Saturday, November 2
Lincoln, NE
12:30 PM
UCLA
3-5 , 2-4
27
at
20
Nebraska
5-4 , 2-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
UCLA
3
10
14
0
27
Nebraska
0
7
7
6
20
Ethan Garbers
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
UCLA Defeats Nebraska, 27-20
November 02, 2024 | Football
Lincoln, Neb. – UCLA won its second consecutive road contest, downing Nebraska 27-20 in front of a sold-out crowd of 87,453 at Memorial Stadium. The Bruins had two big interceptions to bookend the second half, with a pick six by Kain Medrano on the first play of the third quarter and a Kaylin Moore interception on the UCLA 13 with 29 seconds remaining in the game to seal the victory.
UCLA's defense made big plays throughout the game, stopping the Huskers on a pair of fourth down plays in the second half. The Bruins recorded four sacks, including one on fourth down by Carson Schwesinger in the fourth quarter. Schwesinger led the Bruins in tackles with 13.
"The team came out and played a great first half," said UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster. "We kind of stalled out maybe a little bit in the second half, a couple of penalties and stuff, but I think once we clean all of that up, that's our discipline aspect. We have to clean that stuff up, because that's what was keeping them in the game. Every time we got a penalty, they were able to get a big play after that, and then they were able to score at the end of those drives. I think the defense did a good job. But other than that, this team was continuously showing how resilient they are as a team, they're going to continue to fight. This was a really good team, that's why they were able to come back. They weren't going to quit at all, they were going to continue to fight. That's what Coach (Matt) Rhule instills in his players, so we're just excited to be able to get a victory in a hostile environment like this."
Bruin quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 17 of 25 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and also led the team in rushing with 56 yards. UCLA rushed for a season-high 139 yards.
UCLA (3-5, 2-4 in the Big Ten) scored on its opening drive for the third consecutive game, with Mateen Bhaghani hitting a 25-yard field goal to put the first points on the board. The Bruins used 14 plays and eight minutes of the clock before being stopped on third down at the Nebraska seven. The Huskers had no answer for the Bruin defense on their first drive, gaining just two yards and going three-and-out after Jay Toia sacked quarterback Dylan Raiola on third down.
The Bruins used another lengthy drive to score a touchdown on their second drive, going 85 yards on 11 plays, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown reception by Jalen Berger from Garbers.
Nebraska (5-4, 2-3) answered back, however, thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by the Bruins after forcing what would have been fourth down on the third play of the drive. The Huskers took advantage of the second chance and used a 40-yard pass by Raiola to Jacory Barney Jr. to get the ball in the red zone. Dante Dowdell scored on a four-yard touchdown run four plays later to cut the Bruin lead to 10-7.
With momentum shifting, the Bruins grabbed it back thanks to a 57-yard scamper by Garbers on third down and 9 to the Nebraska 17. The run by Garbers, a season-long for any Bruin this season, set up another field goal by Bhaghani, this one for 26 yards. UCLA's defense came back to force three-and-out on Nebraska's next two drives and took the 13-7 lead into the half.
"This whole game is about setting the tone," said Garbers postgame. "I had a conversation with Coach Foster earlier in the week and I said, 'Hey, (if) we get the coin toss, we want the ball first.' And that's exactly what we did. We went down there. We should have put seven (points) on the board, but we only got three, so we're cool with that. It's just great. We wanted to set the tone early, come out there and punch them in the mouth and I think we did a great job today."
UCLA started the second half with Medrano's pick six, the first of his career, on the very first play, giving UCLA a 20-7 lead. On Nebraska's next drive, the Huskers went for it on 4th and 3 on UCLA's 41, but Toia forced Raiola into a hurried pass that was broken up by the Bryan Addison. UCLA turned around in three plays to score on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Kwazi Gilmer, increasing UCLA's lead to 27-7.
