Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles will have to continue waiting for that first mark on the win column. The Clippers home opener ended in a 120-114 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
“Our first unit has to do a better job at setting the tone, having a defensive mindset,” said Clippers head coach Tyronne Lue. “We are not there yet, but it’s coming.”
Although the home team had found a 13-point lead at the beginning of the second quarter, the Grizzlies started creeping in as halftime got closer. Memphis guard De’Anthony Melton made a 23-foot three-pointer with 22 seconds left before the break. It was a one-point game until Reggie Jackson’s buzzer beater made it a slightly bigger lead for the Clippers at 62-59.
The Grizzlies are a young team, but they are talented. They kept the momentum going and tied the game less than two minutes into the third quarter. Memphis eventually took a 16-point lead with four minutes left in that period.
Lue said the Clippers offense got stagnant for a while, but overall he thinks the team is heading in the right direction. It’s just not quite there yet all the time.
“I thought we did a good job,” Lue said. “But we have those little four-five minute lulls where we just don’t continue to play the same way we’ve been playing and that hurts us every single time.”
Los Angeles tried to turn it around, but the Grizzlies weren’t really budging and kept finding double-digit leads. Although they didn’t quite pull it off, the Clippers were close to a comeback in the last two minutes of the game.
The Clippers called a full timeout with 1:17 left, as Memphis led 114-109. The play Lue prepared led to a three-point jumper by Paul George, with Marcus Morris assisting. The Staples Center crowd sounded excited for the possibility of catching up, until Memphis scored again with 50 seconds left.
George hit a layup, which led to more excitement. But Jaren Jackson made a three-pointer with 17.5 left that forced the Clippers to call another timeout. Once again, George attempted a three-pointer. This one didn’t make it in.
His team may have lost, but the 6’8 forward had a big night. George picked up a double-double of 41 points and 10 rebounds while going 15-of-25 from the field, as well as hitting five three-pointers. Jackson and Eric Bledsoe also contributed double figures with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
The Los Angeles offense performed alright, but Memphis had all five scorers in double digits. Ja Morant led the winning team shooting 10-of-19 from the field, registering 28 points and eight assists.
With Sunday’s result, the Clippers are now starting the season 0-2. They’ll get homecourt advantage again on Monday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers. The game is scheduled for 7:30pm PT.
Pasadena, CA – What was so important about UCLA and returning to the Rose Bowl to face Oregon was having their contest to have some meaning. That meant in their two road games, they needed to return home scooping up two wins. They did just that.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
So, win or lose against the Ducks, the Bruins already drew more than enough attention to show that this team was sticking around. And to be fair, the Bruins showed what they were made of getting ahead two touchdowns early. Slowly, Oregon crawled their way back in and eventually took a lead early in the third. Since then, the Ducks never relinquished and took over for practically the entire second half. There could be a lot of negatives that are drawn from the 34-31 heartbreaking Bruin defeat. The plus side however: this is not a Bruins team that Chip Kelly has drawn up since his first few years at the helm.
“This is an unbelievable resilient bunch,” Kelly said. “We will fight to the end, and we just ended up one play short. We worked hard to get to field goal range at the end, but our guys are learning to make big plays when they need to. There were a bunch of guys that competed, and I am proud of that.”
UCLA got off to a hot start with plenty of consistency. The Bruins offense had a balanced offensive attack that completely caught the Oregon defense off guard within their first two touchdown drives. Dorian-Thompson Robinson, Brittain Brown, and Zach Charbonnet led the way with little spurts of gains on the ground and in the air on their first score. The second came off a blocked punt setting up UCLA 30 yards from the endzone in which they reached on just four plays.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
When they needed to maintain ground, the Bruins were unable to keep up. It showed through the second and third quarters with Oregon scoring on four straight drives. UCLA certainly had their opportunities, especially on being able to force a fumble at midfield by DJ Warnell after a completed pass. Driving to the Oregon 30, Thompson-Robinson couldn’t avoid a sack on third down, which then led to a gamble pass to the endzone on fourth down that came away empty handed. That led to an Anthony Brown touchdown of 43 yards heading to the endzone nearly untouched. It was all part of a third quarter where UCLA thought they were working things through but instead only managed seven yards of total offense.
