SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA- OCTOBER 15, 2022. The San Jose Sharks loose to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Photo credit Jorge Birelas / fi360 News
San Jose, CA- Going into the game both teams were winless, but after a scoring frenzy by the Chicago Blackhawks, it was clear who the better team was tonight. Sam Lafferty of Chicago was the big man on campus with 2 shorthanded goals. In the first period San Jose was up 2-0 thanks to goals by Nico Strum and Erik Karlsson, but would be the last for the boys in teal all game.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA- OCTOBER 15, 2022. The San Jose Sharks loose to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Photo credit Jorge Birelas fi360 News
Chicago captain Jonathan Toews scored the Blackhawks first goal, then Lafferty put them in the lead 3-2 with his back to back goals while trying to kill a penalty. In the 3rd period the bleeding would get worse with 2 breakaway goals by Chicago (one by Raddysh and another by Dickinson) ending the game 5-2. This game was goalie Kaapo Kahkonen’s second game in net and right now, his record is 0-2, allowing a total of 8 goals in both games.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA- OCTOBER 15, 2022. The San Jose Sharks loose to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Photo credit Jorge Birelas fi360 News
The Sharks will be going on a east coast road trip after this game where they will face Stanley Cup contenders, so the road of rebuilding for this team will only get rougher. As far as for Chicago, they will have 5 days off and time to relish in the win tonight.
A positive for San Jose is that before the game, they recognized the franchise’s first ever team captain and GM for 19 years, Doug Wilson. After a beautiful speech from Wilson himself, the team raised a banner to honor him. In Doug Wilson’s speech he passed the torch to new GM Mike Greir, saying “The city of San Jose will be proud of what this man can do for the franchise.”
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA- OCTOBER 15, 2022. The San Jose Sharks loose to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2. Photo credit Jorge Birelas fi360 News
Even though the Sharks couldn’t celebrate a victory on this festive evening, this game was a reminder that this new era of the Sharks will take time and there will be some rough games like this one along the way.
The Sharks will travel to face the New York Islanders on Tuesday October 18 at 4:30pm.
California safety Daniel Scott (32) dives to tackle Colorado receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig (1) in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
Boulder, CU- When Colorado needed a big play Montana “Mr. Inglewood” Lemonious-Craig (1) was there to snag winning touchdown in overtime for the 20-13 victory of Cal for the team first of the year.
Lemonious-Craig was a favorite target for both quarterbacks Owen McCown (#7) who completed 13/21 for 104 yards with an interception and J.T. Shrout was 8/12 for 69 yards and winning touchdown. Lemonious-Craig caught 8 passes for 119 yards on the Bears defense.
“I knew I was in on the touchdown,” said Lemonious-Craig, “I got up and told the ref, ‘Come on, give it to me, please.’ He didn’t, but we reviewed and they gave me the touchdown.”
Colorado interim coach Mike Sandford raises in hands to the refs questioning a flag in the first quarter against California at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
Colorado new coach Mike Sanford Jr. who just took over the team is not 1-0 to break in his coaching debut. This game was the team first win of the season and a conference PAC-12 win too. Now the Buffalos are 1-5 on the season looking for more wins this season.
“This is all for the players, this is all about the players,” Sanford said. “This is all about their response, their resolve. The stuff that I said here 10 days ago, everyone thought I was crazy when I talked about what an unbelievable group of resilient fighters that we have in our locker room. I think everybody had a chance to see that on full display today.”
California running back Jaydn Ott (6) is tackled by Colorado linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo (8), safety Trevor Woods (43) and defensive lineman Na’im Rodman (91) in the first quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
The defense started the game off in the right direction with an interception of Cal’s Jake Plummer on the first series on 3rd and 10 by converted wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (#4) at Safety. This first turnover of the game would set up good mojo for the Buffaloes early.
Plummer did pass for 262 yards on 29/52 passes with a touchdown and that interception. He hit 10 different targets in this game. Marvin Anderson (#11) Cal caught 6 passes for 61 yards to lead in yards receiving. While the lone touchdown pass went to J.Michael Sturdivant (#7) who also caught 6 passes for 45 yards.
