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Shorthanded, UCLA Has Proven To Possibly Shake Up Pac 12 South

By
Manny Nunez
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This was a game that UCLA should not have been in from start to finish.

The Bruins had nine players not make the trip to Eugene. Dorian Thompson Robinson had to sit out. Their running depth was depleted with Keegan Jones and Kazmir Allen gone. With so much offensive depth gone, red shirt freshman Chase Griffin was given the call, who has never thrown a collegiate pass in his career.


You really don’t know much about what to expect though until the game is actually played. At one point UCLA actually had a lead. Griffin didn’t show off his inexperience as he was hitting targets left and right. With a connection to tight end Gred Dulcich for 32 yards, it gave the Bruins a small lead. It gave the Bruins a lot of hope. It gave the Bruins a possibility for everyone to turn their attention to what could brew as one of the most incredible shakeups in the 2020 college football season.


But then the inexperience finally surfaced when Griffin, on the last play of the first half, heaved a ball avoiding a sack hoping for some magic. Instead, he found the arms of Jordan Happle of Oregon and took it for a 58 yard pick six. It put the Bruins back down at the break. However, this game did scare a lot of Oregon fans, and that included Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal.
“That score at the end of the half does not change our conversation about what happened in the entire first half,” Cristobal said. “We are playing off our game right now. We have to regroup. This is a very tough game and we feel like we are letting our guard down.”


After the pick six, UCLA was expected to let the game go and hand this game off to the Ducks like everyone was waiting for. Oregon managed a 10 point lead with their opening drive of the second half. UCLA answered right back with Felton’s legs with most of the 13 play drive, ending it with a Brittain Brown run. After another Ducks score, it was yet another long drive by the Bruins that required much more from Felton and Brown. Only down 3 with a few minutes left, UCLA managed a stop and earned themselves one final chance, but Griffin only managed to get the Bruins to the 44 yard line of Oregon before they eventually sputtered out.


“Chase was outstanding,” Kelly said. “He is a competitor. When you have an opportunity you take advantage of it and Chase did that. When we know pretty much on Thursday we knew that we had a next man up, and Chase filled that role.”


“I also thought Felton was awesome. I wanted to run the ball and it hurts when we had a great run game and end up losing anyway. To have 34 carries and do what he did is incredible knowing our depth was taken away today.”


Sure it was a 38-35 loss. Sure this puts UCLA back under .500 with Chip Kelly. In a short seven game season, every game is extremely important. With the rest of UCLA’s schedule, however, there is still that very high chance that they can finish above .500 with potential winnable games against Arizona and Arizona State coming up before hosting USC. To hang around against Oregon like they did, maybe more people could consider this Bruins team to ruin the Pac-12 south structure. They just hop that losing the Colorado to start the season will end up haunting them come the end of the season.

UCLA Wins Statement Game In Unexpected Matchup

By
Manny Nunez
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Pasadena, CA - Cal Golden Bears vs UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Sunday November 15, 2020. (Photo by William Johnson / fi360 News)

Los Angeles, CA – With less than two days to prepare, UCLA didn’t make it seem like it wouldn’t phase them. At the end of the day, it was a game that UCLA hadn’t had in years under Chip Kelly. Just about everything right went form them, nearly ousting them in every category, in a dominating 34-10 victory that should build confidence for the trip to Eugene.


“It all came down to experience and game film,” Bruins head coach Chip Kelly said. “Their defense was not a mystery but their offense was. What mattered was what they had done to us last year and all of their game film from the year before, and especially their bowl game, made a huge difference for us to figure them out on the defensive end. Offensively with a new coordinator, that was a challenge, but they responded very well.”

