No. 18 UCLA upsets No. 11 Utah in wire-to-wire fashion

PASADENA — If the previous week was about national respect in the rankings, No. 18-ranked UCLA had its sights set on respect as Pac-12 Conference contenders Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.

Mission accomplished.

Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for five touchdowns en route to upsetting No. 11 Utah, the defending league champions, in a wire-to-wire, 42-32, victory.

The Bruins are off to a 6-0 start for the first time since opening the 2005 season with eight consecutive victories. Overall, UCLA (6-0, 2-0) has won nine in a row dating back to last season.

Thompson-Robinson threw four touchdowns, including a 70-yard catch-and-run to slot receiver Logan Loya to push the lead to 35-25 with 11:17 to play. The score also was the 76th career touchdown pass of his career to put the fifth-year senior atop the program’s all-time list, surpassing Brett Hundley (2011-14).

Utah (4-2, 2-1) turned the ball over twice, including a fumble on the series after Thompson-Robinson’s record-breaking pass.

UCLA middle linebacker Darius Muasau forced the fumble on a fourth-and-1 from Utah’s 34-yard line. Cornerback Jaylin Davies scooped up the loose ball on the Utah 38 and returned it 37 yards.

On the first play from scrimmage, Bruins running back Zach Charbonnet punched in a 1-yard touchdown to push the lead to 42-25 with 9:26 left.

The Utes never threatened again.

First quarter

0:10, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson 7-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 7-0 UCLA

Second quarter

10:00, Utah: PK Jordan Noyes 23-yard field goal, 7-3 UCLA

7:34, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to WR Jake Bobo, 7-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 14-3 UCLA

3:14, Utah: RB Tavion Thomas 5-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Jordan Noyes), 14-10 UCLA

Third quarter

10:50, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to WR Kam Brown, 5-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 21-10 UCLA

5:01, Utah: QB Cameron Rising 6-yard TD run (2-point conversion GOOD, Cameron Rising), 21-18 UCLA

1:07, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to WR Jake Bobo, 10-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 28-18 UCLA

Fourth quarter

11:39, Utah: QB Cameron Rising 9-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Jordan Noyes), 28-25 UCLA

11:17, UCLA: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to WR Logan Loya, 70-yard TD (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 35-25 UCLA

9:26, UCLA: RB Zach Charbonnet 1-yard TD run (PAT GOOD, Nicholas Barr-Mira), 42-25 UCLA

0:31, Utah: CB Clark Phillips III 80-yard INT for TD (PAT GOOD, Jordan Noyes), 42-32 UCLA

Utah opened the fourth quarter by pulling to within three points of the UCLA lead.

Thompson-Robinson answered immediately, connecting with Loya on the 70-yard catch-and-run to push the Bruins’ lead back up to 35-25 with 11:17 remaining.

UCLA, which has been hearing about its shortcomings on defense since the spring, then came up with the biggest stop of the season on the next Utah series.

Utes quarterback Cameron Rising fumbled after a hit by Muasau.

The ball bounced right to Davies, who returned the fumble 37 yards to the Utah 1-yard line, and Charbonnet punched it in on the ensuing play to extend the lead to 17.

Who else but Thompson-Robinson again?

He was in command from the start, whether it was in the form of threading passes, completing throws through contact or making the right read on when to keep the ball or hand it off to Charbonnet.

He finished 18 of 23 for 299 yards passing and four touchdowns to go with 17 yards rushing and a second-quarter touchdown run. His lone blemish was an interception that was returned 80 yards for a touchdown by Utah cornerback Clark Phillips III with 31 seconds left, but it only made the score more respectable after an otherwise commanding performance.

Two of Thompson-Robinson’s touchdowns went to wide receiver Jake Bobo, who finished with three catches for 22 yards. The Duke transfer now has five touchdown catches over the last three games.

Muasau was flying all over the field and forced both Utah turnovers.

In addition to the forced fumble, he finished with eight tackles and a first-quarter interception.

His play in pass coverage was particularly important after the Bruins lost safety Stephan Blaylock for the game after he was ejected on a targeting penalty at the end of Muasau’s interception.

Chabonnet is not one to shy away from contact.

After a 44-yard run earlier in the quarter to set up a touchdown that pushed the lead to 11, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder dished some punishment out en route to his longest run since transferring from Michigan.

Charbonnet, who ran for a career-high 198 yards in the game, received a big hole from the offensive line and a big block from Bobo before handing out a stiff arm on his 49-yard run. However, the Bruins failed to capitalize as place-kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira missed a 21-yard field goal that kept the lead at 14-10 with 1:02 left in the half.

It was a combination of Thompson-Robinson’s brilliance and the defense stepping up when it was needed most.

Also, the team continued to battle despite self-inflicted errors in the form of 11 penalties for 66 yards.

The coaching staff made the proper adjustments, as well, with Davies taking over for starter Devin Kirkwood at the start of the fourth quarter. On Loya’s touchdown, it was a halftime adjustment to implement the route into the game plan.

Passing

Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 18 of 23 for 299 yards, 4 TDs, INT

Rushing

Zach Charbonnet: 22 carries for 198 yards, TD

Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 11 carries for 17 yards, TD

Keegan Jones: 3 carries for 0 yards

Receiving

Kazmeir Allen: 6 catches for 41 yards

Jake Bobo: 3 catches for 22 yards, 2 TDs

Michael Ezeike: 2 catches for 62 yards

Titus Mokiao-Atimalala: 2 catch for 44 yards

Kam Brown: 2 catches for 22 yards, TD

Logan Loya: 1 catch for 70 yards, TD

Keegan Jones: 1 catch for 24 yards

Josiah Norwood: 1 catch for 14 yards