Looking Back on the Top Plays of Kyle Philips' Career With UCLA Football
It's not like Kyle Philips came out of nowhere, but not many fans would have pegged him as one of the most productive wideouts in school history when he first arrived in Westwood.
Philips was a four-star recruit when he signed on with UCLA football back in December 2017, according to 247Sports and ESPN, but he redshirted in 2018 after only playing in the first four games of the season. But tight end Caleb Wilson left for the 2019 NFL Draft and receiver Theo Howard began the next season injured before entering the transfer portal in October, meaning UCLA was without its two most productive targets.
Between the two of them, 111 receptions, 1,642 yards and eight touchdowns had suddenly left the receiving corps, good for over half of the Bruins' production through the air. Someone had to step up in 2019, and that someone was Philips.
From that point on, Philips was a highlight reel for UCLA in the passing game and on special teams. He ended his career ranked in the top 10 in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns on the Bruins' all-time leaderboards, and he stands as one of the program's most efficient returners as well.
Tuesday night, Philips declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility to try and replicate that success at the next level.
Here's a look back at the biggest moments throughout his collegiate career.
Sept. 14, 2019: First Career TD vs. Oklahoma
UCLA got rocked pretty badly when it hosted Oklahoma back in 2019, losing 48-14, but amid the defeat came the first of many high points for Philips on the gridiron.
Coming off his redshirt freshman year, Philips didn't even haul in a single catch in the 2019 regular season opener either, and he had just 35 yards the week prior. It wasn't as if Philips was a fantasy star that afternoon at the Rose Bowl against the Sooners, but his performance somewhat opened the floodgates.
Philips scored six total touchdowns in a six-game span starting that Saturday, and he couldn't have done so in a more signature fashion.
Lining up in the slot, Philips took advantage of the pre-snap cushion, made one tiny move and cut towards the goal line for a diving touchdown through contact.
Sept. 21, 2019: Punt Return TD Powers Historic Washington State Comeback
Philips' success as a receiver only demonstrates half of his talent, as he was a standout return man throughout his career as well.
And what better place to score his first career punt return touchdown than in one of the most iconic UCLA games of the modern era?
Trailing then-No.19 Washington State by 32 points late in the third quarter, the Bruins looked like they would be opening the season 0-4 for the second straight year. But thanks to some fumbles, long touchdowns and other miraculous plays, UCLA had cut the deficit to three in just about five minutes of game time.
The Bruins and Cougars traded touchdowns to keep things interesting, and then UCLA finally took its first lead of the night when Philips hauled in a punt, danced around for a moment and took it 69 yards to the house.
The game wasn't over, and the Bruins needed to score another late touchdown in order to secure the victory, but Philips is the one who gave them their first lead of the night and ultimately powered them to an all-time great comeback.
Oct. 17, 2019: A Night of Firsts, Breaking Streaks vs. Stanford
Entering 2019, the Bruins had lost 11 games in a row to the Cardinal.
Philips made sure that streak came to an end, and he did so by pouring it on early.
After going down 3-0, UCLA strung together two consecutive touchdown drives to take hold of the lead and go up by multiple scores midway through the first quarter. Considering Stanford didn't break 14 points until garbage time, those two drives were essentially all the Bruins needed in order to pick up the much-needed road win.
Philips was on the receiving end of both of those early touchdowns, connecting with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson from 19 and 3 yards out, respectively. He didn't stop there, though, as he wound up finishing the night with 10 receptions and 100 yards to help UCLA pour on the points and win 34-16.
It was Philips' first game with double-digit catches and triple-digit yards, and it was also his first time finding the end zone twice.
Sept. 4, 2021: Philips Goes For the Throat Against LSU
Philips was plenty productive in the shortened 2020 season, but did not have any career-defining moments – his double-overtime touchdown against Stanford was wasted by a botched two-point conversion call – and he opened 2021 with just 12 yards against Hawaii.
The headlining game on UCLA's schedule was also the game in which Philips made himself known on the national level, with the Bruins besting LSU in a packed Rose Bowl. With only two catches and 49 yards that night, it isn't as if Philips stood out on the stat sheet, but his long touchdown was a defining moment for both him and UCLA.
Looking to go for the throat up by 11 late, Thompson-Robinson dropped back to pass and found Philips crossing from right to left over the middle. Philips reeled it in, broke safety Jordan Toles' ankles, then spun out of a tackle from potential NFL first rounder Derek Stingley and ran ahead to complete the 45-yard touchdown.