The fourth quarter was highest scoring with a Buffaloes touchdown and field goal, with the Bears coming up big with it’s second field goal of the quarter to send this game into overtime tied at 13 – 13.
Colorado running back Anthony Hankerson (22) cuts back against California in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
The Buffaloes running game did do a little damage on the Bears with 118 tough yards. Running back Anthony Hankerson (#22) who carried the ball 16 times for 47 yards and that solo rushing touchdown for the game.
Sanford Jr. being a former quarterback when he played at Boise St had his backs nice a calm and prepared for what Cal would pressure.
Colorado linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo (8) celebrates his tackle for a loss in the first quarter against California at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
“Shoot, the monkey was off the back, man,” said Sanford, “I ain’t win a game since Nov. 27 last year. It’s been a little minute.”
Now Colorado will travel to Oregon State on Oct 22 for a 6pm kickoff. Then Cal will host Washington that night at 7:30pm for Hall of Fame Game.
“Chip” leads Colorado out of the tunnel prior to game against California at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO on Saturday October 15, 2022. Colorado won in overtime 20 to 13. (Photo by Laura Domingue/fi360 News).
Seattle, WA – In their second home opener in franchise history, the Seattle Kraken were blown out 5-2 by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. After a semi-successful three point start over two games, the Kraken looked like the same team from year one in their first game inside Climate Pledge Arena this season. The Kraken will need to shore up their continued defensive issues even they truly plan to improve off of their inaugural season. The Kraken remain winless against Las Vegas, now losing all five contests against the Golden Knights in their existence.
The main issue for Seattle in their first year, and now being carried over into their second year, is the poor play from the defenseman that usually hangs their goaltending out too dry. Yes, there has been some poor play from the Kraken goaltenders, but the vast majority of the time the Seattle defense just plays incredibly unorganized. In the first period of this game, the Kraken failed to remain in their defensive assignments, following the puck and allowing open ice for easy shots on goal. Head coach Dave Hakstol discussed his team’s defensive miscues postgame.
“We weren’t sharp with the puck. Right from the start of the hockey game, we were stuck in quick sand for the first ten minutes of this game and couldn’t get our feet going. From there, once we steadied our game a bit, we didn’t execute with the puck. Looking at the opportunities that we gave them in transition right off of our tape, whether it be on entry, slow forechecks. We put pucks in bad areas and just didn’t get there, as well as other turnovers. They killed us on transition,” Hakstol remarked.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
Seattle was finally able to break the five-goal shutout, but not until late in the third period. Offseason signing Justin Schultz was able to find the back of the net on a wide-open trail to the net. Assistant captain Jordan Eberle found Schultz wide open, and simple one-timer beat Adin Hill in goal for Las Vegas. To get their second goal of the night, another new addition chipped in as Andre Burakovsky lasered a pass to Jaden Schwartz right in front of the net for a chip in. Alas, these were too little too late for Seattle. Despite his goal that broke the shutout, Schultz opted to reflect on what went wrong in this game.
“I don’t think we had the energy we had in the first two games for whatever reason. It was a tough back-to-back, not much rest, but that’s no excuse. We gotta start better. With a start like we had tonight, it’s up to us to start better,” Schultz said.
Despite showing offensive and scoring improvements through their first three games, the Kraken remain in a decently similar situation to their first year of play because of how poorly their defense has played overall. While it is still early, Seattle brass has said that they want to and aim to compete this season. With losses like this still occurring, head coach Dave Hakstol needs to find a way to get his defensemen’s head on straight going forward, or the Kraken may find a second head coach sooner rather than later.
The Kraken will continue a tough three game homestand when they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to town on Monday, October 17th. Seattle will welcome the 2-0-0 Hurricanes to Climate Pledge Arena looking to bounce back, which isn’t totally out of the question when we take a look at the last time these two hockey teams met here. The
Kraken were able to upset Carolina with a late Marcus Johansson wrap around, so hopefully Seattle can find another gritty win over the Hurricanes in this one.
