UCLA
0-5 , 0-2
Washington
5-1 , 3-1
UCLA Hangs Tough, Edged by No. 10 Washington 31-24
October 06, 2018 | Football
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA football team shook off a 17-point halftime deficit and hung around until the very end of the game, but ultimately fell 31-24 to No. 10 Washington on Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA (0-5) scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to seven each time, but ultimately couldn't knot the scoreline. Washington, which was led by running back Myles Gaskin's 116 yards and two touchdowns, improved to 5-1 on the year.
"We knew it was gonna be tough tough sledding against a really tough front," said UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. "They've held some really good teams down, that's why they're the No. 1 defense in the country. I thought we did a really good job of competing, especially in the second half where we had a pair of lengthy drives, but we just fell a little bit short."
UCLA was led on offense by running back Joshua Kelley - who recorded career-highs in both rushing (125) and receiving (39) yards while becoming the first Bruin since Paul Perkins in 2015 to net 100+ rushing yards in back-to-back games - and tight end Caleb Wilson, who reached 100 yards receiving for the first time this season (102) while making eight catches to double his previous season-high in receptions.
Freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, making his fourth straight start, completed 27 of 38 passes for 272 yards. He threw for a pair of scoring touchdowns and was intercepted once.
Safety Adarius Pickett was the leader on the defensive side of the ball, notching a season-high 16 tackles, his fourth double-digit tackle performance of the year. He also intercepted Washington QB Jake Browning in the first quarter. Junior inside linebacker Krys Barnes had a big performance as well, making nine tackles including a team-high three for a loss.
Using their longest drive of the year – in duration, yardage, and time used – the Bruins made it a 24-17 game early on the in the fourth quarter.
That drive started on the UCLA 10, but the Bruins steadily made their way up the field, converting on four consecutive third downs before Caleb Wilson contributed three big catches to find the end zone.
His first, a 29-yard completion, got the Bruins from the 50-yard line to the edge of the red zone at the Washington 21. Another 11-yard catch from Wilson set up first and goal for UCLA, which converted three plays later – and after the third quarter ended – with a nine-yard catch-and-run from Wilson, who made a grab in the flat, spun off a tackle, and then extended as he was being dragged down at the goal line, just getting the ball over the plane of the end zone for the score.
Ultimately, the drive went for 90 yards on 17 plays and took up 6:01 of game time.
However, that was as close as the Bruins would get to tying the game, as Gaskin would find the end zone again with 3:42 on the clock to record the game-winning score.
UCLA made it interesting, driving 75 yards in just over two minutes and finding the end zone on a two-yard Kelley scamper to cut the deficit to seven again with 1:38 remaining, but Washington held on to the ball for the duration of the contest and prevented the Bruins from getting another crack at the end zone.
UCLA ate up over five minutes of the clock in their first drive of the second half, with Kelley rushing five times for 26 yards to put UCLA in field goal range for JJ Molson, who knocked down a 49-yard attempt to make it a two-possession game at 24-10.
Washington opened up a 24-7 lead at halftime thanks to a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Jake Browning – one in the air and one on the ground – and another score from Gaskin.
The Huskies opened the scoring at the 1:37 mark of the first quarter, as Browning hit receiver Aaron Fuller down the right sideline for a 25-yard touchdown grab.
On the ensuing UCLA drive, Kelley had his longest rush of the day, taking a handoff out of the shotgun and scurrying up the gut for 39 yards, his second-longest rush as a Bruin.
After Browning and Fuller connected again for a 46-yard catch on Washington's first drive of the second half, a strong red zone defensive effort prevented the visitors from doubling their lead. Krys Barnes made the critical play of that stop, dropping Browning for a nine-yard loss and his first career sack to set up 3rd-and-20 for the Huskies, who had to settle for a field goal.
UCLA followed with its crispest offensive drive of the night, needing just seven plays to drive 75 yards for a touchdown. Thompson-Robinson completed four consecutive passes, and five overall, as part of the drive, capping off the possession by finding Theo Howard all alone the right side of the end zone for a touchdown. Big plays during the drive included a 20-yard grab from Wilson on the opening play and a 22-yard completion to Kelley that moved the ball to the Washington 29.
The Huskies went on to add a pair of one-yard rushing touchdowns later in the second, first with Gaskins taking a direct snap running it in before Browning punched it in on their next possession. Gaskins narrowly missed out on a second consecutive touchdown on the latter drive, rushing for 17 yards and diving for the pylon but being ruled out at the 1.
UCLA continues Pac-12 play next week, traveling to California for a 4:00 p.m. showdown at California Memorial Stadium next Saturday, Oct. 13. That contest will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Team Stats
WASH 7, UCLA 0
WASH - Fuller, Aaron 25 yd pass from Browning, Jake (Henry, Peyton kick) 5 plays, 62 yards, TOP 2:20
WASH 10, UCLA 0
WASH - Henry, Peyton 26 yd field goal 7 plays, 61 yards, TOP 3:02
WASH 10, UCLA 7
UCLA - Howard, Theo 9 yd pass from Thmpsn-Robinson (Molson, Jj kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:58
WASH 17, UCLA 7
WASH - Gaskin, Myles 1 yd run (Henry, Peyton kick), 11 plays, 74 yards, TOP 4:58
WASH 24, UCLA 7
WASH - Browning, Jake 1 yd run (Henry, Peyton kick), 10 plays, 77 yards, TOP 3:19
WASH 24, UCLA 10
UCLA - Molson, Jj 49 yd field goal 12 plays, 42 yards, TOP 5:14
WASH 24, UCLA 17
UCLA - Wilson, Caleb 9 yd pass from Thmpsn-Robinson (Molson, Jj kick) 17 plays, 90 yards, TOP 6:01
WASH 31, UCLA 17
WASH - Gaskin, Myles 2 yd run (Henry, Peyton kick), 12 plays, 81 yards, TOP 6:45
WASH 31, UCLA 24
UCLA - Kelley, Joshua 2 yd run (Molson, Jj kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:04
