The Bruins trailed 17-6 in the first and 31-23 in the fourth, but got here lower back to stop the solar Belt magic in its tracks.
Across his first two seasons with the Bruins, Chip Kelly didn’t win a single nonconference recreation.
While he in the end were given the monkey off his returned in 2021, his team dropped the nonconference finale to Fresno state.
The Jaguars almost dealt the Bruins a similar hand Saturday afternoon, but Kelly’s squad is eventually coming into %-12 play with a perfect record.
UCLA soccer (3-0) dug itself out of an early 17-6 hole to conquer South Alabama (2-1) on the Rose Bowl, narrowly keeping off any other solar Belt disillusioned with the 32-31 victory. The Bruins additionally had to overcome a 31-23 deficit in the fourth quarter, and that they wanted a ultimate-second area intention by using Nicholas Barr-Mira to subsequently pull in advance with time expiring.
After losing its first six nonconference games underneath Kelly, UCLA is five-1 in its closing six out-of-convention contests.
The Bruins moved the ball nicely all day lengthy, however ball security and an inability to complete cost them from the very beginning.
After linebacker JonJon Vaughns picked off quarterback Carter Bradley on the primary drive of the day, UCLA picked up simply 1 backyard on the following 3 plays and had to accept a discipline goal. Drive No. 2 additionally resulted in a subject intention by Barr-Mira.
South Alabama went up 10-6 at that point, and UCLA regarded like it had taken the lead whilst strolling returned Zach Charbonnet stuck a 7-yard touchdown skip from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The decision became overturned, even though, and Charbonnet fumbled on the aim line while he tried to punch it in the very subsequent play.
The Jaguars marched the length of the sphere to head up 17-6, carving up the Bruins’ secondary all along the way.
The Bruins ultimately finished a pressure with a touchdown whilst Thompson-Robinson determined Jake Bobo for a 9-backyard rating, after which the protection in the end forced a punt before the stop of the half of. It appeared like UCLA had in the end taken control of the competition while it opened the second one half of with a four-play, seventy five-backyard touchdown force that ended with receiver Kam Brown in the long run area.
The fashion of leaving points at the board returned soon after, although, because the Bruins grew to become a fumble healing right into a 28-yard area intention in preference to a landing. That put the blue and gold up 23-17, but they right now passed the benefit back to the Jaguars when they marched sixty seven yards in eight performs thanks to a protracted flea flicker and some other quick punch in.
Thompson-Robinson tried a pitch to running again Keegan Jones on the following force, and Jones dropped it, main to a fumble recovered by using South Alabama. Performs later, the Jaguars made it into the cease region and went up by using 8.
UCLA methodically made its way down the field in an try and tie matters up, culminating in an 8-yard landing connection between Thompson-Robinson and receiver Logan Loya. Thompson-Robinson’s QB draw on the 2-factor conversion try got here up short, but, and the Bruins remained down two points.
Each facets traded punts to installation the very last 9 mins of the contest, and the Jaguars did the whole thing they may to eat up clock and placed pressure on the Bruins. UCLA’s protection was approximately to pressure lower back-to-again punts for the first time all day, only for shielding lineman Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi to pile on overdue and get flagged for useless roughness.
South Alabama gave the impression of it’d pass up five points internal three mins, but it elected to move for a faux subject purpose instead of taking the points. Linebacker Carl Jones came thru with the sack to get the ball again to his offense, which took over at the 29-backyard line.
Thompson-Robinson hit UCF transfer receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for a 29-yard advantage, accompanied by using any other connection for 9 more yards, and a run by way of Jones got the Bruins into the red area with just over 90 seconds remaining. Some extra runs set up Barr-Mira’s chip-shot game-winner, which he drilled from 24 yards out.
Barr-Mira went 1-for-3 on area purpose attempts in Week 1, however became a really perfect four-for-4 on Saturday.
UCLA wished each final one of these three-suggestions, and that was regardless of handiest desiring to punt as soon as all day. The Bruins simply barely outgained the Jaguars 405-399, and their 23 first downs were simply one greater than their opponents’ 22.
South Alabama went 9-of-13 on third downs and scored 14 points off of UCLA’s turnovers. The Bruins did now not do lots in terms of limiting the Jaguars, yet they came out on pinnacle as a result.
Thompson-Robinson completed 20 of his 30 pass tries for 263 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 173.3 passer score in comparison to his counterpart’s 131.1 mark. Charbonnet became ceding many of his touches to Jones down the stretch, however he nonetheless ended the day with 128 yards from scrimmage.