San Diego, CA – On Saturday evening, San Diego State welcomed the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to Snapdragon Stadium for a Mountain West conference matchup. This game came on the heels of a loss to Boise St. where starting quarterback Braxton Burmeister left the game with a concussion. He practiced this week but wasn’t cleared for the game, so that left safety Jalen Mayden to take the helm. Luckily, Jalen has a strong history at the quarterback position. Coming out of high school he was a four star recruit at quarterback, but switched to safety after transferring from Mississippi St.
Photo by Rashad Griffin Sr. / fi360 News
The first half of this game was a defensive battle where both offenses struggled to gain any type of momentum for the most part. There was a small glimmer of light towards the end of the half, the Aztecs were able sustain a nice drive and get into field goal range to put them up 3-0. In the second half we saw the offense start to catch their groove behind the arm of Mayden. He threw for 159 yards in the fourth quarter and 322 for the game with a touchdown. With 1:19 left in the game, down one, Mayden was able to march down the field completing all five of his passes for 50 yards to set up a game winning field goal by Jake Browning. Aztecs won 16-14, and Jalen went on to talk about his position change postgame.
“Me and coach had an agreement that whatever I need to do for the team and he feels he can see me there, I’ll be able to do it. Once he told me the team rallied around me and it just got itself done.”
Photo by Rashad Griffin Sr. / fi360 News
Head Coach Brady Hoke went on to praise the adaptability of Jalen after the game.
“[On Jalen Mayden] He is an intelligent guy so he can pick up things really well… just like Jalen said, I asked him if he was interested and he said ‘if it helps the team I’ll do it’… that’s pretty cool you don’t see that in this day and age.”
After a performance like that, the question is do you roll with the hot quarterback or go back to Braxton. Coach Hoke said that there will be a competition so we’ll find out after the bye week who the starting quarterback will be.
Los Angeles, CA – The USC defense held Washington State scoreless in the second half and defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu had three sacks in a 30-14 victory over the Cougars Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Travis Dye rushed for 149 yards and Caleb Williams threw two touchdowns to Mario Williams to help the Trojans remain unbeaten. USC is 6-0 to start the season since 2006.
Photo by Full Image 360
“Really, really tough, hard-fought win,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “We talked to the guys all week about how circumstances don’t make or break you whether they are positive or negative.
The Trojans defense played well despite not having linebacker Shane Lee, who was out with an injury and losing starting safety Calen Bullock to a disqualification due to a targeting penalty.
“When you lose two of our best players, two of our leaders, you’ve got to have everybody step up,” Riley said. “We had a lot of guys step up. The defensive front had a dominant game.”
Photo by Full Image 360
The offense struggled at times but got key scores when they needed it. Williams finished 15 of 29 for 188 yards.
USC took a 7-0 lead on it’s opening drive when Williams connected with a wide-open Mario Williams for a 38-yard touchdown. The Trojans added a 31-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Washington State opened the second quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Ward to Robert Ferrel. After forcing the Trojans to punt, the Cougars drove down the field and scored on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Ward to Nakia Watson. Washington State took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter.
Photo by Full Image 360
USC marched down the field with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a 4-yard touchdown run from Travis Dye to give the Trojans a 17-14 lead with 2:10 remaining in the second quarter.
“All credit goes to the O-line,” Dye said. “That defensive line is crazy good, and that defensive coordinator can really dial it up. The O-line was identifying everything and blocking it. It was wonderful tonight, all credit to them.”
Williams gave USC a 24-17 lead with a 24-yard pass to Mario Williams. Denis Lynch added two field goals in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Photo by Full Image 360
USC will go on the road to play Utah on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Logan Loya (17) goes in for a touchdown. (Photo by Full Image 360)
Pasadena, CA – A 3-0 record coming into Pac-12 play still had many Bruin fans wondering if this team was ready to compete. A thrashing on the road against Colorado made some heads turn. But the monumental upset win over Washington gave the UCLA faithful finally something to get excited about in October.