“There were plenty of big opportunities,” “But at the end of the day we need to take care of self inflicted wounds. Tip your hat off to some of the guys for Oregon when they made big plays. We need to clean those up if we need to play as a consistent football team.”
But instead of giving in, UCLA managed to do their part in the final quarter to show some life. UCLA did manage an opportunity to come back and even take a lead when Oregon could have sat on the ball with a commanding lead. Twice Brown elected to pass on second down, once in the endzone on a 24 yard pass. Both instances led to interceptions, with the latter giving UCLA a chance to relinquish their lead with under two minutes left. UCLA though had to do too much, with also putting Thompson Robinson exposed to the Ducks blitz. He had to come out after a hard hit near midfield, putting freshman Ethan Garbers in on the last few plays. Getting the Bruins about 20 yards and converting on a fourth down pass play, DJ James snuck in front of Kyle Phillips took the chance at a comeback away. It proved however that with UCLA giving in midway through the third, a 17 point lead was just too much to overcome.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
“What we learned was what we can do to not put ourselves in this situation,” Kelly said. “Our kids were down, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of positives out of this game, because there certainly were. Our kids kept playing and our kids kept learning from their mistakes.”
While it wasn’t a complete game, the Bruins certainly have a lot to look forward to. They gained some recognition with ESPN taking their College Gameday crew to Pasadena. While Thompson-Robinson did only go 22 for 41 with only a touchdown, his offensive execution at times chugged along smoothly giving Charbonnet and Brown solid carries. They were also 10-for -19 on third down conversions, and their offense managed to get in the red zone six times, scoring five of those instances with only the missed field goal proving costly.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
While the chance at making the Rose Bowl game could be out of reach, this does not mean the Bruins season has ended up being a dud. Looking ahead, UCLA has four games remaining, with their strongest opponent coming next week against Utah on the road. They would then stay in the Los Angeles area the rest of November taking on Colorado and Cal at home, and then on the road against a USC team that has faced adversity most of this year. Finishing the season with eight wins and a high bowl mark could create a beginning of a turnaround for a Chip Kelly program that has struggled to find solid ground since he has taken over.
“We have a tall task to get ready for Utah next week,” Kelly said. “We have to be ready.”
There is much to look forward for Bruin nation, and many people must not step off the bandwagon just yet.
Centre County, PA – Illinois outlasts #7 Penn State on the road 20-18 in the first ever 9 overtime contest in NCAA history. The Illini pounded out 357 yards on the ground which propelled Bret Bielema’s squad regularly throughout a soggy afternoon.
Additionally, Illini defense held the Nittany Lions offense to a minimum in Beaver Stadium. Entering the game, Penn State had previously averaged 396.7 yards on 21 total touchdowns. On the afternoon, James Franklin’s squad only mustered 18 points on 227 total yards of offense.
Photos by Patrick Blain / fi360 News
“We did not have our guys ready to play,” Franklin said after the game. “I think there was a difference between playing Iowa on the road and having that type of loss with the type of injuries we had going into our bye week. But at the end of the day, all that matters is we get the job done, and we did not today.”
To add to the misery for Penn State, quarterback Sean Clifford’s health remains a mystery as he clearly struggled to find any momentum leading the Nittany Lions. He also took a late hit in the first half against Illinois which was highlighted during post game interviews. Keep in mind Clifford was forced to leave the game at Iowa during the Lion’s 23-20 loss with an undisclosed injury. On Saturday, Clifford was held to 165 yards and a touchdown.
Photos by Patrick Blain / fi360 News
“It’s tough but leadership doesn’t come easy,” Jesse Luketa said. “You have to do the stuff, the uncommon things, that everyone else doesn’t want to do, the uncomfortable things. I try to put my personal emotions aside and think for the greater benefit of the team.”
Penn State has to look at themselves internally and get this team on track on both sides of the football. Even with Franklin taking the blame for not having his team ready, the leaders are going to be reason Penn State bounces back.
Photos by Patrick Blain / fi360 News
Penn State will travel next week to play Ohio State on Oct 30th at 7:30pm est. While Illinois will host Rutgers at high noon on Oct 30th.
