UCLA’s showdown with Oregon turns into beatdown as undefeated season crumbles
EUGENE, Ore. — His team pelted by a deluge of yards and points on a dreary, wet afternoon, Chip Kelly absorbed one final jab before leaving the field.
A fan sitting in the front row at Autzen Stadium who had been haranguing the UCLA coach in the game’s closing minutes reminded him of the scorecard here since Kelly departed the scene of his prime.
“Hey, Chip is 0-3 at home now!” yelled the fan, forming his hands into an “O” representing Oregon.
This one hurt far more than the first two.
Hoping to extend a magical start to their season, the Bruins instead ran headlong into the reality that their defense has some serious issues that could derail their bid for a Pac-12 Conference title.
Oregon ends UCLA’s undefeated season
Chip Kelly’s third trip back to Eugene as UCLA’s head coach will not be the charm.
The Bruins lost 45-30 to No. 10 Oregon, ending their undefeated season and snapping their winning streak at nine. Oregon won its eighth straight game over No. 9 UCLA (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) in Autzen Stadium, where the Bruins haven’t won since 2004.
The Ducks (6-1, 4-0) rose to the top of the Pac-12 as the last unbeaten team in the conference standings.
Quarterback Bo Nix starred with 278 yards and five touchdowns on 22-for-27 passing. The Ducks ran for 248 yards against UCLA’s vaunted run defense that was ranked second in the Pac-12, allowing 99 rushing yards per game.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 27-of-39 passing for 262 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Receiver Jake Bobo had 101 yards and one touchdown on eight catches, while Zach Charbonnet added 136 rushing yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
Oregon, which took control with a surprise onside kick in the first quarter, scored on six consecutive drives to start the game, including five straight touchdowns. UCLA scored on six of its seven drives, but settled for three field goals.
Jake Bobo adds touchdown for UCLA
All Jake Bobo does is make big catches.
The receiver hauled in his sixth touchdown catch of the year with a 22-yard completion to bring the Bruins within two possessions with 4:11 remaining. UCLA trails 45-30.
Bobo has eight catches for 101 yards and one touchdown. Dorian Thompson-Robinson responded to the interception on the previous drive and is now 27-for-39 for 262 yards and two touchdowns.
UCLA’s attempt at an onside kick went out-of-bounds before the required 10 yards, so Oregon will take over with a short field.
Bryan Addison’s interception ends UCLA drive
Do you remember Bryan Addison?
The former four-star prospect from Gardena Serra was committed to UCLA in Chip Kelly’s first recruiting class. He was a receiver at that time, and he showed his ball skills on an interception with 7:46 remaning in the fourth quarter.
Addison, who converted to defensive back in 2020, wrestled a ball away from his own Oregon teammate and UCLA’s Kazmeir Allen in the end zone on fourth-and-six from the Oregon 13-yard line to maintain Oregon’s 45-23 lead.
Fans started chanting “over-rated” as the UCLA offense went to the sideline, but Oregon didn’t convert on the takeaway and punted the ball for the first time today after a three-and-out.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is 23-of-32 passing for 201 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Oregon scores touchdown on fourth down
Needing just one key stop to turn momentum in its favor, UCLA instead gave up a 37-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Bucky Irving on fourth-and-four.
The Ducks lead 45-23 with 11:37 remaining.
Kain Medrano, who was called for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the third quarter, lost track of the Oregon running back, who was coming free from the back field.
Nix is 20-of-24 passing for 277 yards and five touchdowns. The Ducks have 238 rushing yards, led by Irving’s 95. Oregon’s 520 yards is a season-high for a UCLA opponent.
Zach Charbonnet keeps UCLA alive
UCLA isn’t done yet.
Zach Charbonnet punched in a one-yard touchdown run with 13:46 remaining in the fourth quarter to pull within two possessions. After a 10-play, 69-yard drive, the Bruins trail 38-23.
Charbonnet has 130 yards on 16 carries, including a 33-yard rumble on the drive.
Jake Bobo has just three catches, but he’s making them count. Two catches have come on fourth-down conversions, including an 11-yard completion on fourth-and-eight on the latest UCLA drive.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is 18-of-24 passing for 146 yards and one touchdown. He has 33 rushing yards on seven carries.
