Late Touchdown, Interception Help UCLA Football Best Washington in Seattle

The Bruins took hold of things in the fourth quarter after sacrificing a big lead, winning their second game in a row.

On both sides of the ball, the Bruins made the clutch plays late.

First it was tight end Greg Dulcich reeling in a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter after he and the offense had been shut out for the majority of the second half.

Then it was cornerback Devin Kirkwood who made a play on the ball and helped his team put it away with a game-sealing pick.

"That was probably the biggest play of the game, honestly," said safety Quentin Lake. "It changed the whole momentum of the game. That was an awesome play."

UCLA football (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) went on the road and beat Washington (2-4, 1-2) 24-17 on Saturday. The Bruins were ahead 17-3 in the first half, only to cough up the big lead a few possessions later, but instead of crumbling like they had last season or earlier in the year, they persevered to pick up a big conference win up in Seattle.

"Playing a game is kind of like being on a roller coaster – there’s ups and there’s turns and the only rule of a roller coaster is you can’t get off in the middle," said coach Chip Kelly. "Our guys did a great job, they were really resilient."

Running out to that early lead didn’t give the Bruins anything but a cushion, and they used every last inch of that cushion Saturday night.

Washington got a field goal on its second drive of the night, only for UCLA to answer with a 17-yard touchdown from quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to receiver Kam Brown. The Huskies would punt on each of their next two possessions, however, totalling just 3 yards, giving the Bruins a chance to storm ahead.

That’s exactly what they did, kicking a field goal to go up 10-3 and then getting another touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Thompson-Robinson to make it 17-3.

The Huskies erased that lead, scoring 14 unanswered to tie things up at 17 apiece.

The comeback started in the first half, as Washington went 69 yards in eight plays and wrapped up the drive with a 26-yard touchdown from quarterback Dylan Morris to receiver Rome Adunze.

UCLA missed a field goal as time expired in the first half, and its opening drive in the third quarter led to zero points. Washington came back and went 75 yards in nearly five minutes, capping it off with a sneak touchdown by Morris.

Having just punted away its two-possession lead, UCLA came back and flipped the script, answering Washington’s long drive with an even longer one.

The Bruins hadn’t converted a third down in seven consecutive tries, but finally got one to extend this key drive towards midfield. When they failed to convert on their next chance, Thompson-Robinson pushed forward to pick up a first on 4th-and-inches.

Dulcich finally got involved after being held off the box score all night, and he was a big part of helping UCLA go 90 yards in 5:47. His first catch of the game came on a triple-option shovel pass, which he took 16 yards down to the Washington 12, even if his coach said the play didn't even develop like it was supposed to.

"It did not look like it looked in practice – it looked a lot prettier in practice, it looked a lot more wide open in practice," Kelly said. "But I thought Dorian made a really good play there, I thought Greg made a great play there, so credit to those two guys, that was all about the players."

The tight end was also the one who capped it off with a score, hauling in a 9-yard pass from Thompson-Robinson to make it 24-17.

Thompson-Robinson was 8-for-8 through the air with 47 passing yards on the drive, also racking up an additional 10 yards on the ground, but the game wasn't over yet, as there were still more than eight minutes to play.

Washington was moving the ball near midfield and threatening to tie it up again, but Kirkwood tracked down his man and made up the gap by tipping the ball and eventually securing the interception – his first at the collegiate level.

"The cool part about Dev, Dev’s never acted like a freshman, so there’s a maturity to him," Kelly said. "It was really cool to see different guys step up and make plays today."

The Bruins got first down after first down on the ground and ran out the remaining 4:50 on the clock to secure the win.

Thompson-Robinson completed 21-of-26 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He did all of that without wideout Kyle Philips, the team's leading receiver, who was unavailable and did not make the trip with his teammates. Instead of relying on his top target, Thompson-Robinson instead completed passes to eight different receivers, with six of them recording multiple receptions.

"I’m so proud of those guys – the 2s, the 3s, guys like Josiah (Norwood), Logan (Loya) – that have been chomping at the bit to get on the field," Thompson-Robinson said. "Now that their number’s called, they make some plays, so definitely proud of those guys."

The quarterback also ran for 87 yards and a touchdown, adding to running back Zach Charbonnet's 131 yards.

The ground game went the Bruins' way 237-83, and they outgained the Huskies overall 420-267.

UCLA will get back on the field to play No. 9 Oregon at the Rose Bowl next Saturday.

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