Two of the top ten CIF Los Angeles City teams, the Lincoln Tigers (9-0) and the Franklin Panthers (7-2), squared off on Friday night for the Northern League championship ending in Lincoln going home with the victory 52-34 in their East LA rivalry.
Lincoln Head Coach Gabriel Cotero shared how it felt to earn this win.
Photos by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
“It feels relieving. It was a rough week. We worked hard to put this game together. It’s not only the product on the field, it’s everything that goes around. But it feels very satisfying. This school needs it. We played a very, very tough team over there. The coach over there [Franklin’s head coach] I’ve known him since he was a little kid. I was his teacher at Irving Middle School. We talk on the phone and all that stuff. Before the game we were just talking and having fun. But overall, it just feels so good.”
Lincoln struck first as senior quarterback Ivan Plancarte drove for a 30-yard touchdown at the 9:46 mark in the first quarter, 6-0.
Photos by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
In the blink of an eye, Lincoln junior Tyler Rosales leaped for a pick six at the 7:26 mark to make his team go up 20-0.
But Franklin wouldn’t be silenced for long.
Money man Hector Ceballos scored a 5-yard reception to put his team on the board, 20-7.
“Hats off to Lincoln,” said Franklin Head Coach Narciso Diaz. “It’s a good team. They played well. They deserve it. I can’t complain about our team’s effort. We went down 20-0. Then we just kept battling back, battling back. But I’m proud of our kids and we have one more game left.”
Photos by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
Lincoln’s star senior running back Andre Watkins was in the zone.
Plancarte handed the ball off to Watkins to score and lead at the end of the first period, 28-7.
Coach Cotero commented on the impact of Plancarte and Watkins as his team’s dynamic duo.
“Those two guys have been performing for us just like they did today. They pick everything up. They study the plays well. And it shows on the field. I also like their leadership. Ivan of course is a little fiery but he lays it all out. And Andre has been doing the same thing for 4 years with us. He ran for over 2,000 yards for his sophomore season. It’s because of them that we’re here. They carried us throughout the season, and they’re still carrying us right now, and they’re going to carry us through the postseason too.”
Watkins then dashed for a 44-yard run in the second quarter to extend the lead, 42-14.
He went down with 3:57 minutes remaining in the second period. He started limping on his right leg, but was able to walk off the field on his own.
Lincoln led at the half, 42-20.
Photos by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
Watkins returned to action in the third quarter. Franklin struggled to catch him as he sprinted to the house at the 5:09 mark to put his team up, 49-26.
Franklin tried to creep up to come as close as 49-34 in the final quarter, but Lincoln was able to close it out.
“I just have a lot of fun with these kids all day, all week, every time of the year, and to see them happy is my greatest satisfaction,” said Coach Cotero.
The Los Angeles Rams were also in the house as some of the administrative staff and the team mascot made appearances.
Photos by Brianne Ingram / fi360 News
Lincoln is currently on a 13-game winning streak and will go for 10-0 next week against Torres.
“We can’t take them lightly,” said Coach Cotero. “So, we just got to go in there and watch film and get the game plan ready. We’re out here having fun and the kids are out here performing for us. I just want to see exactly what I saw tonight against Torres next week and we’ll be fine. We need the momentum to take us into the playoffs.”
The Lincoln Tigers go on the road against the Torres Toros next Friday, October 29th at 7 pm.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala #9 directs traffic during the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore)
A game that started with a dominating Golden State lead turned into a nail-biting showdown in the last two minutes. But no matter how entertaining the game was, the Los Angeles Clippers still opened the regular season 0-1.
Los Angeles had to settle for a 113-115 loss at Chase Center on Thursday night.
Steph Curry, who was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team earlier that day, opened the night by going 10-of-10 from the field. He had a 25-point first quarter by shooting 100% from the field and 100% from beyond the arc.
Guarding Curry is no small task, as Clippers forward Paul George noted during the postgame press conference.
“I think you just have to know where he is at. He’s so good. He’s just the complete package offensively,” George said. “He’s mastered how to get free without dribbling the ball. He’s just so elusive and quick. One second you look away and he’s gone.”
The Warriors found a 19-point advantage in the second quarter, but George was determined to turn things around. He spearheaded a strong comeback and helped the Clippers find their first lead of the night with just 22 seconds left in the period. Los Angeles entered halftime with a 67-66 lead after an impressive 25-5 run.
