Dante Moore’s freshman QB growing pains take center stage in UCLA loss
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The education of Dante Moore has resembled a painful lesson written over and over on a blackboard.
It’s hard to win when you throw a pick-six.
It’s hard to win when you throw a pick-six.
It’s hard to win when you throw a pick-six.
For a third consecutive game, the UCLA freshman quarterback had an interception returned for a touchdown.
For the second time in those three games, his team was unable to overcome that critical blunder.
This pick-six was one of three passes Moore had intercepted Saturday during the No. 18 Bruins’ dreary 36-24 loss to No. 15 Oregon State that raised more questions about the freshman’s decision-making.
Dante Moore and the UCLA defense struggle in loss to Oregon State
🏈 Oregon State 36, UCLA 24 — FINAL
Freshman quarterback Dante Moore threw three interceptions and the vaunted UCLA defense struggled, giving up four touchdowns to the DJ Uiagalelei-led Oregon State offense, in a loss in front of a roaring crowd at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., on Saturday night.
After burning through its timeouts, UCLA got the ball at its seven-yard line with 3:24 left in regulation and managed to drive deep into Oregon State territory before two sacks on Moore and a false-start penalty derailed any hope of a UCLA comeback.
Uiagalelei completed 14 of 24 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Moore completed 13 of 31 passes for 138 yards, with a touchdown.
Carson Steel had 110 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries and quarterback Collin Schlee had 80 yards in six carries. Damien Martinez rushed for 90 yards in 15 carries for Oregon State.
No. 18 UCLA (4-2) will play at Stanford (2-4) next on Oct. 21. No. 15 Oregon State is 6-1 heading into its bye week.
Promising UCLA drive hits a wall late in fourth quarter
🏈 Oregon State 36, UCLA 24 — 5:45 left in the fourth quarter
UCLA’s best chance to mount a comeback failed late in the fourth quarter when Dante Moore was sacked by Oregon State linebacker Calvin Hart Jr.
Before the sack, the Bruins managed to drive onto the Beavers’ half of the field thanks to a questionable non-call on a blocked punt and roughing the passer penalty on what appeared to be a legitimate Oregon State sack.
After Bruins tight end Moliki Matavao caught a 35-yard pass to move the Bruins to the Oregon State 18, everything fell apart. With the Reser Stadium crowd roaring, two false start penalties and Hart’s sack ended what initially appeared to be a promising drive.
Carson Steele touchdown thrusts UCLA back into the game
🏈 Oregon State 36, UCLA 24 — 14:31 left in the first quarter
Carson Steele scored on a seven-yard touchdown run to cap a methodical, 16-play, 75-yard drive and keep UCLA in the game.
Steele played a big part in the drive, churning out 51 yards on 10 carries. Steele has 99 yards on the ground tonight.
Oregon State responds with its fourth touchdown tonight
🏈 Oregon State 36, UCLA 17 — 4:24 left in the third quarter
The UCLA defense continues to struggle against the Oregon State passing game.
DJ Uiagalelei found a wide-open Jack Velling on a vertical route for a 32-yard touchdown pass to once again put the Beavers in control. The play capped a four-play, 77-yard drive that also including a 41-yard pass to Velling.
Entering Saturday, the Bruins hadn’t given up two touchdowns in a game this season; they’ve given up four tonight.
Dante Moore re-entered the game on the ensuing possession with the rain coming down harder at Reser Stadium.
Collin Schlee helps power UCLA scoring drive
🏈 Oregon State 29, UCLA 17 — 7:07 left in the third quarter
UCLA didn’t waste any time responding to Oregon State’s touchdown, with quarterback Collin Schlee spearheading a five-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with a nine-yard touchdown run by TJ Harden.
Schlee set up the touchdown with a tackle-breaking, 28-yard run that moved the ball into the red zone. Schlee took over at quarterback after the Bruins’ first possession of the second half under freshman quarterback Dante Moore went nowhere.
Runs of 14 and 12 yards by Keegan Jones also fueled the scoring drive.
Oregon State extends lead on 43-yard touchdown pass
🏈 Oregon State 29, UCLA 10 — 9:12 left in the third quarter
DJ Uiagalelei is continuing to cause big problems for the UCLA defense.
The Oregon State quarterback connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Silas Bolden to extend the Beavers’ lead. UCLA was able to break up the pass on the Beavers’ two-point conversion try.