Pasadena, CA – Cal Golden Bears vs UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Sunday November 15, 2020. (Photo by William Johnson / fi360 News)

Combined the Bruins outgained the Bears in all aspects, but it was the running game that proved dominant. As a team UCLA rushed for just under 244 yards while holding Cal to just 54 yards on 28 carries. Dorian Thompson Robinson didn’t dazzle on the stat sheet, throwing for 14-for-26 and under 200 yards. His three touchdowns however all came in the first half which pushed Cal away from the game by halftime.

“I was real pleased with the run game,” Kelly said “I felt like Felton and our offensive line did everything right in the running game Everyone kept themselves honest.”


Amidst from all the uncertainty, it was all smiles in the UCLA locker room. While Kelly and the team enjoy the victory, it was another 2020 scenario where both the Bruins and Cal had to adjust with very little time to prepare.

Pasadena, CA – Cal Golden Bears vs UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Sunday November 15, 2020. (Photo by William Johnson / fi360 News)

“We really only had 43 hours,” Kelly said. “It was basically comparing from Utah to Cal and figure out what would work and what wouldn’t. We would look at plays, keep some, and throw some out. All we really had was walk through without pads and that was it. The only true advantage was travel since we didn’t have to.”


Demetric Felton rushed for another 100 yard game, finishing with 107 yards on 25 carries. Defensively the Bruins sacked Chase Garbers five times, while the Bruins offensive line protected Thompson Robinson the entire game keeping him upright.


Eugene is next on UCLA’s schedule. Kelly appreciates wins, but getting through each day clean is what the Bruins worry about the most. To UCLA, playing football is a reward where they worry more about the process than anything else.

Pasadena, CA – Cal Golden Bears vs UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Sunday November 15, 2020. (Photo by William Johnson / fi360 News)


“You can compare this to preparing between a Sunday and Thursday night football game in the NFL,” Kelly said. “But it is all about protecting everyone. It was real unfortunate what happened to Utah but we were ready to play them. For us, we are worried more about the process getting to game time safely rather than the result. Playing the game means everything when we are given the all clear.”


“I do worry about what is around us, but I know here we are taking the right precautions so that we can play. Safety means a lot to us,” Felton said.

Rams Shut Down Russell Wilson And The Seahawks At SoFi Stadium

By
Christopher Floch
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Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald soars over Russell Wilson at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Ca on November 11, 2018. Jevone Moore

INGLEWOOD, CA –The Los Angeles Rams are tied for the lead in the NFC West after beating divisional foe the Seattle Seahawks, 23-16 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Improving to 6-3, the keys to victory included brilliance from Jared Goff, winning the turnover battle and a smothering defense, wreaking havoc on Russell Wilson all afternoon. 


Taking an early 10-7 lead courtesy of a short touchdown run courtesy of Darrell Henderson, the Rams defense forced three turnovers handing Seattle their second consecutive loss. Jared Goff utilized the play action pass to his benefit, going 27 of 37 for 302 yards in the air. 


Los Angeles defense clipped the Seahawks soaring attack, only allowing a paltry 333 total yards. The Seahawks looked helpless. Former MVP frontrunner Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson failed to find the end zone, while accounting for three costly turnovers, including two interceptions by Rams cornerback Darious Williams. 


The Rams defense stymied the league’s NO.1 offense.
Ranked as the NFL’s second best defense in both yards and points allowed, the Rams sacked Wilson six times in the victory. Also, the secondary contained deep threats wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Metcalf had only two receptions for 28 yards. 


Josh Reynolds snagged eight receptions for 94 yards, while running back Malcolm Brown had two rushing touchdowns. 


At a mark of 6-3, the Rams are tied with the Arizona Cardinals atop the crowded and talented NFC West division. Unfortunately, Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth suffered a leg injury, and was carted off the field. Whitworth is an emotional anchor for the Rams as well as their best lineman. 


 Next week, the Rams travel to Florida to face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night on ESPN.