George registered 22 points by going 9-of-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range in that half. Eric Bledsoe and Ivica Zubac also contributed with double digits. Bledsoe got 15 points shooting at 77.8% from the field, while Zuback picked up 10 points with 75.0% shooting.
“All the way back to last year, our team just finds ways to try to win games,” Clippers head coach Tyronne Lue said when asked about that first half comeback. “No matter what combination we put on the floor, those guys compete, they play hard, and just try to find ways.”
Golden State tried to get away during the third quarter, but the Clippers one again fought back and finished that period on a 9-2 run, as well as a 93-90 lead.
And then came the final quarter.
Curry hit a huge three-pointer with 1:50 remaining. Bledsoe responded with a layup to put Los Angeles up 109-108, but Curry hit another big shot with 57 seconds left.
Draymond Green extended the Warriors’ lead to 113-109 with a layup with 11.6 seconds on the clock. George hit a pull-up 3 to give the Clippers hope with 5 seconds remaining. The game came down to free throws. Curry made two from the charity line and Zubac made one, while purposely missing the second one in hopes for a rebound and a chance to go into overtime.
Unsurprisingly, Curry finished the night leading all scorers with 45 points. He went 16-of-25 from the field, with half of those successful shots being three-pointers. Three other Warriors finished in double digits. Meanwhile, Los Angeles had six players record double figures, with George as the leader with 29 points on 12-of-23 shooting.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard looking to score during the Dallas Mavs. (Courtesy photo Nick White)
The Los Angeles Clippers will be challenged right away as they enter the 2021-22 season with a game against the Golden State Warriors on the road.
Although the Warriors lack size, that didn’t stop them from going 5-0 in preseason or from taking a 121-114 win against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday.
Their pace and constant movement did not go unnoticed by Clippers forward Paul George.
“They move the ball. It’s scary,” George said after Wednesday’s practice. “We just have to be ready for their ball movement. I thought the Lakers played them well, put bodies on them, forced them to make plays at the rim. That’s how we are going to have to try to approach it.”
Steph Curry shot at 23.8% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc. The Golden State guard also turned the ball over four times. In his own words, he “played like trash.” Curry’s percentages on the stat sheet left a lot to be desired, but he still led his team’s offense with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. This was Curry’s first triple-double since 2016.
He won’t be the only player the Clippers need to worry about. Jordan Poole showed he can be a difference-maker and helped the Warriors with 20 points, 16 of those in the second half. Four other Warriors also scored in double digits.
Los Angeles head coach Tyronn Lue pointed out another very obvious strength for the Warriors: their three-point shooting.
The Warriors averaged 38.7 three-point attempts last season. Their preseason’s average was higher, shooting 53.2 three-pointers per game.
“We know they are going to attack, we know they are going to shoot threes, but we just have to eliminate the easy baskets,” Lue said.
Golden State missed out on the playoffs last season. Meanwhile, the Clippers made it to the Western Conference Finals series. Unfortunately for them, that momentum hasn’t been easy to keep going.
Los Angeles went 1-3 during preseason and is still looking for consistency. As Lue mentioned after his team’s 128-100 preseason loss to Minnesota, transition defense and better ball movement are two areas that could use improvement.
Finding the right rhythm is difficult, especially with some key players missing. On Tuesday, Lue confirmed that Serge Ibaka will be out for the season opener (back injury from last season).
There is also still not a definite date for when Kawhi Leonard will be back. The spotlight is on George who, although has struggled with inconsistency in his own game, feels confident he can be a leader while his co-star returns.
Along with Leonard, Nicolas Batum will be missing for this first game due to personal reasons. Serge Ibaka, Keon Johnson and Jason Preston will not be available for the opener.
George didn’t play at the beginning of his first season with the Clippers, which meant Leonard had to take over. Now, George said, the roles are flipped.
“I’m starting without him this year so I gained a little bit off of what I saw,” George said. “He led the team when I was out, kept us competitive, kept us in it. Now it’s essentially my turn to lead the team and keep us afloat, keep us going.”
The Clippers/Warriors game is scheduled for 7pm PT on Thursday and will be available on TNT.