So here comes 11th ranked Utah to the Rose Bowl, where their only true competitive game so far was a Florida game where they lost the lead near the end of the game. Since then, each of their games have been clinched by more than three touchdowns. Today, the tables were turned with UCLA never letting go of their lead and dominating in the fourth quarter. UCLA’s 42-32 win now has some of the Bruin faithful wondering if they should be having some different conversations amongst themselves.
Safety Mo Osling III comes up tackle. (Photo by Full Image 360)
“They understand how you train during the week and how well you play on Saturdays,” Bruins head coach Chip Kelly said. “We are playing six games into the season, and you are seeing the results from what we are doing on a week by week basis.”
“I definitely wanted this one.” Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson said. “The point differential in the past has been crazy. It was a very very proud moment for me to see everyone happy after a win like this.”
This could very well be Kelly’s best game as UCLA’s head coach. There was no sense of panic. There was no sense of anyone being confused on what to run and where to be. While it may have taken Kelly a few years to establish some stability, the Bruins could find themselves into the top 15 with their bye week approaching.
Dorian Thompson Robinson paid his dividends in a big way with five total touchdowns, four in the air. His patience with the ball was by far one of his best, going 18-for-23, 8 pass completions going for more than 5 yards.
DTR (1) breaks around end for a touchdown. (Photo by Full Image 360)
“It is important how good Dorian has become,” Kelly said. “There has been so much investment in what he is doing, and you are seeing the result on the field. When you see the list of quarterbacks that he surpassed to be the number one quarterback in touchdowns thrown, that’s a big deal.”
“From all the hard times I have went through, back and forth,” Thompson Robinson said. I am so thankful to be a part of this team and celebrate so many great accomplishments already this season.”
Zach Charbonnet had a blast when it came to pounding the Bruin running game. In the first half alone, Charbonnet’s 93 of his 125 yards rushing came on two plays. Both set up scoring drives. He finished with a total of 198 yards on the ground.
“We got a lot of good looks that we wanted, and our offensive line played great,” Charbonnet said. “Everyone read the blocks they needed, making this a complete game for all of us.”
Zach Charbonnet in stride. (Photo by Full Image 360)
Dorian Thompson Robinson also has shown patience and offensive IQ. Going 10-for-12 in the first half, his two scoring touchdown drives were near perfect, selling a QB draw to the endzone and a play action 10 yards from the goalline finding Jake Bobo in the back of the endzone.
Taking a 14-10 lead into the locker room at the break, the Bruins were all about playing level. In both possessions the Bruins found the endzone with Thompson Robinson’s arm. In both possessions they again relied on the running game with Charbonnet and Keegan Allen.
Starting the fourth, the Bruins essentially had a chance to wrap the game up. On 4th and 3 from near midfield, defensive lineman Jay Toia jumps offside, giving the Utes a free first down. Three plays later Cameron Rising keeps the ball for a nine yard touchdown run, cutting the Bruin lead to 3. But on the ensuing Bruin possession, two plays and 70 yards later, Thompson Robinson again finds Logan Loya wide open up the middle, giving the Bruins the ten point lead yet again.
Signals first down. (Photo by Full Image 360)
Utah eventually runs out of luck coughing up the football on 4th and 1 with Darius Muasau scooping up an easy fumble running just shy to the goalline. UCLA scores one play later.
The Bruins are now 6-0 for the first time since 2005 in the Karl Dorrell era. With Utah now crossed off their list, their real final hurdle in October awaits them in two weeks heading to Oregon. Should the Bruins win, do we dare call it an upset?
“It is about how much work you put in,” Kelly said. Once you get across the white line you have to put the work in. The best thing this team does is come into work every day. I am so happy that these guys are buying into what we are doing.”
EUGENE, OR – After narrowly avoiding a loss last week against Washington State, the 13th ranked Oregon Ducks advanced to 3-1 late Saturday night after they defeated the Stanford Cardinal 45-27 in their Pac-12 home opener.
Stanford was notably without running back EJ Smith, son of Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, who will miss the rest of the season with an undisclosed injury
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
The Ducks took a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter when Bo Nix found wide receiver Chase Cota for a 49-yard touchdown pass and continued to roll after that.
