Faced with a chance to seize control of the Pac-12, the UCLA Bruins befell the same fate as so many other ranked teams did on Saturday. They lost too, getting upset by unranked Utah at home, 30-28.
UCLA vs Utah final score: 3 things we learned from the Utes’ 30-28 win
The Pac-12 is madness. Just...madness.
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It started early with an interception of Brett Hundley, which Utah’s Tevin Carter took straight to the house from 27 yards out, and then an insane touchdown catch from Dres Anderson as part of a 17-7 halftime lead. Another score, this time a 6 yard run from Devontae Booker, pushed the lead up to 24-14 to enter the 4th quarter.
UCLA eventually battled back to take a one point advantage in the game’s dying minutes, only to fall victim to Utah quarterback Kendall Thompson’s heroics -- more on him in a second -- as he led the go-ahead field goal drive with 34 seconds to go.
Two Ka’imi Fairbairn attempts -- a second was granted after an extremely questionable running into the kicker penalty -- missed, sealing the upset victory for the Utes.
Three things we learned
1. .We don’t know anything about the Pac-12. For the first few weeks, it looked like there might be two elite teams in the conference, between Oregon and Stanford, until the Cardinal fell to USC. Then it looked like Oregon was a cut above everyone else, before Washington State exposed them, and Arizona actually beat them. Everyone else has imperfections of their own; Arizona State, USC, and Stanford all check in with one loss apiece.
Sorting out the rankings at this point is a near impossibility, as is projecting what this might mean for Utah at season’s end. Really, all we’re left with, is the startling realization that anyone could lose on any given week. To anyone.
Even Colorado.
2. .The Utah defensive line is going to keep them in a lot of games. Although their defense failed late against Washington State last week, the Utah front line was an integral part of their early 3-1 record, tallying 38 tackles for loss (18 sacks) before the UCLA game. Both figures, by the way, were already good for top 10 nationally, and the group was lights out again on Saturday, overwhelming the Bruin offensive line into loss after loss, part of ten sacks on the night.
Oregon -- perhaps the conference’s weakest front five, thanks to injuries -- should be afraid when they trip to Salt Lake City.
Let’s throw some love to the Utah special teams units, too -- they’ve already produced three special teams touchdowns on the year, and were crucial again. Punter Tom Hackett helped turn the field position battle with an average of 51.2 yards per boot, and kicker Andy Phillips nailed two tough field goals from over 45 yards, plus the eventual gamewinner.
3. There may be a quarterback change brewing for the Utes. Long time starter Travis Wilson was pulled after only three drives that generated a total of 13 yards, and in his stead entered Oklahoma transfer Kendall Thompson. Thompson has the advantage of being much more mobile, and he flashed it time and time again on the evening -- the Utes used him in zone read, as well as on designed keepers, which helped keep things moving on offense. He also completed a just-efficient-enough 10-of-13 passes for 93 yards -- numbers that weren’t impressive, but got the job done.
It should logically follow that he stays behind the wheel.
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