Mistakes Cost UCLA Football, Pitt Comes Back to Win Sun Bowl
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It was supposed to be a culmination of Chip Kelly's first five years in Westwood.
It was supposed to be Dorian Thompson-Robinson's triumphant farewell to the school he's called home since 2018.
It was supposed to be a game in which the Bruins were favored, coming in with more high-level talent and a significant health advantage.
Things did not break their way Friday in El Paso.
No. 18 UCLA football (9-4, 6-3 Pac-12) blew a 14-point lead in the second quarter, losing the Sun Bowl to Pittsburgh (9-4, 5-3 ACC) by a score of 37-35. Thompson-Robinson spent the final moments of the game watching from the sidelines, only able to cross his fingers and hope the Panthers missed their last-second field goal.
It was a roller coaster of emotions for every Bruin, but especially Thompson-Robinson, considering he suffered an injury that knocked him out in the fourth quarter. The fifth-year senior tried to come back in the game on several occasions despite constant attention from the training staff, but ultimately had to hand things over to Ethan Garbers as he left for the locker room.
Garbers didn't get anything on his first two possessions, but he led a big drive in the final minute that gave UCLA hope down the stretch. Running back TJ Harden – a true freshman who was only starting because All-American Zach Charbonnet sat out – had a 34-yard carry to ignite the drive, then he scampered into the end zone from 8 yards out to put the Bruins up 35-34.
That's when the hobbled Thompson-Robinson came back out of the locker room, hearing the stadium react to the late comeback. Of course, it was UCLA that led for most of the game, but five turnovers helped Pitt flip things and get them back into it.
Garbers and Harden were the surprise heroes who put that behind them, or so it seemed.
Just as Thompson-Robinson got back to the sideline, Pitt strung together a 46-yard drive in 30 seconds without a single timeout at their disposal. The kick curled in from 47 yards out, despite the wind, and UCLA was behind again.
The Bruins had one more chance to win it, but Garbers was hit as he threw and his Hail Mary got picked off. The Panthers ran the ball over to the Bruins' sideline to celebrate, extending the beef that had started cooking during a pregame scrum, and all Thompson-Robinson could do was smirk and stick his tongue out at them.
As a result, UCLA was unable to tie its school record of 10 wins, or win its first bowl game since the 2014 season. Thompson-Robinson passed for 262 yards before leaving with his injury, falling just 23 short of the all-time program record.
The offense as a whole was stuck in the mud for virtually the entire second half, even with Thompson-Robinson under center, but it was once again their defense that allowed the opponent to complete a miraculous comeback before the strike of midnight.
The Bruins’ defense bent, but actually didn’t break, early in the game. The Panthers ran 24 plays on their first two drives and only came away with two field goals, then punted on their third possession.
UCLA’s offense, on the other hand, scored touchdowns on its first two drives to go ahead big early. Thompson-Robinson opened the game 8-of-10 with 182 yards, a touchdown and a 265.9 passer rating – plus a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak – and he was well on his way to leading another scoring drive deep in the red zone.
Thompson-Robinson felt pressure on a blitz, and his throw over the middle to receiver Logan Loya sailed a tad high. Loya, who caught an 11-yard touchdown earlier in the day, dropped the pass, and it took an unlucky bounce right to a linebacker for an interception.
That was the second tough break for UCLA – and it wouldn’t be the last – as Pitt fumbled on a 4th-and-short on its own 30 but recovered anyways for the conversion. That eventually led to a field goal for the Panthers, and the interception led to a touchdown and two-point conversion that tied it up at 14.
Thompson-Robinson got right back to his big-play ways by leading another touchdown drive in response, delivering a 28-yard strike to receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala. UCLA nearly double-dipped on either side of halftime, but a drop by tight end Michael Ezeike led to another interception in the red zone.
After the teams traded punts, cornerback Jaylin Davies came through with a 50-yard pick-six.
The Bruins led 28-14 midway through the third, but those good feelings wouldn't last long. Pitt got a few friendly calls to set up a touchdown drive to get those points back, and then UCLA punted after another 3-and-out.
When the Bruins got the ball back, Thompson-Robinson threw his third pick of the game – this time not off of any of his receivers – and he never reentered the game. The Panthers scored a touchdown to tie it up, then true freshman Jadyn Marshall muffed the windy kickoff to hand it right back to them.
Pitt took the lead with a pair of fourth quarter field goals, all while Garbers was unable to get much going for UCLA.
A dropped interception and a fumble blown dead due to forward progress prevented the Bruins from holding the Panthers off the board on those late drives. They did force a turnover on downs when Pitt bobbled a handoff on fourth down when a conversion would have iced the game, and that stop did eventually lead to Harden's score, but it was all for naught.
UCLA will have to sit on this loss for the next nine months, with the team as currently unable to make up for the loss. Thompson-Robinson, Jake Bobo, Stephan Blaylock, Atonio Mafi and others have played their final games in blue and gold, and it ended it utter heartbreak.
The Bruins opened the year 6-0, but went just 3-4 after their midseason bye.
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