What the Stanford game taught us about The Buffaloes

By
Devon Martinez
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Colorado taking the field during the Colorado vs Colorado State football game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, CU on August 31, 2018. (Photo by Laura Domingue / fi360 News)

Boulder, CU – After a close win against the Stanford Cardinals on Saturday, the Colorado Buffaloes are now 2-0, leaving Colorado fans with a lot to celebrate as the team moves forward in this shortened season. 

Unfortunately, a spike in Covid-19 cases at Arizona State caused the Pac-12 to cancel the game that was supposed to occur this upcoming Saturday at Folsom Field. This is the second week in a row that Arizona has had their game canceled due to Covid-19 cases.

But the Buffaloes have the USC Trojans to look forward to on November 28th and an extra week to prepare for this showdown. 

Here are a couple of takeaways from yesterday’s game. 

Head Coach Karl Dorrell’s positive direction:

On Sunday morning, Dorrell received a handful of votes in the USA Today Coaches poll. Something that Dorrell will most likely not care about since he has stated from the beginning that he only cares about improving the team and winning. 

The last two games provide insight into how important his leadership has been. All sides of the ball played their hearts out to well thought out schemes made for the team they have around them. And a well-coached team will have the entire depth chart ready to play and ready to play well–and that has been the case as the team has dealt with multiples injuries. Good coaching also comes clutch in close games, and that has been the case for the Buffaloes two wins. 

The offensive is effective and well balanced:

Included in the Buffaloes 432 total offensive yardswere 177 rushing yards, and 255 passing yards. The number of rushing attempts almost doubled passing attempts, but the strength from both helped provide the team with five total touchdowns. Two through the air and three on the ground, and if the Buffaloes can continue this success, you can expect every game to include over five touchdowns. 

Jarek Broussard is the real deal:

After a monster performance for his first start the week before, which included three touchdowns and 187 rushing yards, the sophomore continued to prove his talent in week two. Despite not scoring any touchdowns, Broussard rushed for 121 yards and an average of 4.5 yards a carry. Now he has over 300 rushing yards in two starts. His running has helped set the tempo of the offense and made life easier for quarterback Sam Noyer in the passing game. 

No.20 USC rallies for another comeback win by defeating Arizona

By
Eric Ramos
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The USC Trojans defeat the Cal Bears 41-17 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, November 16, 2019 (Aaron Nelson / fi360 News).

Los Angeles, CA – USC used another last minute scoring drive to come from behind and win on the road. The Trojans rallied in similar fashion last week. 

Vavae Malepeai redeemed himself after losing a key fumble last week with an 8-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left to give No. 20 USC a 34-30 win over Arizona on Saturday. 

“At the end, our kids did what they did last week,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “When it mattered the most, they never panicked, they showed great poise.”

The Trojans were down by three when Kedon Slovis connected with tight end Erik Krommonhoek down the middle of the field for a 6-yard touchdown and a 27-23 lead with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Arizona came right back to take the lead with a 6-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Grant Gunnell’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Berryhill III with 1:35 left in the game. 

“We have some things we need to get better at, but we’re 2-0,” Helton said. “A lot of teams would like to be in that position.”

Slovis completed 30-of-43 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. Amon-Ra St. Brown had seven receptions for 113 yards. USC’s running game improved with 185 total rushing yards. 

USC safety Talanoa Hufangas’ interception in the first quarter set up Markese Stepp for a 1-yard touchdown run. Gunnell hit Jamarye Joiner on a 34-yard touchdown pass to even the score, 7-7. 

After both teams traded field goals, Stephen Carr scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to give USC a 17-10 lead in the second quarter. Carr finished with 83 yards on the ground. Arizona kicker Lucas Havrisik hit a 25-yard field goal to cut the USC lead, 17-13, at halftime. 

Up next for USC is a road game against Utah on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

Bruins Get Ready For Cal In Unexpected Sunday Game

By
Manny Nunez
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Cal Bears vs UCLA Bruins football game on Saturday November 30 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore)

Leave it to the year 2020 where two college football teams were forced to bail out of their Sunday plans and play football instead.