UCLA trailing 38-16 after three quarters
Trailing by three touchdowns, frustration is starting to show on the UCLA sideline.
Linebacker Kain Medrano was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the final seconds of the third quarter with UCLA trailing 38-16. Medrano wasn’t on the field at the time, but shoved Oregon’s Justin Flowe to the ground after a 33-yard gain from Zach Charbonnet, who was tackled near the UCLA sideline.
UCLA will start the fourth quarter with third-and-eight from the Oregon 49-yard line.
Oregon running all over UCLA defense
UCLA’s top-ranked rushing defense is no match for Oregon today.
Oregon has rushed for 200 yards, a season-high for a UCLA opponent, and leads 38-16 with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Bo Nix capped a 15-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cam McCormick as the Ducks expertly used their running attack to set up their passing game. Oregon ran on 12 of the 15 plays in the drive that chewed up seven minutes and 30 seconds.
Nix carried the ball on two fourth-and-ones as Oregon’s offense is staying aggressive with its two-score lead. The Ducks went for it on fourth-and-inches from their own 27-yard line and converted with a quarterback sneak. Nix checked out of a possible sneak on fourth-and-one from the Oregon 38-yard line four plays later and instead moved back to shotgun and carried the ball around the edge for two yards to keep the chains moving.
Bucky Irving has 95 rushing yards on 16 carries for the Ducks, who are averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
UCLA settles for another field goal
UCLA gambled to get into the red zone, but walked away from its first drive in the second half with just another field goal. After Nicholas Barr-Mira’s 33-yard kick, the Bruins trail 31-16 with 9:27 remaining in the third quarter.
UCLA ran its punt team onto the field for fourth-and-six from its own 47-yard line, but Chip Kelly reversed course and put the offense back on. Dorian Thompson-Robinson found Jake Bobo for a critical 10-yard completion to keep the drive going.
Bobo, who led the Bruins with 385 receiving yards and five touchdowns entering the game on 24 catches, has just two receptions today for 29 yards.
The Bruins drove to the Oregon 13-yard line, but Thompson-Robinson was pushed out of bounds for a three-yard loss on second down, and Keegan Jones got stopped for one yard on third-and-10, forcing Barr-Mira’s third field goal of the game.
UCLA starts second half on offense needing comeback
UCLA starts the second half on offense after deferring the opening coin toss. Down 31-13, the Bruins need a strong start to the third quarter to get back into the game after Oregon’s explosive first half.
The Ducks, who have outgained UCLA 352-184, are averaging 552.4 yards and 49.8 points per game since their season-opening blowout loss to Georgia. Oregon scored just three points in the loss to the defending national champions, but have recovered with five straight wins to challenge the Bruins for the top spot in the Pac-12.
Bo Nix leads Oregon to halftime lead
This isn’t the Bo Nix we saw at Auburn.
The Oregon quarterback is playing lights out for the Ducks, who have a 31-13 lead at halftime after three touchdown passes and 202 passing yards for Nix.
Nix has completed 37 of his last 45 passes, including a 20-for-25 performance against Arizona two weeks ago. As Fox color analyst Brock Huard, a former Washington and Seattle Seahawks quarterback, said on the broadcast: “It’s just surgical.”
The Ducks scored on every drive in the first half, including four straight touchdowns after an opening field goal.
Mo Osling III has a team-high 12 tackles for UCLA, including five solo stops. His sure-handed tackling prevented a rushing touchdown from Nix on Oregon’s last drive before halftime as Osling stopped Nix on the edge for a five-yard gain on first-and-goal from the seven.
But Nix would not be denied as he scored two plays (and five timeouts) later with a two-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. Franklin has two touchdowns, eight catches and 127 yards.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is 10-for-13 for 94 yards and one touchdown for UCLA. Zach Charbonnet, the Pac-12’s leading rusher, has 54 yards on eight carries as the Bruins are getting outgained 347-184. Oregon, which stole a possession with a surprise onside kick, is averaging 8.5 yards per play compared to UCLA’s 6.6.
