total yards to Arizona State’s 250, but failed to score on third and fourth downs from the Sun Devils’ one-yard line in the second quarter. They also lost a fumble on the Arizona State 26-yard line in the first half. The Bruins were 0 for 4 on fourth downs and three for 11 on third downs, with Arizona State picking up 21 first downs to UCLA’s 15.
Arizona State strikes again to take a 17-7 lead in fourth quarter
🏈 Arizona State 17, UCLA 7 — 3:07 left in the fourth quarter
Cameron Skattebo scored on a 17-yard run, bouncing off multiple UCLA defenders to extend Arizona State’s lead late in the fourth quarter.
The incredible run came on the heels of quarterback Trenton Bourguet completing a seven-yard pass to Elijhah Badger on fourth and four to force Chip Kelly to use his final timeout.
Penalties played a huge role in sustaining Arizona State’s 12-play, 75-yard drive. After Arizona State failed to convert on a third down in its territory, UCLA linebacker Grayson Murphy was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Later, a pass interference penalty on cornerback Devin Kirkwood on the third down gave the Sun Devils 16 yards and a first down.
Logan Loya touchdown gets UCLA onto the scoreboard
Arizona State 10, UCLA 7 — 9:47 left in the fourth quarter
Wide receiver Logan Loya caught a 16-yard pass from quarterback Collin Schlee to get the Bruins on the scoreboard after Arizona State’s strategy to take penalties and run time off the clock fails to keep UCLA out of the end zone.
The six-play, 59-yard drive took less than two minutes for the Bruins after they took over on their 41-yard line. A T.J. Harden run for nine yards, a Schlee run for 10 yards and a 15-yard reception by Loya led to the touchdown.
Carson Steele and UCLA stuffed again on fourth down
🏈 Arizona State 10, UCLA 0 — 11:52 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA was stopped on fourth down for the third time tonight when Carson Steele was stuffed at the line on a fourth-and-two play on a run up the middle.
While the Bruins’ faithful will probably be questioning why Chip Kelly is still trying to run the ball up the middle in fourth-and-short situations, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham is deploying a questionable strategy — the Sun Devils are committing penalties on purpose in an effort to run out the clock. The Sun Devils bled 1:37 off the clock with three false starts and a delay of game.
Arizona State extends lead on a 25-yard touchdown pass
🏈 Arizona State 10, UCLA 0 — 1:21 left in the third quarter
Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Elijhah Badger to extend the Sun Devils’ lead in front of a stunned Rose Bowl crowd.
The touchdown pass capped a 14-play, 99-yard drive that took more than seven minutes to complete.
Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet, who is dealing with a sore ankle, connected on an 11-yard pass to Troy Omeire and a 17-yard pass to Badger to fuel the drive.
How will the Bruins respond?
UCLA goes nowhere on its first possessions of the second half
🏈 Arizona State 3, UCLA 0 — 9:10 left in the third quarter.
UCLA went virtually nowhere on its first two possessions of the second half.
UCLA went three and out on its first possession before the Bruins’ defense did the same to Arizona State. On their second possession, Collin Schlee botched a handoff to TJ Harden on second down, leading to a fumble the quarterback had to jump on for a two-yard loss. Arizona State then broke up Schlee’s pass on third down, leading to the Bruins’ second punt of the half.
It might be time for Chip Kelly to look Dante Moore’s way if the freshman quarterback is healthy enough to play.
Arizona State leads UCLA 3-0 at halftime
🏈 Arizona 3, UCLA 0 — HALFTIME
Boos could be heard from the unsatisfied crowd at the Rose Bowl as UCLA made its way off the field after being shut out by Arizona State in the first half.
UCLA has outgained the Sun Devils 169-137, but have yet to find the end zone behind an offensive effort that has struggled in the red zone.
The Bruins fumbled away the ball on the Arizona State 26-yard line early in the second quarter before being stopped in an impressive goal-line stance by the Sun Devils later in the quarter.
Collin Schlee, making his first start at quarterback for UCLA, completed five of nine passes for 56 yards and rushed for seven yards on six carries. Carson Steele, who was held to no gain on back-to-back runs from the Arizona State one-yard line, has 28 yards on nine carries.
Arizona State quarterback completed 12 of 23 passes for 95 yards, with one interception in the first half.
Arizona State’s stellar goal-line stance stymies Bruins
🏈 Arizona State 3, UCLA 0 — 3:55 left in the second quarter
Things were finally starting to go UCLA’s way on offense — until the Bruins got to the Arizona State goal line.
After achieving first and goal from the Arizona State five-yard line, UCLA failed to punch it in for a touchdown, with the Sun Devils stopping Carson Steele on third and fourth downs from the one-yard line. A very poorly executed quarterback sneak with Collin Schlee on second down contributed to the Bruins’ inability to score.
Up until then, the Bruins sliced through the Arizona State defense on the possession thanks, in part, to a 38-yard run by Keegan Jones on a late pitch from Schlee and a 23-yard reception from tight end Moliki Matavao.
