UCLA upsets Utah 17-9 on the road

SALT LAKE CITY – Silence hung over the UCLA locker room following last week’s loss to Washington State. Players sat without cause for celebration, images of the Cougars’ final scoring drive replaying in their minds. Coach Jim Mora described the scene as being “like a morgue.”

The locker room at Rice-Eccles Stadium was much more lively Saturday evening – the Bruins’ season is alive following their 17-9 upset of the No. 13 Utah Utes. Seven days after the defense sacrificed UCLA’s 27-24 lead with three seconds remaining, those same 11 players held Utah to nine points off three field goals. The win puts the Bruins at 8-3 on the season, one win away from a Pac-12 Championship berth.

“That (Washington State loss) haunted us the whole week,” said junior linebacker Jayon Brown. “(The offense) came back and won the game for us, and we let them down. This time around I thought we came and did the right set of things and this was a big game.”

Brown wasn’t the only UCLA player looking to pick up the slack from last Saturday. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen entered this week’s matchup as aggressively as he exited the last one. After Rosen rushed for a 37-yard touchdown to give the Bruins a three-point lead over the Cougars, the freshman said he was frustrated by his team’s inability to close out the game.

On the opening play of Saturday’s matchup, Rosen sought to prove that UCLA still has a lot of football to play, launching a 33-yard pass to junior receiver Thomas Duarte. The quarterback went on to throw 15 of 30 for 220 yards and a touchdown.

“When (Rosen) is frustrated, he doesn’t show it. He doesn’t show it to his teammates and he doesn’t show it to his coaches,” Mora said. “That’s what great quarterbacks do.”

The Bruins’ 10-point lead at the end of the first 15 minutes was UCLA’s largest first-quarter margin since their game against UNLV Sept. 13. While the Bruins held on to the upper hand for the remaining three periods, the Utes scored three consecutive field goals to pull within one point.

Where the defense cost UCLA last week’s close game, it thrived in crunch time against Utah, forcing four consecutive three-and-out possessions and holding the Utes to a field goal after they came within two yards of the end zone. The Bruins also limited their opponent to three net rushing yards in the final 15 minutes.

“I thought our guys did a good job. The fourth quarter was the key for us,” said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. “(We were) playing as well as we’ve played all year against the run.”

The win positions UCLA well as the team heads into its final conference game of the season. If the Bruins can beat the USC Trojans for the fourth year in the row, they’ll find themselves in the Pac-12 Championship for the first time since 2012.

Mora was cognizant of this fact from the final buzzer. As the Utah fans ran for the parking lot and game crews began packing up equipment, Mora stood outside UCLA’s locker room, repeating one simple message.

“Next week,” he said. “Next week.”