UCLA Football Shakes Off Hits, Cruises to Win Over Stanford

Dorian Thompson-Robinson was taking blows and playing through pain for most of the night, so running back Zach Charbonnet did everything he could to lift up his quarterback and carry the Bruins to a resurgent rivalry win.

No. 12 UCLA football (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) returned to its winning ways with a 38-13 victory over Stanford (3-5, 1-5 Pac-12) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, improving to 3-1 against their Bay Area rival since 2019. Prior to the current stretch, the Cardinal had won 11 in a row in the head-to-head series.

The win also helped keep UCLA in the Pac-12 title race following its loss to Oregon on Oct. 23, setting up an exciting final stretch to the regular season.

Charbonnet rushed for 198 yards in the one-sided contest on 9.4 yards per carry, finding the end zone three times on the night. The running back also added 61 receiving yards on five catches, coming out of the backfield to pick up key first downs and keep drives alive.

The 259 total yards by Charbonnet were a career high, while his three touchdowns tied his previous best.

The Bruins’ offense opened the game on fire, courtesy of Charbonnet and Thompson-Robinson, scoring on each of their first four drives with three touchdowns.

Thompson-Robinson sprinted into the end zone to cap off UCLA’s first drive of the night, going to the ground hard right after a big hit the prior play. For the rest of the night, Thompson-Robinson was noticeably limping, and his constant wincing and cringing was regularly picked up by the TV cameras.

The dual-threat passer managed to put up numbers and continue to contribute down the stretch, but it was Charbonnet who did most of the heavy lifting.

Charbonnet had 69 total yards on the opening drive alone, even if it was Thompson-Robinson who got into the end zone. After linebacker Darius Muasau picked off quarterback Tanner McKee on the first play of Stanford’s next possession, Charbonnet went 23 yards for a touchdown that made it 14-3 in a blink.

Thompson-Robinson converted on third and fourth down to keep the Bruins’ next drive alive, but it was Charbonnet who ended it with a 1-yard touchdown.

The offense appeared to fizzle out as the game went on, with an extended drive early in the second quarter only serving as a preview for what was yet to come. The Bruins made it inside the Cardinal’s 10-yard line, but had to settle for a chip shot field goal.

UCLA tried to add points before the half, running a two-minute drill to get down to Stanford’s 4-yard line with plenty of time to spare. A false start and sack pushed them back, though, and kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira missed the 41-yarder before heading off into the locker room.

The Bruins punted on their first two drives of the second half, snapping a streak of nine-straight quarters without a punt.

Charbonnet converted two 4th-and-1s the next time UCLA got the ball, though, bouncing off three defenders and taking it 37 yards to the house on the second successful conversion. Kazmeir Allen sprinted for a 72-yard touchdown the following drive, further putting the game on ice.

Stanford finally broke into the end zone in garbage time, recording its first touchdown in 10 quarters in the process. UCLA’s defense was without its coordinator, as Bill McGovern was ill and watching the game from home, but they allowed less than a third of the points they did to Oregon in Week 8.

Charbonnet nearly had more yards than the Cardinal’s entire offense, with the Bruins sacking McKee four times, hurrying him another four and holding him to a completion percentage under 50%. Stanford averaged 4.3 yards per carry, less than half as efficient as Charbonnet’s mark.

Thompson-Robinson added 50 yards on the ground, and that’s with 22 coming off the board on two sacks. Ethan Garbers took over for the final five minutes, finally giving Thompson-Robinson a rest after a night full of big hits and trips to the injury tent.

UCLA will hit the road for a game against Arizona State on Nov. 5, and will once again be heavy favorites heading into that one.

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