Utah football falls at UCLA as miscues doom Cam Rising, Utes
UCLA #UCLA
Pasadena, Calif. • The University of Utah football team played at the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon.
In the end, it became difficult to envision the Utes going back there in three months.
A day flush with momentum changes, miscues and lost opportunities ended as such. Too much of all of those factors, plus a horrid defensive showing, contributed to a 42-32 Bruins win, easily the biggest of the Chip Kelly era, in front of an announced crowd of 42.038 at the Rose Bowl.
While 18th-ranked UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) remains in a favorable position to get to the Dec. 2 Pac-12 championship game, the Utes’ title defense is on the ropes. No. 11 Utah (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) will next host No. 6 USC on Saturday at Rice-Eccles in what is essentially a must-win, at least in terms of getting back to the title game.
The game-altering play came late in the third quarter. After Utah’s defense had largely been dominated for most of the middle-two quarters, it was about to get off the field when a third-and-6 pass from Thompson-Robinson intended for Jake Bobo along the left sideline was broken up. As the ball fell incomplete, Utes linebacker was called for a 14-yard roughing the passer penalty, keeping the drive alive.
The Bruins, now set up at their own 43-yard line, made the most of that opportunity. A shovel pass from Thompson-Robinson to Keegan Jones went for 24 yards down to the Utah 12. Three plays later on third-and-8 from the 10, Thompson-Robinson connected with a wide-open Bobo on a slant to the end zone for a 28-18 lead with 1:07 left in the third quarter.
Utah got the deficit back to three via a nine-yard touchdown run from Cam Rising, but all that represented was trading scores.
A 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown down the left sideline from Thompson-Robinson extended UCLA back to a 10-point lead at 35-25 with 11:17 to play.
Thompson-Robinson’s furthered his case as the Pac-12′s best quarterback, finishing 18-for-22 for 299 yards and four touchdowns. The fact Clark Phillips III jumped a route inside the final minute and took an interception back 80 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring will be reduced to a footnote.
Whether Utah should have been fortunate to trail, 14-10, at halftime, or believing the Utes should have been leading at the break is in the eye of the beholder.
On the Utes’ third drive of the afternoon in a scoreless game, Rising was intercepted by Darius Muasau on a bad throw over the middle into heavy traffic. The ball was intended for tight end Thomas Yassmin, who was lost for the afternoon on the play to an undisclosed injury.
UCLA took that turnover and turned it into a seven-play, 97-yard drive, capped by Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s seven-yard scamper to the left pylon for a 7-0 lead.
The Bruins built a 14-3 lead before Utah finally got a drive going. Rising went 6-for-6 for 76 yards on an eight-play, 84-yard drive. After the pass game showed up, a Tavion Thomas five-yard run on first-and-goal brought the Utes to within four at 14-10.
Rising was 11-for-17 for 151 yards in the first half, but the mistakes, not all of which were on him, were glaring.
Aside from the interception, Micah Bernard dropped a first-quarter screen pass on third-and-14 that looked capable of going for a big gain. On Utah’s next drive, Rising allowed a first-and-10 call from the UCLA 39-yard line to develop. He eventually unleashed a long pass to Yassmin, who appeared to be turning upfield before actually catching the ball.
Yassmin, who is seeing increased playing time with Brant Kuithe out for the season with a torn ACL, dropped the ball at the 10. He had enough room to run that the play may have ended in a touchdown. Instead, Rising was intercepted three plays later.
The Tribune will update this story.