It took a moment for the crowd at the Rose Bowl to even gather what had happened, but by the time he was jogging past the goal line, the place got as loud as it had all season.
Philips put his toughness on display here, as he did multiple times throughout the rest of this game as a blocker. But to shake off two tacklers, have the awareness to stay in bounds and boast the athleticism to burst ahead for the score is something that only a small handful of players could do, and Philips did it all in that one play.
Sept. 18, 2021: Key Comeback Score, Potential Game-Winning TD vs. Fresno State
The Fresno State game is certainly a sore spot for many UCLA fans, as it was the night many realized the ceiling was not as high as it once seemed and that the College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl were ultimately out of reach.
That doesn't mean there weren't some great moments, though, and Philips was at the center of two of them.
The Bruins were down 13 at halftime, and they were still down by nine early in the fourth. Thompson-Robinson went deep to Philips, though, and the top wideout hauled in the 42-yard touchdown with a man draped around his ankles.
The next time UCLA got the ball, they were able to take the lead on another touchdown, but Fresno State answered with a touchdown drive of their own that put the Bruins back down by three with three minutes remaining.
Philips broke free on a mesh play in the red zone, though, and he scampered ahead for what looked to be a game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds left on the clock.
UCLA's defense wound up allowing a Fresno State touchdown 40 seconds later, but don't blame Philips' two clutch touchdowns, seven receptions and 113 yards for the loss.
Sept. 25, 2021: Two Clutch TDs Give UCLA Another Win Over Stanford
Philips put up arguably the best game of his career against the Cardinal this past fall, contributing in a multitude of ways and doing everything it took to carry the Bruins to a big win.
UCLA looked to be in control for most of the game, only to let Stanford to crawl back into it to open the fourth. With the game suddenly tied, Thompson-Robinson dropped back on the very next play and immediately looked Philips' way.
Philips split two defenders deep with another following close behind, but the second he caught the ball at the 50-yard line, he turned on the jets and sped ahead for the score. It was a departure from where Philips started the game, when he found enough space for a long punt return only to get tripped up at the last second and fall 13 yards short of the end zone
Thanks to the bounce-back long touchdown by Philips, the Bruins were able to cling onto a lead after the Cardinal hit a field goal moments later. UCLA looked to close things out by bleeding nearly seven minutes off the clock, and after Thompson-Robinson left with an injury and returned the very next play, he once again found Philips for a diving 5-yard touchdown to put the nail in the coffin.
Between the Fresno State and Stanford games, Philips racked up 233 yards and four touchdowns on 12 catches in addition to 96 yards on four punt returns. That's good for 329 all-purpose yards and four scores on 16 touches in a two-game span, undoubtedly the most productive stretch of Philips' storied career.
Nov. 13, 2021: One More Special Teams Score vs. Colorado
Philips' final special teams touchdown of his collegiate career ultimately didn't mean much – the Bruins were already up 17 in the fourth quarter – but that doesn't take away from how big of a moment it was.
UCLA had trailed 20-7 at one point, and thanks to Philips' long return, they ended up finishing the game on a 34-point run. The 82-yard return wasn't a simple catch-and-run either, considering Philips had to juke out a few defenders and even weave through his blockers before breaking off a long one.
Philips wound up ending his redshirt junior season with 203 yards and a touchdown on nine punt returns, and he came just four-yards shy of 500 for his career. In terms of average return length, Philips' 19.8 was among the best in program history, and this final moment to shine against Colorado only helped cement that.
Nov. 20, 2021: Playing a Big Part in a Historic USC Blowout
The Bruins winning 62-33 means no individual touchdown really set the team apart from their crosstown foes, but Philips embarrassed the Trojans' secondary several times.
It was almost as if USC forgot Philips was there, with him slipping behind and in front of defenders and getting wide open in the red zone twice. Philips finished the afternoon with 80 yards and two touchdowns, and without that performance, he wouldn't have ended the year first in the Pac-12 in receiving scores.
In three career games against USC, Philips went for 266 yards and two touchdowns on 28 catches, and he is a big part of how UCLA was able to average 45 points per game in those three contests. Even if the Bruins went 1-2 against the Trojans in that span, the offense was as productive as ever, and Philips played a key role in that.
A career of torching USC is about all any UCLA player can ask for, and sneaking in for two big-time scores to end his career in the series would immortalize him among the fanbase even if it weren't for the rest of his unmatched accomplishments.
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