The touchdown came on Oregon State’s second possession of the third quarter. UCLA’s first possession of the second half fizzled after a 15-yard run by Carson Steele.
Collin Schlee re-entered the game at quarterback for the third time on the Bruins’ second possession of the half. Will an up-tempo attack on offense help the Bruins claw back into this one?
Oregon State extends lead on pick-six just before halftime
🏈 Oregon State 23, UCLA 10 — HALFTIME
UCLA’s Dante Moore threw his third interception of the game, a pick-six returned 41 yards by Oregon State cornerback Ryan Cooper Jr., that gave the Beavers all the momentum just before halftime.
One play after scrambling 16 yards on third down to extend a UCLA drive, Moore tried to find J.Michael Sturdivant, but Cooper read the play perfectly, pouncing in front of the receiver to run unabated to the end zone. It was the third pick-six in three games for Moore.
Chip Kelly immediately spoke to Moore as he came off the field and several teammates approached Moore and spoke to the 19-year-old true freshman QB.
Moore completed eight of 18 passes for 70 yards, with one touchdown in the first half.
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is eight for 14 for 107 yards.
UCLA held a slight advantage on total yards in the half (201 to 199), but it was negated by 17 Oregon State points off three turnovers.
Oregon State drives UCLA’s defense to extend lead
🏈 Oregon State 16, UCLA 10 — 1:55 left in the second quarter
Oregon State is making UCLA’s vaunted defense look rather ordinary.
Atticus Sappington kicked a 26-yard field goal — his third field goal of the game — to extend the Beavers lead late in the second quarter.
Oregon State drove 77 yards on 10 plays, with DJ Uiagalelei passes of 18 yards and 22 yards fueling the bulk of the drive.
Can Dante Moore and the Bruins respond and find the end zone before halftime?
UCLA tacks on field goal after Oluwafemi Oladejo fumble recovery
🏈 Oregon State 13, UCLA 10 — 7:30 left in the second quarter
R.J. Lopez kicked a 36-yard field goal as UCLA capitalized on an Oregon State turnover to cut into the Beavers’ lead.
The Bruins took over on the Oregon State 47 when linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo recovered a fumble by running back Deshaun Fenwick.
UCLA kept its possession alive when Dante Moore converted on fourth-and-three with a five-yard pass to Kyle Ford. Chip Kelly then put Collin Schlee back in at quarterback for two plays, but Oregon State’s defense wasn’t fooled this time by Schlee’s penchant for running the ball.
Moore was then sacked by Joe Golden on third down to force the field-goal attempt.
Dante Moore connects with Logan Loya for speedy UCLA touchdown
🏈 Oregon State 13, UCLA 7 — 12:44 left in the second quarter
UCLA wasted no time responding to Oregon State’s touchdown.
With Collin Schlee entering the game at quarterback to start the second quarter, the Bruins quickly drove the ball before Dante Moore re-entered and connected on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Logan Loya.
T.J. Harden started the eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 16-yard run before the athletic Schlee busted off runs of 28 and 14 yards. Moore returned to the game with the Bruins in the red zone and found Loya on his second pass attempt.
Moore’s brief exit might have been related to the hard takedown he sustained at the end of the Bruins’ previous possession.
Jack Velling touchdown gives Oregon State a 13-0 lead
🏈 Oregon State 13, UCLA 0 — End of first quarter
Oregon State quarterback Aidan Chiles connected with tight end Jack Velling on a 10-yard touchdown pass as the Beavers capitalized on their second interception to find the end zone.
Velling was left wide open after UCLA’s secondary botched the coverage.
The touchdown came four plays after Andrew Chatfield Jr. intercepted UCLA quarterback Dante Moore to put the ball on the UCLA 21. Ten of the Beavers’ 13 points have come off turnovers.
Collin Schlee started under center for the Bruins in the second quarter before Moore re-entered the game.
UCLA quarterback Dante Moore throws another interception
🏈 Oregon State 6, UCLA 0 — 3:13 left in the first quarter
UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore was picked off for the second time today, this time by Oregon State linebacker Andrew Chatfield Jr. while trying to throw under pressure.
Oregon State took over at the UCLA 21.
Oregon State extends lead on another field goal
🏈 Oregon State 6, UCLA 0 — 4:19 left in the first quarter
UCLA’s defense bends but doesn’t break.
Atticus Sappington kicked his second field goal of the game — this time a 43-yarder — to extend Oregon State’s lead.