"(Gilmer) is phenomenal," Garbers said. "For being 18 years old, the maturity and intelligence that that guy has on the football field is really unheard of. He's becoming a guy that I can really trust and really have a lot of faith in. I mean, anytime the ball is up in the air, I 100 percent believe Kwazi is going to come down with it. He's a great route runner. The best thing about him is he always plays fast and plays with speed."
Another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty led to a Husker touchdown, an eight-yard pass from Raiola to Isaiah Neyor just three minutes later to trim the advantage to 13, 27-14. Nebraska had a chance to further cut into the lead with a long drive and had 4th and goal on the 5, but Schwesinger sacked Raiola to force the turnover on downs.
After forcing UCLA to punt from its 18, the Huskers drove down to the red zone once again. Raiola ran it down to the two yard line on second and goal before being forced out on an injury, and his replacement Heinrich Haarberg was stuffed on third and goal. However, the Bruins were called for another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving Nebraska first down. Three plays later, Dowdell ran it in for a one-yard touchdown to make it a one-touchdown game at 27-20 after the Huskers missed the extra point.
With just under four minutes to play, the UCLA offense took over looking to keep the clock moving. However, the Bruins could not get a first down and punted on 4th and 1 on their 34 to turn over possession to the Huskers on the Nebraska 19 with 2:22 to play. The Huskers converted on a 4th and 11 and drove down to the UCLA 34 with 36 seconds to play, but Moore came up with the interception on a pass by Haarberg to Barney after Addison broke up the pass. The ball bounced off Barney's leg and popped up into the air, and Moore dove to catch the ball to give UCLA possession to end the game.
UCLA will next host Iowa on Homecoming at the Rose Bowl on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 pm. The game will be televised live on FOX.
UCLA's defense made big plays throughout the game, stopping the Huskers on a pair of fourth down plays in the second half. The Bruins recorded four sacks, including one on fourth down by Carson Schwesinger in the fourth quarter. Schwesinger led the Bruins in tackles with 13.
"The team came out and played a great first half," said UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster. "We kind of stalled out maybe a little bit in the second half, a couple of penalties and stuff, but I think once we clean all of that up, that's our discipline aspect. We have to clean that stuff up, because that's what was keeping them in the game. Every time we got a penalty, they were able to get a big play after that, and then they were able to score at the end of those drives. I think the defense did a good job. But other than that, this team was continuously showing how resilient they are as a team, they're going to continue to fight. This was a really good team, that's why they were able to come back. They weren't going to quit at all, they were going to continue to fight. That's what Coach (Matt) Rhule instills in his players, so we're just excited to be able to get a victory in a hostile environment like this."
Bruin quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 17 of 25 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and also led the team in rushing with 56 yards. UCLA rushed for a season-high 139 yards.
UCLA (3-5, 2-4 in the Big Ten) scored on its opening drive for the third consecutive game, with Mateen Bhaghani hitting a 25-yard field goal to put the first points on the board. The Bruins used 14 plays and eight minutes of the clock before being stopped on third down at the Nebraska seven. The Huskers had no answer for the Bruin defense on their first drive, gaining just two yards and going three-and-out after Jay Toia sacked quarterback Dylan Raiola on third down.
The Bruins used another lengthy drive to score a touchdown on their second drive, going 85 yards on 11 plays, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown reception by Jalen Berger from Garbers.
Nebraska (5-4, 2-3) answered back, however, thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by the Bruins after forcing what would have been fourth down on the third play of the drive. The Huskers took advantage of the second chance and used a 40-yard pass by Raiola to Jacory Barney Jr. to get the ball in the red zone. Dante Dowdell scored on a four-yard touchdown run four plays later to cut the Bruin lead to 10-7.
With momentum shifting, the Bruins grabbed it back thanks to a 57-yard scamper by Garbers on third down and 9 to the Nebraska 17. The run by Garbers, a season-long for any Bruin this season, set up another field goal by Bhaghani, this one for 26 yards. UCLA's defense came back to force three-and-out on Nebraska's next two drives and took the 13-7 lead into the half.
