UCLA almost made an incredible comeback with a backup quarterback against No. 11 Oregon in Eugene on Saturday, but the Bruins’ feel-good opportunity came up short.
In a game reminiscent of its turnover-plagued season-opening loss to Colorado, UCLA committed four turnovers – all of which were cashed in for touchdowns – which were too much to overcome as Oregon held on for a 38-35 victory.
This was no time to make mistakes, but it’s a habit the UCLA football team can’t seem to break, and it cost them again.
The Bruins (1-1) are going to kick themselves because they did everything needed to have a chance of upsetting the Ducks (3-0) despite missing several players, including third-year starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Demetric Felton scored his second touchdown on an 11-yard run with 3:43 left to cut the Ducks’ lead to three points, and the Bruins had a chance to get in field-goal range in the final minute in hopes of tying the score and sending the game to overtime. However, Bruins redshirt freshman quarterback Chase Griffin’s fourth-down pass to Kyle Phillips that would have put the Bruins in field goal range came up short.
“Chase has a great feel,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said. “He was trying to throw it to Kyle and everybody knows what type of clutch receiver Kyle Phillips is for his. It’s literally a game of inches. It was close.”
The loss was similar to the four-turnover, 48-42, loss to Colorado in the Bruins’ opener.
The Bruins don’t feel they played bad in their two losses, losing by a combined nine points, and they won’t let themselves get discouraged.
UCLA outgained Oregon 462-422.
“Definitely,” Felton said “I’m really proud of our guys and how we keep on fighting. We just have to fix a few things and I think we got it. We’re just excited to go to work every day.”
Felton had another standout performance, rushing 34 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns as the Bruins outgained the Ducks 267-88 on the ground.
“I thought (Felton) was awesome, we knew we wanted to run the ball coming in here,” Kelly said. “And that’s the part of this that hurts. I think we tripled their output in the rushing game. If you told me we would triple their rushing and we would have lost we would be surprised.”
Thompson-Robinson, along with as many as 10 Bruins, likely missed Saturday’s game due to coronavirus restrictions, though Thompson-Robinson tweeted late Friday he was COVID-19 free. School officials can comment on reasons for player absences.
UCLA officials announced Friday that at least two players and some staff had tested positive for COVID-19, and through contact tracing, anyone who was in close contact with those who tested positive must serve a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
According to multiple published reports, two additional starters – receiver Jaylen Erwin and safety Quentin Lake – also missed Saturday’s game, along with reserve backs Kazmeir Allen, Keegan Jones and Martell Irby, linebacker Kain Medrano and receiver Delon Hurt.
Thompson-Robinson and others could also be in jeopardy of missing next week’s game against Arizona, but the way Griffin played in his absence, it appears the Bruins could be in good hands.
The 5-foot-11, 184-pound former Gatorade high school player of the year from Texas had the kind of first start in his college football career that may give Kelly something to think about.
Griffin threw for 195 yards and a touchdown, but also had two interceptions and a fumble. His counterpart, Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough, had a big game, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns.
“I thought he was outstanding today, he’s a competitor,” Kelly said of Griffin. “Everybody wants an opportunity and when you have your opportunity are you ready and I thought Chase did a heck of a job today and I was really proud of how he played.”
Griffin said despite the loss, there are positives.
“I think it’s less about who we are playing and more about ourselves,” Griffin said. “We came out and played hard today. I need to do a better job protecting the ball as a quarterback, and going forward, the way this team fought today, I can’t ask for any more.”
After the Bruins fell behind 14 points on two turnovers in the first quarter, they came back and should have taken a 21-17 lead into halftime, but gave up a disastrous interception for a touchdown to end the half.
Griffin was looking to hurl a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone on the final play of the second quarter, but was hit as he threw the ball. Oregon’s Jordan Happle grabbed the errant pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown as time expired for a Ducks 24-21 lead at the break.
The momentum carried over for the Ducks on the opening drive of the third quarter, marching 75 yards on seven plays to extend their lead to 31-24, capped by CJ Verdell’s 4-yard touchdown run.
The Bruins answered, going 13 plays and 75 yards with Griffin mixing up the pass and run well, finishing with Brittain Brown’s 2-yard leap for a touchdown to cut the Ducks’ lead to 31-28 with 7:39 to go in the third quarter.
Again, with the Bruins hoping to surge ahead, Griffin was picked off by Verone McKinley II. Shough responded quickly by leading the Ducks on a five-play, 78-yard drive culminating in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Kampmoyer to extend the lead to 38-28.
The turnovers were a common detrimental theme for the Bruins. They put themselves in a hole quickly as it took Oregon only 23 seconds to take a 14-point lead.
After completing his first four passes on the opening drive of the game, Griffin fumbled and McKinley III picked it up and returned it 35 yards to the Bruins’ 19-yard line.
Oregon cashed in on the next play, with Shough delivering a 19-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Devon Williams for a 7-0 lead with 5:39 to go in the quarter.
The Bruins, with a start reminiscent of their 48-42 opening loss to Colorado, fumbled the ensuing kickoff and gave the Ducks a short field again. Shough went right to work, needing only one play to deliver his second scoring pass, completing a 32-yard strike over the middle to Travis Dye for a 14-0 lead.
But the Bruins didn’t panic.
UCLA needed an answer and got it, marching 52 yards on six plays, capped by Felton’s 1-yard touchdown run to cut the Ducks’ lead in half.
The Bruins caught a break of their own early in the second quarter.
Oregon’s CJ Verdell fumbled and Qwuantrezz Knight scooped it up and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 14 less than a minute into the quarter.
After Oregon added a 23-yard field goal to go up 17-14, Griffin was brilliant leading the Bruins back again.
On a third-and-18, he completed a 19-yard first-down pass to Kyle Phillips, and finished the 10-play, 69-yard drive with a perfectly timed pass over the shoulder to Greg Dulcich for a 32-yard score and a 21-17 Bruins lead with 3:24 until half. It was Griffin’s ninth completion in 10 attempts.
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UCLA comes up short in 38-35 loss to No. 11 Oregon - LA Daily News
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