EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - UCLA survived a wild, turnover-heavy night and kept its unbeaten start alive, outlasting No. 13 Oregon 17-15 on Saturday despite losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a lower leg injury.
Wayne Knight powered the Bruins in every phase that mattered. He ran for 103 yards on 22 carries, scored once on the ground, and added a 9-yard touchdown catch from backup Ty Dieffenbach in the fourth quarter to help No. 21 UCLA move to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.
The game never found any rhythm. Between the two teams, there were 10 turnovers, and seven of them belonged to Oregon as the Ducks dropped to 3-2 and 1-1. Their College Football Playoff hopes took another hit 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.”
Iamaleava left for good after getting hurt late in the first half. Before exiting, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards and threw two interceptions. Dieffenbach stepped in and finished with 43 passing yards and the touchdown to Knight.
“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.”
Oregon had one last chance to steal it. Evan Stewart hauled in a 44-yard touchdown from Brock Thomas to pull the Ducks within 17-15 with 2:16 remaining.
On the 2-point try, UCLA was flagged for a facemask penalty, giving Oregon another crack from a half yard out. The Bruins stuffed Jordon Davison to hold the line.
The Ducks still weren’t done. They got the ball back with less than a minute left, but a lost fumble ended the threat and time expired.
“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.
Oregon’s quarterback situation was just as unsettled. Dylan Raiola got the start in place of Dante Moore, who remains in concussion protocol after being hurt in the first quarter of Oregon’s 41-27 win at USC on Sept. 26 and leaving by ambulance.
Raiola, who transferred from Nebraska in the offseason and became the first backup QB to start for Oregon since Braxton Burmeister in 2017, entered the night after throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans. Against UCLA, though, he completed only six of 18 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions before Brock Thomas replaced him in the fourth quarter.
“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 struck first with a drive that reached the Oregon 2, though they settled for Mateen Bhaghani’s 21-yard field goal. Oregon answered after Iamaleava was stripped and the Ducks recovered at the UCLA 1; on the next snap, Davison punched in a 1-yard touchdown to put Oregon ahead 7-3.
UCLA regained control in the third quarter after Raiola lost a fumble, and Knight turned it into a 35-yard touchdown run. That score - his 10th rushing touchdown of the season - gave the Bruins a 10-6 lead.
The Ducks had a chance to respond, but Matayo Uiagalelei blocked Bhaghani’s 27-yard field goal attempt. UCLA later got another takeaway before halftime when Raiola was intercepted, then Oregon picked off Iamaleava on the next possession.
Dieffenbach’s touchdown pass to Knight early in the fourth made it 17-6. Oregon trimmed the margin when Gage Hurych kicked a 26-yard field goal with 5:16 left, but the Ducks could not finish the comeback.
UCLA hosts Wisconsin next Saturday. Wisconsin had a bye this weekend.
Oregon hosts Nebraska next Saturday. Nebraska lost 20-17 earlier in the day to Indiana.
In Other News...
Oregon's Quarterback Crisis Just Got Harder To Ignore
Oregons quarterback situation was already under a bright enough spotlight with Dante Moore sidelined by a concussion, and the fourth quarter against UCLA only sharpened the concerns. After Dylan Raiola struggled with turnovers, Dan Lanning turned to Brock Thomas, a move that underscored how little margin the Ducks had as the offense searched for a rhythm. Even with a touchdown and a field goal on the board, the Ducks were still chasing the game late.
The trouble was not just the score, but the way the offense kept putting itself in difficult spots. Multiple turnovers and other offensive issues left Oregon trailing 17-9 entering the fourth quarter, and the shuffle under center made the depth chart feel unsettled at a moment when stability mattered most. For a team built to compete at the top of the conference, the quarterback conversation is suddenly becoming impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Win Now Comes With A Big Ten Question For Bear Alexander
Oregons win over UCLA is already producing a bigger aftershock than the final score, because a viral clip from the game has put defensive tackle Bear Alexander in the middle of a possible Big Ten review. The video appears to show Alexander striking Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava during a tackle, and Iamaleava later left with a lower body injury, leaving the play under fresh scrutiny as the conference weighs its next step.
The Big Ten has a sportsmanship policy that can allow for discipline in cases like this, and Oregon is waiting to see whether the league decides to act. The situation also lands in a sensitive spot for Dan Lanning, who recently condemned a similar incident involving another player, making the conferences response to Alexanders case the next development that could shape how the aftermath of the game is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Heads To Nebraska With A Quarterback Problem And Bigger Questions
The late push from Brock Thomas gave Oregon something to hang onto after a 17-15 loss to No. 21 UCLA, but it also left the Ducks with a familiar kind of uncertainty as they head to Nebraska. Thomas stepped in for starter Dylan Raiola in the fourth quarter and helped lead scoring drives, yet the bigger picture was hard to ignore: turnovers, penalties and offensive line problems kept the offense from ever finding a steady rhythm, even as the defense did enough to keep the game within reach.
Now the attention shifts to the quarterback picture, and it is not getting any clearer. Oregon could also be waiting on the possible return of Dante Moore from injury, which only adds another layer to a situation already made messy by the loss to UCLA. The Ducks leave with a hard-earned defensive performance to build on, but with the offense still searching for answers, the trip to Nebraska feels like a test of both depth and direction. [Read more 🡒]