Bennett Williams, who had 7 total tackles on the night, forced a fumble on Benjamin Yurosek in second quarter which was recovered by Noah Sewell. The forced fumble was Williams’s first of season, and third of his career.
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
Once again, the Ducks dominated the ground game, rushing for Season high 350 yards (515 total). Nix led the Ducks on the ground, rushing for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns, which is the most in a game by an Oregon quarterback since Jeremiah Masoli ran for 164 yards back on October 31st, 2009. Sophomore running back and Minnesota transfer Bucky Irving matched his career high, rushing for 97 yards on only 10 carries and sophomore running back Sean Dollars recorded his first career rushing touchdown on 2-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has focused his offense around the run game this season, and after the game stated “We want to lean on our strengths, I think our O-line has been a strength all year. Our backs are running really hard. We were obviously able to involve the quarterback in the run game, and wide receivers too, that was part of our plan coming in. If they didn’t take it away, we wanted to continue to lean on it.”
Nix also was great in the passing game, completing 16-of-29 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, but his night was highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that put the Ducks ahead 38-10.
Wide receiver Chase Cota said “I remember when I saw him get out and he was like 40 yards down the field, I’m like `Please don’t slide, you got the touchdown…Sure enough, he made it.”
Photo by Megan Connelly / fi360 News
The Oregon Ducks will head to the University of Arizona next week as they look to continue their win streak and keep their hopes of making the 2022 College Football Playoff alive.
LOS ANGELES, CA -OCTOBER 01: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs out of the pocket during a college football game between the Arizona State and the USC Trojans on October 01, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
Caleb Williams threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another score in a42-2 5 win over Arizona State on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Sun Devils only trailed by four points at halftime but the Trojans defense made adjustments in the second half and the offense put together three scoring drives to pull away.
LOS ANGELES, CA -OCTOBER 01: Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Emory Jones (5)] gets sacked by USC Trojans defensive lineman Nick Figueroa (99) during a college football game between the Arizona State and the USC Trojans on October 01, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
“We’re really excited about the win,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “It’s great to be 5-0. It was a game of momentum. We had some momentum early, but we didn’t do a very good job finishing in the first half.”
USC is 5-0 to start the season for the first since 2020. The Trojans scored a touchdown on each of its first three possessions tonight and has scored on its first three drives in four of five games this season.
USC capped a 9-play, 75-yard opening drive with a Williams 1-yard QB sneak to give the Trojans an early 7-0 lead. Arizona State responded on the ensuing drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Emory Jones to Xazavian Valladay.
LOS ANGELES, CA -OCTOBER 01: USC Trojans tight end Malcolm Epps (19) catches a touchdown pass during a college football game between the Arizona State and the USC Trojans on October 01, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
Williams gave USC a 14-7 lead with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mario Williams with 1:52 remaining in the first quarter. The Sun Devils added a 40-yard field goal to cut the USC lead 14-10.
USC marched down the field and tight end Malcom Epps caught a 4-yard touchdown to give the Trojans a 21-10 lead. Arizona State would not go away and cut the Trojans lead 21-17 on a 6-yard scramble from Jones.
Williams was intercepted in the end zone on its opening possession of the third quarter. It was USC’s first turnover of the season.
LOS ANGELES, CA -OCTOBER 01: USC Trojans wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches the ball for a gain during a college football game between the Arizona State and the USC Trojans on October 01, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
“They made a good play on the ball and that happens,” Williams said. “Things don’t always go your way as I said before. It was how we responded, which is what I was happy about.”
After the defense forced a punt, the Trojans marched down the field and Travis Dye jumped over the line for a 2-yard touchdown.
Williams gave the Trojans a 35-17 in the fourth quarter after he hit Kyron Hudson for a 2-yard touchdown. Valladay scored on a 2-yard run to cut the lead 35-25.
LOS ANGELES, CA -OCTOBER 01: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) runs out of the pocket during a college football game between the Arizona State and the USC Trojans on October 01, 2022, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/fi360news)
Dye scored his second touchdown of the game to give USC a commanding 42-35 lead with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
USC is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 8 when they host Washington State.
