No. 18 UCLA football (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) is playing No. 11 Utah (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) in Week 6 of the 2022 college football season, with the Bruins facing off against a ranked opponent for the second game in a row.
Stay tuned for injury and personnel updates, highlights and other key events to keep an eye on all day long.
FINAL: UCLA 42, Utah 32
4:08 p.m.: The Bruins were able to close it out Saturday afternoon – read All Bruins' full game wrap HERE.
Davies, Charbonnet tack on some insurance
3:45 p.m.: The Utes decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 deep in Bruin territory, and Rising picked up the yards needed to convert the first down.
Muasau dove right at him to knock the ball loose, though, and Oregon transfer cornerback Jaylin Davies scooped it up and brought the ball all the way back to the 1-yard line. Charbonnet rushed up the middle for the score, and the Bruins went up by 17.
It is currently a 42-25 ball game with less than nine minutes remaining.
Utah completes long scoring drive, UCLA answers quick
3:33 p.m.: A 10-play, 75-yard drive by the Utes could have been a back-breaking, considering defensive lineman Jay Toia's offsides on 4th-and-short is what kept it alive around midfield.
Rising punched in another touchdown, trimming the deficit back to three, but the Bruins weren't going down that easily.
Thompson-Robinson got called for an ill-advised intentional grounding on the first play, pushing them back and seemingly dinging whatever momentum they had left. The very next play, though, Thompson-Robinson hit receiver Logan Loya on a short crossing route, and the slot man scurried 70 yards all the way into the end zone.
With the long completion, Thompson-Robinson has become UCLA's all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 76 for his career.
UCLA built its lead back out to 10 points, and there is only 11:17 left in regulation.
Another drive, another score for the Bruins
3:13 p.m.: The Utes returned the favor by extending a Bruin drive with a big penalty, and the blue and gold jumped on the opportunity to add some more points to the board.
Thompson-Robinson drew a roughing the passer on 3rd-and-long, then hit Mokiao-Atimalala for a 21-yarder the very next play. The dual-threat passer pitched one to running back Keegan Jones to pick up another 24 yards, even though a review ruled he stepped out of bounds on what looked like a 30-yarder.
After another false start by DiGiorgio, UCLA was facing another 3rd-and-long. Thompson-Robinson had to throw it away under pressure on second down, but on the following decisive play, Bobo came free for what turned into an easy 10-yard touchdown.
UCLA is now up 28-18 with the fourth quarter fast approaching.
Utes receive lifeline from refs, stay in the game
2:56 p.m.: The Bruins had given up multiple third down conversions, but they finally got a stop.
Until the refs decided otherwise.
Cornerback Devin Kirkwood got called for pass interference in the end zone, despite not hitting the intended receiver or grabbing his jersey. The ball was also overthrown by several yards, but Utah got 15 yards out of it anyways.
Rising ran one in for a short touchdown the following play, and the Bruins were called for unsportsmanlike conduct as well. Gabriel Murphy is the one who got flagged, and when the referee was on the mic announcing the call, his twin brother Grayson said "That's bullsh*t, man" and got flagged for another unsportsmanlike conduct.
As a result, the Utes got a little closer on the extra point attempt and decided to go for two. Rising ran one up the middle and narrowly dove in, making it a 21-18 contest with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter.
Offense opens second half on a roll
2:44 p.m.: Kazmeir Allen's big return set the Bruins up for some more points, and they actually managed to capitalize this time.
UCLA started at Utah's 48, and Thompson-Robinson delivered one to Kam Brown that got them down to the 31 in no time. Charbonnet had gains of 10 and 12, and the Bruins eventually worked their way down to the 5.
Thompson-Robinson looked to Bobo in the back of the end zone again on second down, but the Duke transfer dropped what would have been an easy touchdown. The mishap didn't cost UCLA much, though, considering Thompson-Robinson found Brown on a 5-yard slant into the end zone the very next play.
UCLA leads Utah 21-10 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.
HALFTIME: UCLA 14, Utah 10
2:14 p.m.: The Bruins and Utes both marched down the field as missed field goals in the final 90 seconds, with UCLA's coming from 21 yards out and Utah's coming from 43.
Kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira's miss broke a streak of seven straight makes. It also came after a 49-yard rush by Charbonnet that took the Bruins inside the 10, meaning they really left some points on the board before the break.
Here are the statistical leaders halfway through the contest:
TOTAL YARDS: UCLA 272, Utah 253
PASS YARDS: UCLA 129, Utah 139
RUSH YARDS: UCLA 143, Utah 114
FIRST DOWNS: UCLA 9, Utah 16
PASSING LEADERS
D. Thompson-Robinson (UCLA): 10-of-12, 129 yards, 1 TD
C. Rising (UT): 10-of-15, 139 yards, 1 INT
RUSHING LEADERS
Z. Charbonnet (UCLA): 11 carries, 126 yards
T. Thomas (UT): 14 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD
RECEIVING LEADERS
M. Ezeike (UCLA): 2 receptions, 61 yards
D. Vele (UT): 4 receptions, 59 yards
Utah narrows the gap with halftime approaching
1:52 p.m.: Tavion Thomas has been carving up UCLA's defense for the entire game, and he finally broke free for a touchdown.