"This whole game is about setting the tone," said Garbers postgame. "I had a conversation with Coach Foster earlier in the week and I said, 'Hey, (if) we get the coin toss, we want the ball first.' And that's exactly what we did. We went down there. We should have put seven (points) on the board, but we only got three, so we're cool with that. It's just great. We wanted to set the tone early, come out there and punch them in the mouth and I think we did a great job today."
UCLA started the second half with Medrano's pick six, the first of his career, on the very first play, giving UCLA a 20-7 lead. On Nebraska's next drive, the Huskers went for it on 4th and 3 on UCLA's 41, but Toia forced Raiola into a hurried pass that was broken up by the Bryan Addison. UCLA turned around in three plays to score on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Garbers to Kwazi Gilmer, increasing UCLA's lead to 27-7.
"(Gilmer) is phenomenal," Garbers said. "For being 18 years old, the maturity and intelligence that that guy has on the football field is really unheard of. He's becoming a guy that I can really trust and really have a lot of faith in. I mean, anytime the ball is up in the air, I 100 percent believe Kwazi is going to come down with it. He's a great route runner. The best thing about him is he always plays fast and plays with speed."
Another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty led to a Husker touchdown, an eight-yard pass from Raiola to Isaiah Neyor just three minutes later to trim the advantage to 13, 27-14. Nebraska had a chance to further cut into the lead with a long drive and had 4th and goal on the 5, but Schwesinger sacked Raiola to force the turnover on downs.
After forcing UCLA to punt from its 18, the Huskers drove down to the red zone once again. Raiola ran it down to the two yard line on second and goal before being forced out on an injury, and his replacement Heinrich Haarberg was stuffed on third and goal. However, the Bruins were called for another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving Nebraska first down. Three plays later, Dowdell ran it in for a one-yard touchdown to make it a one-touchdown game at 27-20 after the Huskers missed the extra point.
With just under four minutes to play, the UCLA offense took over looking to keep the clock moving. However, the Bruins could not get a first down and punted on 4th and 1 on their 34 to turn over possession to the Huskers on the Nebraska 19 with 2:22 to play. The Huskers converted on a 4th and 11 and drove down to the UCLA 34 with 36 seconds to play, but Moore came up with the interception on a pass by Haarberg to Barney after Addison broke up the pass. The ball bounced off Barney's leg and popped up into the air, and Moore dove to catch the ball to give UCLA possession to end the game.
UCLA will next host Iowa on Homecoming at the Rose Bowl on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 pm. The game will be televised live on FOX.
Team Stats
UCL
NEB
Total Yards
358
322
Pass Yards
219
209
Rushing Yards
139
113
Penalty Yards
62
15
1st Downs
17
21
3rd Downs
6
9
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
29:14
30:46
1st Quarter
UCL 3, NEB 0
UCL - Bhaghani,Mateen 25 yd field goal 14 plays, 68 yards, TOP 08:00
2nd Quarter
UCL 10, NEB 0
UCL - Berger,Jalen 10 yd pass from Garbers,Ethan (Bhaghani,Mateen kick) 11 plays, 85 yards, TOP 06:37
UCL 10, NEB 7
NEB - Dowdell,Dante 4 yd run (Hohl,John kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:45
UCL 13, NEB 7
UCL - Bhaghani,Mateen 26 yd field goal 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:10
3rd Quarter
UCL 20, NEB 7
UCL - Medrano,Kain 38 yd interception (Bhaghani,Mateen kick)
UCL 27, NEB 7
UCL - Gilmer,Kwazi 48 yd pass from Garbers,Ethan (Bhaghani,Mateen kick) 3 plays, 58 yards, TOP 01:42
UCL 27, NEB 14
NEB - Neyor,Isaiah 8 yd pass from Raiola,Dylan (Hohl,John kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:58
4th Quarter
UCL 27, NEB 20
NEB - Dowdell,Dante 1 yd run (), 13 plays, 53 yards, TOP 06:01
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
17
TD
2
YDS
219
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
/ FootballQB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
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