Fresno State Beats UCLA Football in Last Minute Upset

Jake Haener led the Bulldogs to a comeback victory over the Bruins after being down with a minute left.

Coming off an “improvement week,” the Bruins did just the opposite, falling behind from the start and losing in a crushing defeat.

No. 13 UCLA football (2-1) came back to take the lead after trailing for most of the night, but Fresno State (3-1) shot back at every stage. A quarterback who could barely stand put up a memorable night for Bulldogs fans.

The Bruins were coming off of an upset victory against LSU, rising in the past two AP polls, but the Bulldogs threw a wrench causing an upset of their own.

And 54 seconds is all they needed.

Haener led a comeback drive to win the after falling behind late in the fourth quarter. On the Bulldogs’ previous drive, which resulted in a touchdown, Haener injured himself while throwing the ball. He immediately ran to the sidelines in pain, receiving treatment in quick fashion. On the center stage, Haener came out for the final drive, connecting with his receiver Jalen Cropper in open space on the right side of the endzone for an 11-yard game-winning touchdown.

Haener was thrust into the Rose Bowl spotlight and found open space against the Bruins all night. Haener threw for 455 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 39-of-55 passing with a 154.4 passer rating.

The Bruins’ run defense did not have much of an answer for Bulldogs’ running back Ronnie Rivers either. Rivers ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns allowing for Haener to attack the Bruins’ secondary. The success Rivers had running the ball was a complete reversal of the previous two games, where the Bruins severely limited yardage on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, completed 14 of his 24 passing attempts with a 196.9 passer rating. Thompson-Robinson had one turnover – a fumble late in the 2nd half that resulted in Fresno State getting three more points on the board.

Wide receivers Kyle Phillips and Kam Brown both had big nights. On the receiving end of Thompson-Robinson’s three touchdowns, Phillips had two touchdowns and 113 yards and Brown had one touchdown and 111 yards receiving.

During the first half, the Bruins were arguably outcoached by the Bulldogs. On defense, the Bulldogs had answers for offensive approaches the Bruins attempted. In the 2nd half, the Bruins gained most of its offensive yards with 314 of 395 yards coming in the latter half of the game.

Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown ran for 397 yards combined in the first two games. The Bulldogs rendered the Bruins’ rushing duo into a background role for the duration of the night. Saturday, the pair of running backs could only muster up a combined 90 yards.

Defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia and safety Quentin Lake both left the game with injuries, not seeing action after being removed. It was next man up for the Bruins with safety Kenny Churchwell II playing a larger role throughout the night. Churchwell II intercepted Haener left in the first half, the possession before the Thompson-Robinson fumble.

The Bruins caused two other fumbles during the game with linebackers Myles Jackson and Jordan Genmark Heath recovering each.

Fresno State had previously put up a fight against No. 4 Oregon, losing by just seven. Now, the Bulldogs defeat a Pac-12 foe and make their case for the Top-25.

Week 4 starts conference play where UCLA will travel to Stanford on Saturday.

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