UCLA adds field goal through the rain
Nicholas Barr-Mira sneaked a 44-yard field goal inside the left upright with 3:10 left in the second quarter to put the Bruins down 24-13.
The Bruins scored despite a high snap and rainy weather that could continue into the second half, potentially affecting both teams’ offensive options.
Jake Bobo had the play of the drive with a one-handed catch through contact for 19 yards. A defender was hanging on Bobo’s hip, but the 6-foot-5 receiver was still able to get his hand in the air to tip a high pass to himself, allowing him to control it to the ground.
But Bobo failed to make a critical block outside on second-and-three, allowing defenders to break into the backfield and tackle Keegan Jones for a loss. Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s third-down pass went incomplete, setting up Barr-Mira’s field goal attempt.
Oregon takes control after onside kick
Oregon cashed in its surprise onside kick with a two-yard touchdown drive to go up 24-10 with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter.
The Ducks aggressively marched the ball down the field, using completions of 21 and five yards from quarterback Bo Nix, then four straight rushes into the end zone against a UCLA defense that was playing on its heels. Jordan James capped the drive off with a straight rush up the middle into the end zone.
Nix, the transfer from Auburn, is 11-for-14 passing for 152 yards and two touchdowns. The Ducks are averaging 8.5 yards per play compared to 6.8 for UCLA.
Oregon surprises UCLA with onside kick
Is this Pac-12 after dark?
It’s 1:27 p.m. PDT and things are getting wild in Eugene. After scoring on a 49-yard touchdown pass, the Ducks went for a surprise onside kick, which was perfectly executed by kicker Andrew Boyle. The junior transfer from Washington State tapped the ball forward and recovered it himself after 10 yards.
The Ducks, leading 17-10, took over at their own 46-yard line.
Bo Nix’s bomb puts Oregon back in front
They say it doesn’t rain at Autzen Stadium, but Bo Nix is making it rain touchdowns.
The Oregon quarterback dropped a 49-yard moon ball into the arms of Troy Franklin to put the Ducks back up 17-10 with 10:49 remaining in the second quarter.
Nix is nine-of-12 passing for 126 yards and two touchdowns in three drives.
Keegan Jones races into the end zone
Chip Kelly has always liked speedy players.
The coach made his name at Oregon with a blur offense that thrived on putting his fastest athletes in space, and Keegan Jones just showed how that system has carried over at UCLA.
Jones, a Tennessee state champion in the 200-meter sprint, took a short pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson and turned on the jets for a 36-yard touchdown that tied the game at 10-10 with 12:38 to go in the second quarter.
Thompson-Robinson is eight-for-11 with 75 passing yards and one touchdown through two drives.
Oregon scores to open second quarter
One play, one touchdown.
Oregon scored on the first play of the second quarter with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Terrance Ferguson to jump ahead 10-3 with 14:56 remaining in the second quarter.
The tight end motioned out wide and sneaked behind the UCLA defense down the sideline for his team-leading fifth touchdown catch of the season.
Oregon driving as first quarter ends
Oregon is threatening to score entering the second quarter as quarterback Bo Nix ran a keeper on third-and-five to pick up the first down on the final play of the first quarter.
The Ducks, tied 3-3 with UCLA, have the ball at the UCLA 17-yard line.
Nix was six-of-nine passing for 56 yards in the first half with one eight-yard rush. The Ducks are averaging six yards per play compared to UCLA’s 4.7.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson is six-of-eight passing for 31 yards with 14 rushing yards. Zach Charbonnet has 16 rushing yards on three attempts.
UCLA settles for field goal after opening-drive penalties
Two red zone penalties on the UCLA offensive line helped the Oregon defense hold the Bruins to a field goal on their opening drive.
A 14-yard touchdown pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Keegan Jones was negated because of holding on offensive lineman Jon Gaines II, and then Garrett DiGiorgio was called for a false start, giving the Bruins third-and-18 from the Oregon 29-yard line. Thompson-Robinson’s dangerous pass into double coverage in the end zone was broken up by Bryan Addison.
Nicolas Barr-Mira tied the game with a 47-yard field goal at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter.