Colorado mascot "Chip" dances with the dance team during break in action of Southern California at Colorado at Folsom Field on Saturday October 2, 2021. (Laura Domingue / fi360 News)
SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 today announced its 2021 football season’s seventh weekly performance awards, presented by Nextiva. See below for Week Seven’s recognitions across the Conference and keep track of the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year watchlist here:
Wins the award in back-to-back weeks. First time a Utah player and seventh time in the Pac-12 era that a player has won this award in consecutive weeks (2020- Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State; 2017- Khalil Tate, Arizona and Bryce Love, Stanford; 2014- Marcus Mariota, Oregon; 2013- Marcus Mariota, Oregon; 2012- Johnathan Franklin, UCLA).
Led an incredible second half comeback from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat No. 18 Arizona State, 35-21, on Saturday night.
Making his third consecutive start, finishing 21-of-33 passing for 247 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions. Additionally rushed himself six times for a career-high 59 yards (9.8 ypc) and another touchdown.
First Utah quarterback to rush and pass for a touchdown in consecutive games since Tyler Huntley in 2019 (at Washington, vs. UCLA).
In the second half alone, Rising was 13-of-15 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Was never sacked on 69 offensive plays.
Led the Pac-12 in this week’s ESPN QBR (91.4) and was No. 10 in the country. For the season, Rising ranks No. 2 nationally in ESPN’s QBR (88.8).
The Utes found the end zone on their first drives in both the first and second halves. The last time the squad accomplished that feat was in a comeback win at No. 21 Colorado during 2020. Utah produced touchdowns on all four of its second-half possessions.
455 yards of total offense were the most by an Arizona State opponent this season.
Utah eliminated a two-score deficit to defeat an AP-ranked opponent for the first time since 2008.
Also nominated: Travis Dye, RB, Oregon; Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA; Jayden de Laura, QB, Washington State; Brendon Lewis, QB, Colorado; Jayden Daniels, QB, Arizona State
Second time he has won this award this season, also winning it following Week One.
Had a game-high eight tackles, including four TFL (24 yards) and a career-high three sacks (19 yards) in an incredible comeback win over No. 18 Arizona State. Also contributed a pass breakup.
His four TFL tied a career-best, the most by a Ute this season and tied for the most by a Pac-12 player this year. Lloyd has totaled 10.5 TFL in Utah’s last four games His first sack, coming in the second quarter, was a third-down stop. He added a five-yard TFL on ASU’s final drive, then cemented the victory with back-to-back sacks of four yards and 14 yards on the final two plays of the night.
Led a defense that shut out ASU in the second half, and held the Sun Devils to 97 yards of total offense in the final 30 minutes.
Second in the Pac-12 and is No. 6 in FBS with 10.2 tackles per game. Lloyd had no fewer than eight stops each game this season.
Also nominated: Carson Wells, OLB, Colorado; Noah Sewell, ILB, Oregon; Quentin Lake, DB, UCLA; Darien Butler, LB, Arizona State; Ron Stone, Jr., Edge, Washington State
SPECIAL TEAMS: Trevor Woods, Fr., Safety, Colorado (Katy, TX)
In Colorado’s 34-0 win over Arizona, and with the Buffs ahead 6-0 a little over midway in the third quarter, he first blocked a punt, chased it down and then returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. It was CU’s first blocked punt since 2018, and the first blocked punt returned for a TD since 2004.
First Colorado player to win this award since 2019 when Kicker Evan Price and Punter Alex Kinney each won it once.
Also nominated: Camden Lewis, K, Oregon; Joshua Karty, K, Stanford; Eddie Czaplicki, P, Arizona State
OFFENSIVE LINE: Nick Ford, Jr., C, Utah (San Pedro, CA)
Anchored an offensive line that did not allow a sack of QB Cameron Rising on 69 offensive plays, in a comeback win over No. 18 Arizona State.
Part of a unit that helped produce 455 yards of total offense, the most by an ASU opponent this season.
Second time Ford has won this award, taking it home in the final week of the 2020 season.
Also nominated: Abe Lucas, OT, Washington State; Ryan Walk, C, Oregon
DEFENSIVE LINE: Brennan Jackson, RS Jr., Edge, Washington State (Temecula, CA)
Wins this award for the second time in the last three weeks. He is the only Washington State player to win this award since its inception in 2019.
