10/10/2026 07:36:00
Printable Page
10/10 19:34 CDT No. 21 UCLA downs turnover-plagued No. 13 Oregon 17-15 to
remain undefeated
No. 21 UCLA downs turnover-plagued No. 13 Oregon 17-15 to remain undefeated
By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) --- Wayne Knight rushed for a touchdown and caught another
score, and No. 21 UCLA overcame an injury to starting quarterback Nico
Iamaleava to remain undefeated with a 17-15 victory over No. 13 Oregon on
Saturday.
Knight ran for 103 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 12 yards,
including a fourth-quarter, 9-yard touchdown reception from backup Ty
Dieffenbach for the Bruins (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten).
The sloppy game featured 10 turnovers, including seven for the Ducks (3-2,
1-1), who saw their chances for a spot in the College Football Playoff fade
with a second loss.
"From the start, we came out, we punched them, and we just kept on going,"
Knight said. "We had a couple of mishaps, but we bounced back every single
time."
Oregon came close with Evan Stewart's 44-yard scoring pass from Brock Thomas to
make it 17-15 with 2:16 left. UCLA was flagged for a facemask penalty on
Oregon's 2-point conversion try, giving the Ducks another shot from a half yard
away. UCLA's defense smothered rusher Jordon Davison to thwart the Ducks.
The Ducks had one final drive with less than a minute left but a lost fumble
and fell short as time ran out.
"You've got to protect the ball, right? You can coach it and you can say it,
but if it shows up, you're not coaching it well enough. You're not doing a good
enough job there," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
Iamaleava did not return in the second half because of a lower leg injury he
sustained late in the opening half. He completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards
and threw two interceptions. Dieffenbach took over for Iamaleava and threw for
43 yards and a touchdown.
"When someone goes down and someone's got to step up, I say it every single
time, is that you're either exposed or you're revealed, right? One of the two
is gonna happen," UCLA coach Bob Chesney said. "When your number gets called,
for Ty to step up in that moment, when Nico couldn't go, and he put himself in
a spot where he was revealed for knowing our run game, knowing what to get us
into."
Dylan Raiola started for the Ducks at quarterback in place of Dante Moore, who
remains in concussion protocol. Moore was hit in the first quarter of the
Ducks' 41-27 victory at USC on Sept. 26 and left the game by ambulance.
Raiola threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans and made his
first start for the Ducks against the Bruins. Raiola, the first backup QB to
start for Oregon since Braxton Burmeister in 2017, transferred to Oregon from
Nebraska in the offseason.
Raiola completed only six of 18 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions for
the Ducks before he was replaced in the fourth quarter by Thomas. UCLA has 10
interceptions this season, most in the nation.
"The product we put out there, the product I put out there, I've got to live
with that. So I've got to own everything, take it on the chin and move
forward," Raiola said.
The Bruins got to the Oregon 2 on their first series of the game, but settled
for Mateen Bhaghani's 21-yard field goal.
After Iamaleava was sacked and fumbled on the UCLA 1, Oregon recovered and
Davison scored with a 1-yard run on the team's first play to put the Ducks up
7-3.
Raiola was sacked and fumbled the ball away in the third quarter, and UCLA
capitalized with Knight's 35-yard touchdown run to put the Bruins up 10-6. It
was Knight's 10th scoring run of the season.
UCLA had a chance to extend the lead but Matayo Uiagalelei blocked a 27-yard
field goal attempt by Bhaghani.
Iamaleava was brought down by Bear Alexander and Jerry Mixon on a keeper late
in the half, but he returned. However, he did not start the second half.
Raiola was intercepted late in the half but then Iamaleava was picked off by
the Ducks on the ensuing series.
Dieffenbach hit Knight with a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter
to make it 17-6 before Oregon's Gage Hurych made a 26-yard field goal to narrow
it to 17-9 with 5:16 left in the game.
Up Next
UCLA hosts Wisconsin, which had a bye this weekend, next Saturday.
Oregon hosts Nebraska, which lost 20-17 earlier in the day to Indiana, next
Saturday.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full
college football coverage here
|