UCLA had been playing the waiting game to see if Utah was ready to go for their contest and their home opener. It wasn’t until that afternoon finding out that the Utes did not hop on a plane early Friday afternoon as they were short players, even after moving the game from Friday to Saturday. Around the same time, California suddenly lost their chance at a season opener with Arizona State’s COVID outbreak, including infecting Sun Devil head coach Herm Edwards.


With both the Bruins and Bears losing their games, both athletic directors took to the phones and asked if, well, they could just play each other to add a game to their standings. So now, the Bears, barring a setback, will be debuting their 2020 season instead in Pasadena.

This game will have so many unique factors. Starting off with the little amount of prep time, both teams will have just roughly 36 hours of strategizing to do. Sure UCLA has won five out of the last seven contests and history does point to their favor. But the Bears are returning most of their players back and they have experience against UCLA, winning last season’s contest led by running back Christopher Brown Jr.’s iconic performance and a defense taking down the quarterback six times.

Cal’s season debut was halted when Arizona had COVID issues, leading to a cancellation of the game. UCLA had a rough go of their season opener, but quarterback Dorian Thompson Robinson found his groove in the second half against Colorado, though his team fell with their defense unable to make key stops late in the game. The only major advantage the Bruins have against Cal is having a game under their belt.

Santa Clara, CA – DECEMBER 30: California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) on December 30, 2019, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.(Photo by Jordon Kelly)

The Bears may have the upper hand in this game, with Brown Jr. quarterback Chase Gabers, and a loaded linebacker core led by Kuony Deng and Cameron Goode. The Bears were also picked to finish second in the Pac-12 North, meaning each win they can snag should make their contest against Oregon that much more interesting.

With all that aside, both teams will look to adjust as the game goes along. With only last year’s experience to fall back on, both teams will make drastic changes and should end up being a very close game. Either way, this is a game the Bruins need with the possibility of falling 0-2 and in danger of falling under .500 again with head coach Chip Kelly for a third straight season.

High scoring game at Folsom Field ends in Colorado win

By
Devon Martinez
-
Photo by: Colorado Athletics

Boulder, CU – The Colorado Buffaloes win 48-42 at Folsom Field against the UCLA Bruins. In an opening game that provided Buffalo fans with a lot to be excited for in the Karl Dorrell heading coaching era, despite inconsistencies throughout the game.

“They should feel confident, they can win a lot of games,” Dorrell said, “We won our first one, and that’s a big bonus for us.”

Dorrell added that there is a lot of work to do since the Bruins exploited several holes in both the defense and special teams of Colorado.

The Buffaloes dominated the Bruins in the first half with a 35-14 score; four turnovers, including three fumbles and one interception, were to blame for UCLA failures. And Colorado took full advantage by turning those errors into touchdowns.

The momentum in the third quarter shifted to the Bruins after a 65-yard run by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Jr. on second down of their opening drive. A blocked field goal by the Bruins led to another touchdown and 21 unanswered points.

The Buffaloes responded with a one-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Sam Noyer. And then the game turned to total chaos as both teams continued to score points until late into the fourth quarter.  

Colorado was ahead 48-35 when the Bruins blocked another field goal with around three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Thompson-Robinson led his offense down the field and completed a touchdown pass to tight-end Mike Martinez with one minute and forty-five seconds left. But a failed onside kick attempt by UCLA took out whatever life they had left. The Buffaloes ran the clock out to win the game. 

Several key offensive players contributed to the 48 points scored by the Buffaloes. Jarek Brossaurd’s first career start ended up being a dominating one as he carried the football 31 times for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

Noyer also showed off his talent as a duel threat quarterback with 257 yards passing and a touchdown and 64 yards rushing and a touchdown. According to Dorrell, he is excited about Noyer after his first career start, and despite a couple of mistakes, overall, he played well.

