Unbeaten UCLA Football Falls Behind Oregon, Loses in Eugene
The Ducks defended their home turf and sent the previously unblemished Bruins packing.
No. 9 UCLA football (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) saw its undefeated season come to an end at the hands of No. 10 Oregon (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) in Eugene on Saturday, losing the game 45-30. In the first top-10 vs. top-10 matchup in the Pac-12 since 2016, the Bruins were unable to rise to the occasion, and their nine-game winning streak that dated back to 2021 was officially snapped.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying, or for a lack of moving the ball, considering UCLA scored on its first five possessions of the day and six of their seven drives overall. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson still completed 69.2% of his attempts for 259 yards, while running back Zach Charbonnet racked up 182 yards from scrimmage on 7.6 yards per touch.
The game opened up with the two sides trading scores, and the score was tied 10-10 early in the second quarter.
Oregon went up 17-10 on a 49-yard bomb, but instead of kicking it back to UCLA and giving them a chance to tie it up, coach Dan Lanning called a surprise onside kick. The Ducks recovered and strung together another touchdown drive, going up two scores in a matter of minutes on the stolen possession.
UCLA was in a hole from that point on, and the fact that they had to settle for a field goal on their opening drive when a holding penalty erased a touchdown suddenly stung a lot more. They continued to trade scores from start to finish, but the Bruins were getting three at a time when the Ducks were busy breaking into the end zone.
Kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira hit all three of his tries from 47, 44 and 33 yards out, but those makes all represented drives where UCLA couldn’t cross the goal line.
It also didn’t help that the defense didn’t force a sack or turnover all day, nor did they force a punt until there were fewer than seven minutes left on the clock.
Quarterback Bo Nix played a near-perfect game, completing 22-of-28 passes for 283 yards, five touchdowns and a 230.6 passer rating. From deep passes to screens, Nix got basically everything he wanted all day long, in addition to picking up 51 yards and a handful of notable third-and-fourth-down conversions with his legs.
Running back Bucky Irving added 107 yards on 19 carries, while Noah Washington rushed for 73 on 12 carries. Receiver Troy Franklin exploded for 132 yards and two touchdowns on eight grabs, and even former UCLA wideout Chase Cota chipped in with 34 yards on four catches.
The Ducks scored three points in their opener against the reigning national champions, No. 1 Georgia, but had averaged 49.8 in the five weeks since, so the 45-point outing was nothing out of the ordinary for them.
Oregon has now won 23 consecutive home games as a result, and UCLA has now lost eight in a row in Eugene.
The Bruins will have a chance to bounce back at home against Stanford on Oct. 29, which could prove pivotal to keeping their Pac-12 title hopes alive.
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