Seattle, WA – In their second matchup against each other in three days, the Seattle Kraken handled the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-0 victory. A veteran laden group headlined by Yanni Gourde, Alex Wennberg, and Oliver Bjorkstrand, Seattle continues to build great chemistry. While it is just the preseason, the positive signs displayed by the Kraken continue to remain present and things are looking much better than year one. Before the game began though, Seattle unveiled it’s official mascot.
Yes, the Kraken finally have a mascot. No, it is not the mythical beast that the team itself is named after. The second-year franchises official mascot is named Buoy, and it is a troll. Inspired by the Fremont Troll in Seattle, the reveal of the mascot was received with mixed reviews. While the Kraken branding is typically dark and mysterious, the idea behind Buoy is that the mascot is kid friendly and will act as an ambassador in the community. It may take some time, but Buoy will surely become a lovable part of the franchise. Kraken vice president of entertainment experience and production, Lamont Buford, discussed the goal for Buoy.
“I will say it wasn’t something that we really sought out to do right away, but with this organization, we have always listened to our fans, and our fans were truly wanting to have a mascot. In listening to them, we decided to start the process to get our character,” Buford said.
While typically NHL teams stack their preseason lineups in younger players and roster bubble players, the Kraken have deployed their veterans evenly each game. Seattle seems determined to truly generate great team chemistry before they begin the regular season, and it looks like that is working perfectly to plan. Yanni Gourde, the presumable captain of this team, had a monster game. Gourde scored a goal and added two assists, totaling three points on the night. Teammate Oliver Bjorkstrand spoke about playing on a line with Gourde.
“I like his game, he’s always on the puck. When he has the puck, he always makes smart plays… overall, I really thought that we were able to get some good minutes in,” Bjorkstrand reflected.
Following their fourth win of the 2022 preseason, Seattle will head on the road for two games to finish out their exhibition matches. The first of the two comes on Monday, October 3rd against the Calgary Flames. Puck drop for the game is at 6PM PST, as the two Western Division teams will battle it out on ESPN+.
Pasadena, CA- The UCLA Bruins looks like they are a real player when it comes to the Pac-12!
UCLA pulled off a huge upset against the 15th-ranked Washington Huskies 40-32 in their Pac-12 home opener.
Photo by fi360 News
Already leading 9-7 after the first quarter, UCLA dominated the second quarter outscoring the Huskies (17-3) in the quarter and never looked backed. Star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson tossed touchdown passes to WRs Jake Bobo and Sam Brown in the second quarter alone. He finished the game with 300+ passing yards to go along with 3 touchdown passes. DTR was able to add a rushing touchdown in the third quarter as well.
“I’m reading all the articles throughout the whole week. They’re writing us off people saying we are the worst 4-0 team out there” said the ‘turnt up’ 5th year starting quarterback. “My boys played with a chip on their shoulders. I told y’all on Monday to see if Washington can run with us and not the other way around.”
Photo by fi360 News
After jumping out to a 40-16 lead in the 4th quarter the Bruins had to fight off the charging Huskies as they cut the lead to eight with 3:59 remaining. UCLA’s offense did their part by picking up first down after first down to finish off their Pac-12 counterpart.
Coach Chip Kelly was pleased that his offense was able to close out the game without giving UW another chance to possibly send the game into overtime. “That’s what great teams have to do. You have to be able to seal the win and not put it in anybody else’s hands.”
Photo by fi360 News
With a Chip Kelly led team its all about offense but the Bruins defense led the charge in the game. The defense slowed down a Washington offense that came in averaging 44 points per game, holding them to just 32 points. With most of the scoring coming late. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled early but finished with 345 yards and 4 touchdowns. The issue was the three turnovers early that put his team in a whole.
Photo by fi360 News
The Bruins now move on to another big game as the defending Pac-12 champion Utah Utes comes to town Saturday October 8 at 12:30pm. Washington looks to bounce back as they travel to Sun Valley for a matchup with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
