Five Things: UCLA vs. Stanford

In its first Pac-12 game of the season, No. 20 UCLA football (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) defeated Stanford (2-2, 0-1) by a final of 35-24. The Bruins jumped out to an early lead, and after allowing the Cardinal to get back into the game in the fourth quarter, they were able to shut the door with a 75-yard touchdown drive in the final frame. Here are the five main takeaways from UCLA’s second win over Stanford in the last 14 matchups between the two schools.

DTR’s masterpiece

Dorian Thompson-Robinson has taken a lot of flak as the Bruins’ starting quarterback in his four years in Westwood, and most of it has been justified.

However, there was little to criticize Saturday – the senior quarterback played one of the best games of his life.

The day didn’t start well for Thompson-Robinson, as an uninspired first half for the quarterback was further emphasized by a shoulder injury. But, injured shoulder and all, Thompson-Robinson flipped a switch in the fourth quarter.

With 9:10 on the clock and the Bruins up by four points, UCLA needed a long drive and a score to put Stanford out of reach for good. And sure enough, Thompson-Robinson and the Bruins delivered. UCLA kept the ball on the ground for 11 of the 13 plays on the drive, but when it mattered most, coach Chip Kelly put the ball in his senior quarterback’s hands.

After spending the previous play on the sidelines nursing his injury, Thompson-Robinson miraculously returned to the field for a crucial third down, delivering a five-yard floater to redshirt junior wide receiver Kyle Philips that put UCLA up two scores.

Another strike from @DoriansTweets to @kylephilips17 for a UCLA TD! 🎯

UCLA 35, Stanford 24
2:30, 4th Quarter
📺: @Pac12Network
📲: https://t.co/dj6Ghky96E #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/PS3VTmB07I

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 26, 2021

Thompson-Robinson couldn’t even celebrate his touchdown on the field, and immediately ran to the sideline grasping his shoulder at the end of the play.

But he, his teammates and UCLA fans everywhere knew that the quarterback had his long-awaited signature moment as a Bruin.

Run game adjustments

In his first three games with the blue and gold, Zach Charbonnet had only 23 carries.

The junior running back matched that total on Saturday alone.

Carrying the rock 23 times against the Cardinal, Charbonnet ran for 118 yards, displaying a shift in the running back totem pole from previous weeks.

Against Hawaii, LSU and Fresno State, redshirt senior running back Brittain Brown out-carried Charbonnet 39-23. Michigan transfer Charbonnet gained more yards in each of the three nonconference games, but Duke transfer Brown got the majority of the touches out of the backfield.

Brown had only eight carries against Stanford, his lowest mark since December. While the redshirt senior ran for a respectable 66 yards, it was clear from the start that Kelly was making a statement.

The Bruins’ first 14 carries from a running back – including all 12 in the first quarter – went to Charbonnet, with Brown’s first touch not coming until there were under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter. Including receptions, Charbonnet had 28 total touches – the most of any player on the team all season – while Brown barely broke double digits with 10.

Kelly has had a workhorse back everywhere he’s been – including Demetric Felton last year and Joshua Kelley the two seasons prior at UCLA.

It only took three games in 2021 for Kelly to discover his newest bruiser.

Pass defense continues to falter

A week after giving up a career-high 455 passing yards to Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, UCLA had an opportunity to reverse the course against a less-threatening Stanford offense.

But yet again, the Bruins’ defense failed to deliver.

While UCLA was able to hold Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee to only three completions for 10 yards in nine first-quarter pass attempts, Stanford’s offense began to wake up as the game progressed, while the Bruin defense started to break down.

From the second quarter on, McKee went 16-of-23 for 283 yards and three touchdowns. His 293 passing yards for the game gave the signal-caller a career high by more than 50 yards.

McKee and the rest of the Cardinal offense also went on to torch the Bruins for chunk play after chunk play, recording five completions of 20 yards or more, and two 50-plus-yard touchdowns through the air.

UCLA’s defensive backs were seemingly always a step behind Stanford receivers. On Cardinal wide receiver Brycen Tremayne’s highlight-reel touchdown grab, freshman defensive back Devin Kirkwood never even turned his head to see the ball.

.@brycen_tremayne with the 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 TD snag‼️
📺: @Pac12Network #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/pp96Kk6lVM

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) September 25, 2021

Teams have taken notice, and until UCLA’s secondary can prove itself otherwise, expect to see more opposing quarterbacks set career highs against the blue and gold.

Q Knight shines bright

Amid the shoddy secondary, one bright spot has appeared – and he goes by the name Qwuantrezz Knight.

The redshirt senior defensive back not only serves as the team’s emotional and vocal leader on the defensive side of the ball, but he also leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss so far in 2021.

Following a good game in last week’s loss to Fresno State in which Knight had nine tackles – two for loss and one forced fumble – Knight delivered another masterclass Saturday.

Knight led the team in tackles for the second week in a row, accumulating seven in the victory over the Cardinal, while also pitching in a solo tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks. Perhaps most excitingly, Knight also had a bit of a flair for the dramatic in the win .

Teaming up with redshirt senior linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath, Knight tackled McKee eight yards behind the line of scrimmage late in the second quarter, forcing a punt and giving the Bruins favorable field position to extend their lead to 14 with only seconds left in the half. After the sack, Knight celebrated with his teammates, giving energy to a team that was playing its first game in a hostile environment all season.

Week in and week out, Knight has been the most valuable member of the UCLA defense, consistently making big plays and pumping up his teammates – and the Bruin faithful – as a result.

Big play machine

Entering the season, Philips had high expectations as Thompson-Robinson’s go-to receiver.

And after the first two games, the redshirt junior wide receiver had seemingly failed to live up to those expectations, catching only four passes for 61 yards.

It’s safe to say that discourse can be put to bed after Saturday, as the wide receiver delivered in rather large fashion for the second week in a row.

Philips led the team in receiving, grabbing five receptions for 120 yards while finding the end zone twice. Both of his touchdowns were arguably the biggest turning points in the game for the Bruins.

After Stanford tied the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 52-yard touchdown pass, Philips answered right back, pulling in a 75-yard touchdown reception that put UCLA right back on top. Later in the quarter, Philips also found himself on the receiving end of the dagger touchdown that put UCLA up 11 with less than three minutes to play.

75-Yard TOUCHDOWN‼️@DoriansTweets ➡️ @kylephilips17
UCLA 28, Stanford 21
12:56, 4th Quarter

Tune in now ⤵️
📺: @Pac12Network
📲: https://t.co/dj6Ghky96E #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/omdlIxqZXo

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 26, 2021

However, Philips’ performance went beyond the offensive side of the ball. On special teams, the wide receiver returned three punts for 74 yards, including one he returned for 59 yards within the first 30 seconds of the game. The return immediately put the Bruins deep into Cardinal territory and allowed UCLA to throw the first punch.

Philips was coming off a similarly productive performance against Fresno State, grabbing seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns – both of which put the Bruins ahead in the final frame – to go along with a 22-yard punt return.

Held without a 100-yard game in seven games last season, Philips suddenly looks the part of a big-play X-factor for UCLA. His 18.4 yards per reception ranks in the top 50 in the nation, and while he doesn’t qualify with only four punt returns, his 24-yard average on such plays would top the nation.

Philips has a knack for big plays, regardless of where he is positioned on the field. So far, it has already paid dividends for the Bruins this season.