All Bruins UCLA Football Players of the Game: Week 5 vs. Washington
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A handful of top performers guided the Bruins to their biggest win of the season, and they have earned some well-deserved praise and recognition.
UCLA football (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) hosted No. 15 Washington (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) on Friday, coming away with a 40-32 win. Taking a look at each unit individually, here are the three student-athletes who have earned the All Bruins UCLA Football Players of the Game awards.
Offensive Player of the Game: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Looking past the highlights, rushes of emotion and viral moments – not that you should, but for objectivity's take – Dorian Thompson-Robinson still had one of the best game's he's ever had with the Bruins.
That's saying a lot, considering he's been in Westwood for five seasons and is coming off back-to-back All-Pac-12 Second Team appearances. But Friday night felt different for the star signal-caller, and the numbers show it.
Thompson-Robinson passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-33 passing, good for a 72.7% completion percentage and a 182.9 passer rating. The dual-threat veteran also rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown.
For his fourth start in a row, Thompson-Robinson did not throw a pick, marking a new career long streak for the former top recruit. His decision making has been better that it's ever been, and his accuracy has matched that top-notch status.
Thompson-Robinson has always been a threat with his arm and legs, and that remains true. Teams now have to respect him as a game manager and a big-play home run hitter, though, and there genuinely aren't too many quarterbacks in the country who can pull off both of those skillsets simultaneously.
Among Pac-12 quarterbacks, maybe only USC's Caleb Williams is having a better year. Michael Penix Jr. had a strong case before Week 5, but Thompson-Robinson outdueled him by a wide margin Friday.
One of the two was turnover prone and scared of constant pressure Friday night, and it wasn't Thompson-Robinson. Instead, he came through with jukes, jumps, leaps, trash talk and more, all on top of the statistical production that set him apart from the crowd midway through the season.
Defensive Player of the Game: LB JonJon Vaughns
While defensive end Laiatu Latu was disruptive and active against his former team, and the whole front can be credited for making Penix uncomfortable, Vaughns continues to impress in the middle of the Bruins' defense.
Vaughns recorded six tackles, included 0.5 for loss, and made a key interception late in the first half to lock in Penix's shaky night. The dual-sport athlete was also sprinting in from the edge and helping to break up plays in the backfield all night long.
In the spring, Vaughns built a reputation as a home run hitter for UCLA baseball, and he brings plenty of hard hits with him to the gridiron as well. On short routes and in the run game, Vaughns showed off his strength Friday night.
Vaughns has been a valuable piece against the pass as well, which is critical when the cornerbacks are getting beat like they have been for long stretches this season. Vaughns did not get credit for a pass breakup, but he was patrolling the middle of the field well, seen in the great read on his interception.
When Washington was implementing a lot of pre-snap motion, Vaughns was moving all over the field and getting into position well. Linebacker Darius Muasau and safety Stephan Blaylock – who added 10 tackles and one interception, respectively – are still the generals of UCLA's defense, but Vaughns is becoming more and more integral the longer Kain Medrano is out.
Vaughns is a keystone member of the defense at this point, and he proved why by running all over the field and making plays as often as anyone else in his unit.
Special Teams Player of the Game: KR Kazmeir Allen
In terms of what he actually accomplished, Allen didn't exactly have a standout performance.
But since no other special teamer stood out as elite on Friday, we'll give this one to the speedster who had a long touchdown stolen away from him in the opening moments of the contest.
Following Washington's game-opening touchdown, they kicked off to Allen with a 7-0 lead in their back pocket. Allen reeled it in at the 2-yard line and immediately made a cut to find space.
It looked like the former track star was about to take it to the house, speeding through the first level without getting touched. That's when kicker Grady Gross took a baseball slide right at Allen's shins, tripping him up just past the UCLA 40.
Honestly, a play like that should be called for targeting, but UCLA did get an extra 15 yards out of it thanks to the tripping penalty. That set the offense up at the Washington 43, giving them a short field and starting their efficient day on a high note.
Allen returned another kick on a post-safety punt, but didn't turn it into much after the line drive took a nasty bounce. That was the last time Allen was able to touch the ball on special teams all night, as the Huskies sent the rest of their kickoffs far away from him and into the arms of running back Keegan Jones.
Kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira drilled his only field goal attempt of the game – a 24-yard chip shot – and had a really solid 49-yard punt that forced the Huskies to eat up even more time driving down the field late in the contest. His continued stability at both specialist spots is admirable, and he's definitely the lynchpin of the Bruins' third phase.
But with Allen's explosiveness playing such a big part in Washington's special teams game plan, and the lengths they had to go to to slow him down, it's hard not to give him his due this week.
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