After third-largest FBS comeback, Bruins look to add win against Wildcats

The Bruins finally have the opportunity to build on a win.

After pulling off the third-largest comeback in FBS history and the second-largest in program history Saturday against then-No. 19 Washington State, UCLA football (1-3, 1-0 Pac-12) will take on Arizona (2-1, 0-0) with a chance to earn its second consecutive victory after opening the season with three straight losses.

Standing in the Bruins’ way, however, is Wildcat quarterback Khalil Tate – one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks the nation has to offer.

The senior is averaging 228 yards per game through the air, but he averages just over 79 rushing yards per game and has surpassed the century mark on the ground in two of Arizona’s three games this season.

Tate did not play against UCLA last year due to an injury, but coach Chip Kelly said he is well aware of the skill set the Wildcats’ signal-caller possesses.

“I think (Tate’s) probably one of the most dynamic players in the country because of his ability with his arms and his legs,” Kelly said. “He’s not just a runner, really throws the deep ball extremely well, so you have to be conscious of that, but you also have to be conscious that he can tuck the ball and go from wherever.”

In 2017, Tate torched the UCLA defense for 230 yards and two touchdowns on the ground on just 15 carries. He also added 148 yards and a touchdown through the air in the 47-30 Arizona win.

Junior cornerback Darnay Holmes – who was on the field for Tate’s massive 2017 performance against the Bruins – said it will be imperative that UCLA’s defense remains locked in for the duration of the game Saturday.

“You’ve got to be on your pivot,” Holmes said. “It’s as simple as that. You’ve got to stay 10 toes down and be dialed in. You never know what (Tate’s) going to do, so you’ve got to make sure you’re dialed into your technique and dialed into your keys, and everything else is going to play itself out.”

But Tate is not the only legitimate dual-threat quarterback that will step on the field this weekend.

Sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is fresh off the best performance of his young college career, one in which he threw for 507 yards and five touchdowns, while also carrying the ball for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After a lethargic Bruin offense scored just 42 combined points over the first three games, Thompson-Robinson and company posted 67 points in the win over the Cougars last week.

Thompson-Robinson said this past weekend’s performance proved to him that he and Kelly have turned a corner as a tandem, and that they are hitting their strides at the same time.

“I think me and (Kelly) finally got on the same page in terms of just clicking-wise,” Thompson-Robinson said. “He called stuff that I was really comfortable with, and it just allowed me to go out there and play my game and not have to think so much.”

While the UCLA offense has seen a bump in production, the defense has still allowed 111 points across the past two games combined. After surrendering nine touchdowns through the air against Anthony Gordon and the Washington State offense, slowing down Tate won’t be easier on a unit that ranks 125th out of 130 FBS teams in total defense.

Thompson-Robinson said that while Saturday’s contest may end up being a shootout, he and the offense will be focused on putting up points regardless of what’s happening on the defensive side of the ball.

“Our job on offense is to score every drive, whether that’s a field goal kick or a touchdown,” Thompson-Robinson said. “So that’s what we’re going to go to going into the game – trying to score every drive.”

UCLA and Arizona will kick off from Tucson at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.