Was a disruptive force, putting together his best performance of the season. Despite going up against 2 of the best tackles in the conference, Johnson was productive, not giving the quarterback much time to throw.
Recorded six total tackles, three solo, one sack and one fumble recovery in the victory over Stanford.
Jackson was at his best in the fourth quarter as he registered three tackles. With Stanford leading with under four minutes remaining, Jackson sacked Tanner McKee on 3rd and 6, forcing the Cardinal to punt, with WSU scoring the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing possession. With under a minute remaining on third-and-13, McKee was sacked and fumbled, with Jackson pouncing on the recovery to secure the WSU victory.
Also nominated: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon; Junior Tafuna, DT, Utah; Tyler Johnson, DL, Arizona State; Trevon Mason, DL, Arizona
FRESHMAN: Noah Sewell, Fr., ILB, Oregon (Malaeimi, American Samoa)
Led Oregon’s defense in a 24-17 win over Cal with 12 tackles while adding a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a QB hurry. QB hurry came on Cal’s final offensive play of the game, a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, helping force an incompletion to seal Oregon’s win.
Recorded a sack for the second straight game, and the fifth of his career. Reached double-digit tackles for the third straight home game, combining for 36 stops in those contests.
Second Oregon player to win this award this season. LB Justin Flowe was awarded after Oregon’s Week One win.
Also nominated for freshman: Brenden Rice, WR, Colorado; Faybian Marks, CB, Utah; Devin Kirkwood, DB, UCLA; LV Bunkley-Shelton, WR, Arizona State; Femi Oladejo, ILB, California
DALLAS (FWAA) – Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. became the first Crimson Tide defender since 1988 to have four sacks in a game and posted six total tackles in a 49-9 win at Mississippi State. For the record performance that puts him alongside names such as Derrick Thomas and Leroy Cook, Anderson earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 16, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
This is the eighth time for an Alabama player to earn the Bronko Nagurski Trophy weekly honor and the first since 2018. The Crimson Tide has a rich tradition with the award with finalists in 10 of the last 12 seasons and defensive end Jonathan Allen as the 2016 winner. Anderson was a member of the preseason Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.
The four sacks put Anderson in the FBS lead in tackles for loss with 15, totaling 72 yards in losses on the season. Anderson’s four sacks against MSU accounted for minus-35 yards as Alabama held the Bulldogs to 18.8 points below their season average and 72 yards below their passing average coming into the game. He also broke up one pass and was credited with six quarterback hurries.
The 6-4, 243-pound sophomore from Hampton, Ga., named the Shaun Alexander National Freshman Player of the Year last season by the FWAA after starting every game and leading the SEC and all national freshmen with 7.0 sacks while also adding 10.5 tackles for loss. His 52 total QB pressures were second nationally.
Alabama hosts Tennessee at 6 p.m. CT Saturday on ESPN.
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football’s Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw “Bronko” Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1990, the club has raised and donated nearly $3 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
About LendingTree, Inc. LendingTree is the nation’s leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards, insurance and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers’ credit accounts against offers on their network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. LendingTree’s purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life’s meaningful moments through choice, education and support.
Seattle, WA – The UCLA Bruins (5-2, 3-1) ran out the clock on the comeback effort from the Washington Huskies (2-4, 1-2), winning on the road 24-17 at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium on Saturday, October 16th, 2021.
Led by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Bruins appeared to have the game in control at multiple points. As a result of faltering defense and sputtering offensive drives, however, they allowed the Huskies a chance to claw their way back on several occasions.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
The Huskies scored first on the night with a 25-yard Peyton Henry field goal just over five and a half minutes into the first quarter.
From there, the Bruins bullied their way to a 17-3 lead.
First was a 17-yard touchdown strike from Thompson-Robinson to wide receiver Kam Brown, which gave UCLA their first lead with 29 seconds left in the first.
Then Nicholas Barr-Mira delivered on a 39-yard field goal try to put the Bruins up 10-3.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
With 3:33 remaining in the second quarter, Thompson-Robinson found the endzone for the second time on the night, this time on a 1-yard quarterback sneak that the Huskies initially looked to have stood up short.