Thomas is already up to 79 yards on 14 carries for the day, putting him on pace for over 150 yards by the end of the contest. UCLA had owned one of the best run defenses in the conference through the first five weeks, with only one of its prior opponents breaking 90 team yards on the ground, and Utah has already exceeded that.
When Thomas sliced up the middle untouched for the 5-yard score, the Utes made it a 14-10 game with 3:14 remaining until the break.
Bruins answer a field goal with a touchdown
1:43 p.m.: The Utes may have gotten on the board, but it didn't take long for the Bruins to extend their lead.
Running back Zach Charbonnet opened things up with a 44-yard carry, kickstarting UCLA's attempt at answering Utah's 24-yard field goal. Thompson-Robinson then found receiver Josiah Norwood for a 14-yard gain, followed by a 7-yard run of his own.
Thompson-Robinson continues to play with a massive chip on his shoulder, going face-to-face and trash talking a diving defender after that keeper. Charbonnet picked up the first down the following play, and then it was back to Thopmson-Robinson.
The quarterback faked the handoff, then rolled out to his right for what could have been another running play for Thompson-Robinson. He found receiver Jake Bobo in the very back of the end zone, and the Duke transfer tapped one foot to stay in bounds for the score.
UCLA leads 14-3 with 7:34 left until halftime.
DTR leads perfect scoring drive to take lead
1:24 p.m.: The penalty that pinned the Bruins back in the shadow of their own end zone did not cost them any points.
Thompson-Robinson tossed a strike down the left sideline to Ezeike, who went 49 yards and got UCLA into Utah territory for the first time all day. A 23-yard pass to receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala kept the drive rolling, and Thompson-Robinson got another big first down off a 5-yard keeper.
The dual-threat quarterback showed off his speed on the very next play, keeping it himself on a read option before turning the corner and diving into the end zone. The 7-yard touchdown put the Bruins up 7-0 right before the first quarter came to a close, and it was the 20th rushing score of Thompson-Robinson's career.
Muasau makes big play to keep game scoreless
1:15 p.m.: The Bruins got a big takeaway, but also suffered a major loss.
The Utes got good field position after a long punt return, and they improved on it even more when quarterback Cameron Rising scrambled for a 17-yard gain. A key third down conversion got Utah into the red zone, potentially setting up the first score of the afternoon.
Rising threw an ill-advised pick over the middle, though, with linebacker Darius Muasau jumping in front and stealing possession back for the Bruins.
Veteran safety Stephan Blaylock hit the intended receiver after Muasau's interception, and the referees ruled that it was in the head or neck area. As a result, Blaylock was ejected and UCLA was moved back inside the 5 for its upcoming drive.
Teams trade punts to open contest
12:57 p.m.: Kickoff was delayed 15 minutes because the Michigan-Indiana game on FOX went long, but the Bruins and Utes weren't too fast out of the gates once play got underway.
Utah got the ball first, and after advancing to midfield exclusively on runs, UCLA forced an incompletion and got a stuff on 3rd-and-medium to force a punt. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson moved the ball efficiently once the Bruins took over, only for the drive to stall out thanks to a drop by tight end Michael Ezeike and a false start by left tackle Garrett DiGiorgio and left guard Jon Gaines.
UCLA had to put as a result, and the game is still scoreless with 9:46 remaining in the opening frame.
Defense could get reinforcements
12:15 p.m.: According to 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, a pair of starters could be making their long-awaited returns for UCLA.
Kain Medrano, who has yet to play in 2022 after entering the season as one of the top linebackers on the two-deep, is in pads and is participating in warmups with the Bruins. Defensive lineman Gary Smith III is as well, which means he may be making his return from an injury he suffered in Week 3.
UCLA's depth at both linebacker and interior defensive line has been suspect so far this season, and both position groups appear to be hanging on by a thread, personnel-wise. If Medrano or Smith return Saturday – which is admittedly not a sure thing, given recent examples of players warming up an not playing – that would give the Bruins a major boost on that side of the ball.
Attendance hopes high for biggest game of year
12:01 p.m.: The upper sections above the end zones are still blocked off with UCLA-Jordan Brand tarps, but the Bruins are still expected to set a season-high for attendance Saturday.
UCLA drew an average of 30,071 through its first three games, which are all rank in the bottom four of the team's history since moving to the Rose Bowl in 1982. Last Friday's win over then-No. 15 Washington was witnessed by 41,343 fans, though, so while it was still well below capacity, it was a step in the right direction.
That game was big, but the Bruins were unranked and hadn't proven themselves against a notable opponent or on national TV. Now they have, and they're playing in their first ranked-on-ranked showdown since 2015.
With the tarps up, attendance probably won't be able to exceed 53,000. Anything approaching that would be a massive step up from nonconference play, and many prognosticators have the number somewhere just under that mark.
The student section is already filling up 30 minutes ahead of kickoff, and there is a large contingent of recruits taking official and unofficial visits on the south end of the home sideline.
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