UCLA
Fresno State
Bruins Return Home to Face Fresno State
September 11, 2018 | Football
Venue: Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl (80,616)
Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Television: FS1 (Justin Kutcher, DeMarco Murray, Petros Papadakis)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG College): AM 570/1150/ 97.3 FM
Josh Lewin (play-by-play),Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline)
Sirius 136/XM 198 /internet Ch. 960
UCLA (0-2) returns to the Rose Bowl to host Fresno State (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT. The game will be televised by FS1. The Bruin IMG Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over Sirius/XM, 97.3 FM THE FAN, uclabruins.com and tunein.com and the TuneIn App. The Bruins, who captured the first six meetings in the series, will be looking to halt a two-game Bulldog win streak after Fresno State won the last two meetings in 2008 in the Rose Bowl and in 2003 in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. George Kase, defensive lineman from 1991-95, is the honorary captain for this game. Fresno State Athletic Director Terry Tumey played football at UCLA (1984-87), where he was a three-time All-Pacific-10 Conference defensive lineman. He went on to become a graduate assistant and full-time assistant coach at UCLA, working with the Bruins from 1992-98.
The Bruins dropped the last game in the series, 36-31, on Sept. 27, 2008 in the Rose Bowl. UCLA grabbed an early 10-7 lead on a short scoring run by Kahlil Bell and a Kai Forbath field goal only to see Fresno battle back to take a 20-19 lead at the half. After the teams traded field goals early in the third quarter, Fresno scored twice on touchdown passes for a 36-22 advantage. UCLA blocked the second extra point attempt and Bret Lockett returned it for a two-point score to make it 36-24 heading to the final quarter. Chane Moline caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Kevin Craft to narrow the deficit to 36-31 at the 13:17 mark. The Bruins were driving for a potential go-ahead score late in the contest but fumbled in the red zone. Lockett led UCLA with 11 tackles while Alterraun Verner added 10 stops. Derrick Coleman ran for 86 yards. Craft threw for 150 yards and one score.
First-year head coach Chip Kelly was named UCLA's head football coach on Nov. 25, 2017. Kelly compiled a 46-7 record in four seasons as the head coach at the University of Oregon (2009-12). During that span, his Duck teams captured first place or a share of first in the North Division of the conference (three outright conference championships 2009-11) and four BCS bowl games. Kelly guided Oregon to appearances in a National Championship Game (2010), two Rose Bowls (after 2011 and 2009 seasons) and the Fiesta Bowl following the 2012 season. He also has served as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers (2016) and the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15). Kelly was named the 2009 and 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 2010 Sporting News Coach of the Year, 2010 AFCA Coach of the Year Award and 2010 Associated Press Coach of the Year.
This will be the eighth meeting of the teams in Los Angeles. UCLA is 45-7-2 all-time vs. teams in the current Mountain West Conference -- Air Force (6-4-1), Boise St. (1-0), Colorado St. (2-0), Fresno St. (6-2), Hawai'i (3-0), Nevada (1-0), New Mexico (1-0), Wyoming (0-1), UNLV (2-0), Utah State (1-0), San Diego St. (21-0-1), San Jose St. (1-0).
THE WATCH LIST
โข Adarius Pickett led the team in tackles for the second straight game and put together a second-consecutive double-digit tackle performance with 12 at Oklahoma (15 v. Cincinnati) ... He ranks second in the Pac-12 in total tackles/g (13.5) and sixth in the NCAA.
โข True freshman receiver Michael Ezeike made his first career reception count as he hauled in a fourth-down pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson for a touchdown at Oklahoma. True frosh Chase Cota added four catches for 45 yards vs. the Sooners.
โข Dorian Thompson-Robinson became the 8th Bruin true freshman to start a game at quarterback at Oklahoma and the fourth to open up in a road contest.
โข In the fourth quarter at Oklahoma, Thompson-Robinson completed 8 of 10 passes for 129 yards and his first career touchdown pass.
The Bruins went 3 of 4 on third down conversions in the fourth quarter and 1-1 on fourth down conversions while putting together scoring drives of 75 and 85 yards.
โข Against Oklahoma, true freshmen ran 28 times (out of 50 team carries which is tied for the most attempts by a Pac-12 team in a game this season) for 64 yards and caught 5 balls (16 team receptions) for 54 yards. Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw all 26 passing attempts in the game.
โข 57 players saw action at Oklahoma, 20 true and redshirt freshmen Bruins played.
โข UCLA's roster has the fourth-highest percentage of underclassmen in the nation according to a pre-season survey of FBS schools: 76.7% Illinois (78/102); 75.2% Appalachian State (88/117); 72.1% Cincinnati (80/111); 71.7% UCLA (76/106); UCLA also has the third fewest number of upperclassmen: 24-Illinois, 29-Appalachian State, 30-UCLA.
โข UCLA did not have a turnover vs. Oklahoma; it marked the first time since last year's win against Oregon.
โข UCLA has won 10 of its last 11 non-conference games played in the Rose Bowl (it dropped the 2018 opener to Cincinnati).
โข Darnay Holmes picked off his fourth career pass at Oklahoma ... Holmes ranks T-third in Pac-12 in passed defended