Despite the apparent momentum disadvantage, the Huskies began their climb back into the game when quarterback Dylan Morris dropped a 26-yard, over-the-shoulder pass to wide receiver Rome Odunze in the back corner of the end zone with less than a minute remaining in the half.
Morris scored again with a 1-yard rushing touchdown of his own in the third quarter, followed by the point-after from Henry to even the score at 17-17.
The teams traded unsuccessful drives in the fourth quarter before UCLA regained the lead, this time for good, with another Thompson-Robinson touchdown pass to tight end Greg Dulcich with 8:19 remaining.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
The Huskies’ hopes of another comeback drive ended when Dylan Morris threw his second interception of the game on a deep pass up the middle near the UCLA goal line, giving the Bruins a final possession to wind the remaining time with their potent rushing attack.
Thompson-Robinson finished with 183 yards through the air, along with the two passing touchdowns, on 21-of-26 attempts. He also tallied 87 rushing yards on 12 carries and the rushing touchdown.
Morris, meanwhile, tallied 184 yards on 20-of-30 passing attempts with the lone touchdown through the air and two interceptions, plus a single rushing touchdown.
Photo by Aaron Nelson / fi360 News
UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet led the Bruins’ ground attack with 131 yards on 21 carries.
The Bruins return home for a showdown with No. 9 Oregon at the Rose Bowl next week, while the Huskies will head to the desert to take on Arizona in a Friday Night matchup on Friday, October 22nd.
Colorado Brendon Rice (2) takes off up field after completion in fourth quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News
Boulder, CU – Despite the defense starting strong, Arizona Football (0-6, 0-3) didn’t have answers as Colorado ran away with the 34-0 victory.
In a battle of the Pac-12’s football inept, it was Arizona Football that stood out the most as the Wildcats were outgained 365 yards to 280 yards in their lopsided, 34-0 road loss to Colorado.
Arizona Gunner Cruz (9) throw ball just before Colorado Terrance Lang (54) reaches him in third quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News
Arizona turned to quarterback Gunner Cruz in this one after the Wildcats lost Jordan McCloud to injury for the rest of the season, and it was a less than stellar day for the sophomore signal-caller.
Finishing his day with 13-22 passing for 82 yards and an interception, Cruz would be pulled in the third quarter, when he apparently had broken his thumb trying to stiff-arm a Colorado defender while evading a tackle.
“Will’s going to be our guy and we’re going to ride with Will,” coach Fisch said.
Colorado Guy Thomas (1) tackles Arizona Stanley Berryhill III (1) in first quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News)
Will Plummer would come in to replace him, throwing 7-17 passes for 71 yards and an interception as well. The Wildcats finished the day with 153 yards passing.
One of the few bright spots on offense was Jalen John. He would finish his day with 71 yards rushing on 11 carries, including a long of 23 yards that put the Wildcats down at the Colorado one. Arizona would not be able to punch it in on four plays.
The Arizona Football defense started strong but faltered down the stretch as the Buffaloes ran away with the victory.
Colorado Brendon Lewis (12) evades tackle by Arizona Gunner Maldonado (9) in second quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News)
“need to play better need to coach better really need to improve in every single area.” said coach Fisch.
Despite Arizona’s offensive struggles, the defense held its own as 14 of Colorado’s points came off a pick-six and a blocked punt return for a touchdown.
The Wildcats even held the Buffaloes to just six points in the first half, but when the blocked punt made it 13-0 Colorado, that’s when things got out of hand, and the defense began to run out of steam.
Arizona Gunner Maldonado (9) tackles Colorado Brenden Rice (2) in first quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News)
The Game Was Over When:
Trailing 13-0, Cruz threw an errant pass that was intercepted by Carson Wells and returned for a touchdown to make it 20-0. Cruz would be pulled on the next series.
Where does Arizona go from here?
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 0-6 (0-3) and are staring at a real possibility of going 0-12 on the year, especially as Cruz is now likely done for the season with the broken thumb.
Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell call out to one of his players in fourth quarter of Arizona Wildcats vs Colorado Buffaloes game at Folsom Field on Saturday October 16, 2021. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News
The Wildcats return home but have a short week, hosting Washington Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT. Colorado will travel to play the California Golden Bears at 12:30pm on Saturday October 23rd.