The Bruins converted two of three third-down tries on their opening drive and nearly scored their touchdown on another. Oregon is 129th out of 131 teams nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert at a 50.6% clip.
Addison may be a familiar name for Southern California football games. The junior defensive back is from Gardena Serra and once committed to the Bruins before going to Oregon.
Oregon scores field goal on opening drive
Oregon’s Camden Lewis bent a 44-yard field goal through the uprights to put the Ducks up 3-0 with 10:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Middle linebacker Darius Muasau is already making an impact on the game with two tackles and a pass breakup on the first drive. The Hawaii transfer entered the game as UCLA’s leading tackler after two consecutive 100-tackle seasons for the Rainbow Warriors.
Oregon starts on offense in top-10 matchup
Hello, this is Thuc Nhi Nguyen piloting our live blog today for this top-10 matchup. Ben Bolch and Helene Elliott are in Eugene as No. 9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) is trying to take control of the Pac-12 over No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0).
The Bruins and Ducks are the only undefeated teams in the Pac-12 standings and one will move into the driver’s seat with a win today. UCLA, coached by former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, has not won in Autzen Stadium since 2004.
UCLA won the toss and deferred, giving Oregon the ball to start. UCLA fans may see a familiar face on the Oregon sideline because former UCLA receiver Chase Cota transferred to Eugene this year. Cota, a Medford, Ore., native, had 883 receiving yards and six touchdowns in four years for the Bruins.
‘Records are meant to be broken.’ Brett Hundley is a big Dorian Thompson-Robinson fan
Everything Brett Hundley wanted at UCLA remains a possibility for Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
A Pac-12 championship. A Rose Bowl. Maybe even something better.
“It’s awesome to see,” Hundley said over the phone, “because I love UCLA to death.”
Hundley never reached those heights while leading his teams to two mid-tier bowl victories and a 3-0 record against those repugnant rivals across town.
Almost as soon as the dual-threat quarterback departed for the NFL in 2015, the Bruins ran a reverse into irrelevance. They posted losing seasons in five of the next six years while USC regained supremacy in the cross-town rivalry.
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet’s biggest inspiration: His sister Bella
It’s a rare fall Saturday for Zach Charbonnet when games are watched, not played.
The star running back reclines contentedly on a leather sofa inside the living room of his Westlake Village home. A French bulldog splayed in his lap drifts to sleep, ignoring the bedlam on the large-screen television. Tennessee has just gobsmacked Alabama, which might qualify as the second-most riveting event of the afternoon.
As usual on his trips home from UCLA, the Heisman Trophy candidate is upstaged by the star of the house.
Bella Hall is discussing her greatest loves. They include steak, pool parties, the Backstreet Boys, Disneyland and her favorite Halloween candy, Laffy Taffy. The 16-year-old has an opinion about everything. She interjects herself into nearly every conversation, especially those involving her half-brother.
‘It’s always special going back.’ UCLA’s Chip Kelly is chasing a big win at Oregon
For the third time, Chip Kelly is going back to the scene of his greatest success, the place where he revolutionized the fabric of college football with dizzying offenses and kitschy uniforms.
For the first time, fans inside Autzen Stadium might feel like they’re seeing the same guy they remember.
His team is unbeaten. His offense is so good that it’s almost a shock when it doesn’t score. His defense reliably gets enough stops.
It’s the sort of thing that the man who vaulted Kelly into the national spotlight at Oregon always thought would happen for his protégé at UCLA, if a bit sooner than Year 5.
UCLA vs. Oregon: Betting lines, odds and picks against the spread
Las Vegas sportsbooks have No. 9-ranked UCLA (6-0, 3-0 in the Pac-12) as six-point road underdogs when they visit No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PDT (Fox).
These are the last two unbeaten teams in conference play, so the winner will have the inside track for a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas on Dec. 2 while the loser will join one-loss USC and Utah, who are both idle.
The Bruins are 4-2 against the spread as their only non-covers were against Alabama State and South Alabama when they were big 48.5- and 15.5-point favorites, respectively. They’re coming off their bye week after upsetting Utah 42-32 as three-point road underdogs. The only other time this season that the Bruins were dogs was the prior week when they also upset Washington 40-32 as 2.5-point dogs.