The 1-0 Buffaloes travel to Stanford next Saturday.

Bruins Four First Half Turnovers Prove Too Much In Loss

By
Manny Nunez
-
Photo by: University of Colorado Athletics

Los Angeles, CA – While UCLA made a furious comeback against Colorado, trailing by as many as 28 and eventually cutting the lead to six, it was two costly turnovers early in the game that proved to be the difference maker in a 48-42 loss to the Buffaloes.

“I think we put our defense in very bad situations,” Bruins head coach Chip Kelly said. “We dug ourselves into a very big hole early in the first half. There was some good things we did in the game, but we cannot put ourselves in early deficits.”

Colorado forced four Bruin turnovers in the first half, but it was the first two that set the tone for UCLA to dig themselves into a hole the entire game. After a UCLA defensive stop to start the game, Colorado punts the ball and recovers a fumble by Kyle Phillips. Alec Pell recovers at the UCLA 25 yard line, setting up Jarek Broussard touchdown run into the end zone four plays later. On the ensuing drive for UCLA Carson Wells picks off a pass in the Colorado red zone, returning it one yard shy of the goal line. Broussard gets in one play later.

By then UCLA was playing catchup the rest of the game and eventually figured things out. Erasing all the mishaps, Dorian Thompson Robinson and Demetric Felton eventually found their rhythm. Down 35-7 at one point, Thompson Robinson used his arm and his legs to run his Bruins back to within two scores. After another Bruin stop, Thompson Robinson again strikes into the endzone, finding Keegan Jones on his first catch of the night. Cutting the lead to seven, both teams ended up trading scores, with the Bruins unable to match Colorado’s offense the rest of the way.

“I think this is one game, but we just cannot turn the ball over too many times like we did tonight,” Kelly said. “We need to do a better job coaching and protecting the football.”

Both Thompson-Robinson and Dimitric Felton had solid games after their first half jitters. Thompson Robinson finished 20-for-40 with 300 yards and five total touchdowns. Felton nearly had 100 all purpose yards with two total touchdowns. Four different receivers ended up with a touchdown, with tight end Greg Dulcich leading the way with 126 total yards. But it was the Colorado offense, even with the inexperience, that gave the Bruins plenty of headaches. Broussard on the ground had 31 total carries clocking with 187 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Sam Noyer, with very little college football experience, threw for 257 yards and one touchdown.

“It was the same offense and same defense they ran the entire game,” Kelly said. “Eventually when they were up the way they were, they ended up running the football a lot more, which is why they were able to pile up rushing yards. Because of that, it put our defense in a bad position when the score came out of hand because of mishandling the football.”

With already a short season, UCLA’s football schedule can go either way. The Bruins’s home opener against Utah is currently up in the air with a potential COVID-19 outbreak with the Utes program. This could mean an unexpected bye is in order. However, in two weeks they take off for Eugene to face Oregon.

USC erases a 13-point lead for a comeback win over Arizona State

By
Eric Ramos
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The USC Trojans defeat the Cal Bears 41-17 at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, November 16, 2019 (Aaron Nelson / fi360 News).

Los Angeles, CA – USC trailed Arizona State by 13 points with 2:52 left in the fourth quarter when wide receiver Bru McCoy caught a tipped pass in the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown. The pass was intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown before it was tipped in the air and landed in McCoy’s hands. 

On the ensuing kickoff, the Trojans go for an onside kick and recover the ball at their own 45 to set up the frantic comeback. USC was down to fourth-and-nine when quarterback Kedon Slovis hit Drake London between three defenders for a 21-yard game-winning touchdown with 1:20 left in the game. 

“We had never repped one before and they told me on the sideline that I was going to be the one coming down,” McCoy said on the onside kick. “I honestly thought I messed up and could’ve attacked the ball. I was waiting for that big one hop so I could come down on it and it stayed low, fell inside and we were able to come up with it.” 

