The UCLA Bruins continued their undefeated season by going on the road to beat the Minnesota Gophers 34-20. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach needed just eight completions to get 300 yards and three touchdowns as the Bruin offense put up 24 points in the second half to pull away from Minnesota.
The first half was split, with UCLA winning the first quarter and going up 10-0. But then Minnesota flipped the script, winning the second quarter and taking a 10-10 tie into the half.
The Bruins’ two opening drives
were both deep into Gopher territory for points. The first was aided by a 54-yard pass to Semaj Morgan, setting up an eventual 37-yard field goal for the Bruins. Then their second drive was the Dieffenbach show, as the Bruin quarterback rushed for 18, completed a pass to Wayne Knight for 28 and then ran for 12 more, setting up first and goal at the five. And UCLA eventually scored on a Knight carry off the edge, taking a 10-0 lead.
Then Minnesota started to show some fight. The defense, after giving up 118 yards on their first two drives, forced two three-and-outs, got a fourth-down stop and Maverick Baranowski intercepted Dieffenbach to keep the Bruins to 0 points in the second quarter.
The Gopher offense also showed signs of life, scoring on an 11-play, 61-yard drive and turning the Baranowski interception into a Luke Drzewicki 38-yard field goal to tie the game at halftime.
The second half was a different theme.
The Bruins stopped Minnesota’s first possession of the third quarter and quickly scored on a 4-play drive that was highlighted by a Knight 31-yard run and capped with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Noah Fox-Flores. This gave UCLA a 17-10 lead, which lasted through the remainder of the third quarter.
Eventually, the Gophers tied the game early in the fourth when Drake Lindsey found Greg Rohl for a four-yard touchdown. And this is when the wheels came off the bus.
UCLA answered immediately with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Mizell who got behind the Gopher secondary and sprinted to the score.
Minnesota attempted to answer by getting into UCLA territory and settling for another Drzewiecki field goal. Now trailing 24-20, but with 7:31 remaining, there was plenty of time for one stop and an opportunity to score.
Once again, UCLA answered with a one-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It was Mizell burning the secondary again and catching the ball in stride for back-to-back touchdowns.
Down two scores and time running out, Lindsey forced a ball down the sideline that was intercepted and the ensuing UCLA touchdown drive sealed the game for the undefeated Bruins.
In the second half, Dieffenbach completed only three passes. All three were for touchdowns and 177 yards. The All-American running back Knight finished with 109 yards but had runs of 31, 14, 16 and 15 in the second half alone.
After Minnesota tied the game early in the fourth quarter, UCLA completely dominated the final 12:50 to cruise to the win. The Bruins move to 9-0 and will host Illinois next week to continue their march to the College Football Playoff.
Up next for Minnesota is a trip to Penn State, where the Gophers will have to find some answers for an impotent offense and find a way to get some swagger back on defense.