Arizona State takes lead on 29-yard field goal
🏈 Arizona State 3, UCLA 0 — 7:54 left in the second quarter
Dario Longhetto kicked a 29-yard field goal to give Arizona State the first points of the game after the Sun Devils capitalized on a forced fumble and a clutch catch-and-run.
Wide receiver Elijah Badger moved Arizona State into the red zone after he broke three tackles near the line scrimmage on a 30-yard reception, providing the bulk of the yards on the Sun Devils’ 10-play, 64-yard drive.
Arizona State’s drive started after Shamari Simmons recovered a fumble from UCLA running back Anthony Adkins on the Sun Devils’ 26-yard line.
Anthony Adkins fumble ends promising drive for Bruins
🏈 Arizona State 0, UCLA 0 — 12:41 left in the second quarter
The UCLA offense continues to struggle. A solid, 58-yard drive ended abruptly when defensive back Shamari Simmons recovered a fumble on the Sun Devils’ 26 by UCLA running back Anthony Adkins.
Linebacker Caleb McCullough forced the fumble as he tackled Adkins.
Kenny Churchwell III picks off pass in end zone for a touchback
🏈 Arizona State 0, UCLA 0 — 30 seconds left in the first quarter
UCLA’s Kenny Churchwell III intercepted a pass from Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet in the end zone for a touchback.
Churchwell made a diving grab for the Bruins’ 11th interception of the season. No one in the Arizona State receiving corps was in the vicinity of the pass.
Third-down sack brings UCLA’s first drive to a halt
🏈 UCLA 0, Arizona State 0 — 7:20 left in the first quarter
UCLA’s offense was methodically marching until Arizona State’s Elijah O’Neal sacked a backpeddaling Collin Schlee on third down for a 17-yard loss, bringing the Bruins’ first drive to a halt.
Running back Carson Steele picked up 16 yards on three carries during the possession.
Collin Schlee gets the start at quarterback for UCLA
🏈 Arizona State 0, UCLA 0 — 12:09 left in the first quarter
Collin Schlee got the start at quarterback for UCLA after Ethan Garbers was injured in last week’s loss to Arizona.
Schlee has been a situational snapper for the Bruins this season and it’ll be interesting to see how much he plays in combination with freshman Dante Moore.
Schlee took the field for his first UCLA start after Arizona State’s opening possession fizzled at midfield. An illegal formation call against Arizona State negated a 56-yard pass from quarterback Trenton Bourguet to Troy Omeire.
USC and UCLA will enter a weakened Big Ten in the midst of an ugly Michigan mud fight
The Michigan Wolverines were thousands of feet in the air Friday afternoon on their way to play the biggest game of their season when the Big Ten announced a three-game suspension of coach Jim Harbaugh.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, a Harvard-educated attorney with a TV background, received Michigan’s 10-page response to the conference’s evidence relating to now-former staffer Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing operation on Wednesday.
But Petitti waited until less than 24 hours before the third-ranked Wolverines — the best collection of Michigan football players since the 1997 national championship team and possibly ever — play a defining road game against 10th-ranked Penn State to levy a suspension he clearly has been mulling for weeks.
Eager to serve, retired Marine Capt. Bryce McDonald continues a legacy at UCLA
Once bustling with activity, UCLA’s football practice field nearly has emptied on a warm morning. Heat glimmers off the artificial turf. The only sound is the squish of sneakers on that turf as Bryce McDonald jogs around the perimeter with a friend, savoring every step.
Each one is a small victory, a reminder that he’s here. He’s alive. He’s doing something he enjoys. He has a purpose as the Bruins’ chief of staff.
The next day, sitting outside the Wasserman Football Center, McDonald glances at the footlong scar on his left leg. It’s a reminder of that dark day in Iraq. Of his unknown fate while hanging upside down inside an overturned Humvee amid a haze of dirt and blood.
UCLA vs. Arizona State: This rivalry has been more fours up than forks up
With USC and UCLA playing their final season in the Pac-12, The Times is revisiting the top five games in the history of each series. This week: UCLA-Arizona State.
Sept. 9, 1976: No. 17 UCLA 28, No. 3 Arizona State 10
In Terry Donahue’s first game as the Bruins’ coach, the 32-year-old went up against veteran Sun Devils counterpart Frank Kush, whose winning percentage of .793 in college football was second only to Joe Paterno’s .836 at Penn State. UCLA was coming off a Rose Bowl triumph over top-ranked Ohio State in Dick Vermeil’s final game before heading to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Signs of ‘disunity’ are among five things to watch for when UCLA faces Arizona State
Seventeen seconds into an interview, the usual everything-is-fine, we-will-get-this-fixed player pablum was abandoned Monday when UCLA linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo revealed a rift between the Bruins’ offense and defense.
“I think slowly by slowly,” Oladejo said Monday, referring to the team’s 27-10 loss to Arizona last weekend, “we just started to kind of get disunified.”
It wasn’t a slip-up; Oladejo went on to repeat the theme multiple times while acknowledging that the Bruins’ struggling offense was irritating their better half.