The Bruins went three-and-out on their second possession, and the DJ Uiagalelei-led Beavers wasted no time carving through the UCLA defense. Uiagalelei connected on a 25-yard pass to Rweha Munyagi Jr. to start the drive and Damien Martinez followed with a 12-yard run.
Oregon State later converted on fourth-and-two on a 10-yard completion to Anthony Gould to put the ball on the UCLA 25, before the Bruins finally put the brakes on the 10-play, 55-yard drive.
UCLA’s defense limits damage from a Dante Moore interception
🏈 Oregon State 3, UCLA 0 — 10:15 left in the first quarter
UCLA quarterback Dante Moore got away with his first bad throw underneath a defender on the Bruins’ opening possession. But the Beavers made him pay when he tried it again on the next play.
Oregon State defensive back Akili Arnold recorded his second interception of the season, picking off a pass intended for Logan Loya and helping the Beavers take over at the UCLA 30. Moore got an earful from coach Chip Kelly when he returned to the sideline.
After quarterback DJ Uiagalelei connected on a 10-yard pass to put the Beavers in the red zone, UCLA’s defense held and limited Oregon State to a 36-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington.
Moore threw an interception on the Bruins’ first possession in their loss to Utah three weeks ago.
Don’t wait until it’s too late, UCLA. Pay defensive miracle worker D’Anton Lynn now
Last February, UCLA quietly offered $1 million to lure D’Anton Lynn from the Baltimore Ravens to become its defensive coordinator.
Six weeks into the 2023 season, it is clear that athletic director Martin Jarmond actually found himself a bargain. Lynn is worth double that — the same amount that Ohio State’s Jim Knowles, the country’s highest paid defensive coordinator, brings in.
After just eight months directing what has routinely been one of the country’s most dysfunctional units, Lynn has transformed UCLA into one of the top defenses in the country. His miracle work thus far mirrors the immediate transformation Lincoln Riley executed for USC’s offense last season — only Lynn didn’t bring with him the defensive equivalent of a projected No. 1 overall NFL draft pick and the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner from the transfer portal.
UCLA vs. Oregon State: Five greatest games in rivalry history
With UCLA playing in its final season in the Pac-12, The Times is revisiting the top five games in the history of each series. This week: UCLA-Oregon State.
Nov. 4, 1967: Oregon State 16, No. 2 UCLA 16
They were called “Giant Killers” for a reason. After toppling No. 2 Purdue two weeks earlier, the Beavers hardly looked like 14-point underdogs against another second-ranked team.
Still, unbeaten UCLA had its chances late at the Coliseum. Going for it on fourth and goal from the 10-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, quarterback Gary Beban fired a pass into the end zone that was intercepted.
Late bloomers, comebacks and surprises: The unlikely rise of UCLA’s defense
D’Anton Lynn demands that his players talk.
Before the snap. After the play. Back on the sideline at the end of drives that mostly have gone nowhere.
Talk about what formations they see. About shifts and movement and tendencies. About anything that might help a teammate gain the slightest edge in getting another stop.
“Obnoxious communication” is how Lynn, UCLA’s new defensive coordinator, describes his relentless call for chatter.
He’s found a responsive audience in a jaunty jumble of comeback stories, late bloomers and out-of-nowhere contributors who comprise what might be the best defense in the Pac-12.
How about that defense? Takeaways from UCLA’s win over Washington State
Funny how a season’s complexion can change in a matter of hours.
On Saturday morning, UCLA was widely regarded as on its way to another unremarkable season. Unranked and unable to protect its freshman quarterback, the Bruins weren’t even sure how credible their defense was.
By sundown, the outlook had brightened like the sun radiating off the Rose Bowl’s seats. UCLA did a much better job of keeping Dante Moore upright during a 25-17 comeback victory over then-No. 13 Washington State that vaulted the Bruins back into the national rankings, at No. 18.
No. 18 UCLA vs. No. 15 Oregon State: Five things to watch
Before UCLA hits the soft pocket of the schedule, it’s going big-game hunting in the Willamette Valley.
Showdowns with Oregon State in which both teams are ranked are as rare as a cloudless October in this part of the country.
The last time it happened was in 2001, when the Bruins rolled to a 38-7 victory over the Beavers during a game that included several participants who will be back on the sideline Saturday evening at Reser Stadium.
Oregon State’s quarterback that day: Jonathan Smith, now the team’s coach.