No. 20 USC scored twice in the final three minutes to come back and defeat Arizona State, 28-27, in the season opener Saturday morning at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

“I commend our team,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “A year ago we may not have won this game. But a year older, a year more experience, I did not see panic, just poise and kids saying they want to get to the next opportunity. We made some big plays down the stretch. We know that Arizona State is one of the tougher teams on our schedule.”

Slovis completed 40-of-55 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Two-sport star London finished with eight receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. 

“That play is one we work on all the time. We ran it a lot down the stretch there, too. To be honest they dropped a lot guys most of the time we ran it and didn’t give us a chance to get off those down-the-field shots. But when they gave us the look they did, it’s something we rep a lot in practice.” 

Arizona State got on the board first with a 38-yard field goal by Cristian Zendejas. USC responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Stephen Carr to take a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. 

In the second quarter, ASU running back Chip Trayanum took a 3rd and 1 handoff and raced 25 yards for the score. The Trojans came right back on a 1-yard touchdown run by Markese Stepp and took a 14-10 lead. 

The Sun Devils didn’t waste any time as running back Rachaad White took a swing pass 55 yards for the score. ASU went into halftime with a 17-14 lead. 

“This team can be really good, and yes there was a lot of rust,” Helton said.  “We shook it off. The thing that makes this team special is their mindset and how they deal with adversity and the playmakers.”

After a slow start to open the second half, ASU took a 10-point lead on Trayanum’s 17-yard touchdown run, his second score of the game. Zendejas added a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Sun Devils a 27-14 lead. 

USC finished with 556 yards of total offense and managed to overcome four turnovers. The defense gave up 392 total yards, including 258 yards on the ground, but came up with key stops down the stretch to secure the win. 

“We had an opportunity to finish the game in the fourth quarter,” ASU coach Herm Edwards said.  “We didn’t finish the game, you have to give them credit. They made the plays they needed to make. We did not, whether it was on offense, defense or special teams so I got to give those guys credit.”

Up next for the Trojans is a road matchup against Arizona Saturday Nov. 14 

UCLA Have High Hopes Against Colorado

By
Manny Nunez
-
Arizona State vs UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca. on October 26, 2019 (Photo by Jevone Moore)

Los Angeles, CA – The Pac-12 is already off to a dismal stat with two games postponed due to COVID (Washington-Cal and Arizona-Utah). Utah also could be in serious jeopardy with reports of a potential outbreak within the team, putting their first road game against UCLA in serious trouble.

The rest of the Pac-12 has been slated to play, and UCLA-Colorado will both debut their seasons tonight at 4PM PST. Last season the Bruins took command in a 31-14 victory led by Dorian Thompson Robinson’s 226 yards and two touchdowns, along with Joshua Kelley’s 216 yards on the ground.

The last two trips to Colorado have not favored well for the Bruins, losing both contests. However, there could be a mimic to success if Thompson-Robinson can repeat the same kind of offense against Colorado’s defense that has tried to fill in holes led by new head coach Karl Dorrell. Thompson Robinson’s last start against Colorado at the Rose Bowl was favorable, starting out the game with his two lone touchdown passes of 16 and 45 yards. That put the Bruins back into the comfort zone.


The key however will be how the running game will fare now with Kelley gone. Demetric Felton will be the primary running back for the contest tonight, and this could be a game that could start off his confidence where the Buffs allowed nearly 450 yards per game defensively.


Colorado under new head coach Dorrell will also have his hands full trying to figure out who can lead his offense. Quarterback Sam Noyer gets the nod to be the week one starter. However, all of their quarterbacks combined have very little college experience with just 51 total pass attempts. They at least have receiving experience to back them up, starting with K.D. Nixon and Dimitri Stanley.


All in all, this could be a perfect game for the Bruins to start off with and go 1-0. The question will be after this week if Utah will come to Pasadena the week after. In any case, UCLA has the confidence to pull this out.

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