Dorian Thompson-Robinson made sure everybody knew.

“This is our house,” Thompson-Robinson said, prancing off the field victorious while gesturing down to the Rose Bowl turf.

Just moments before, the redshirt senior quarterback led No. 11 UCLA football to its first win over then-No. 11 Utah in seven years and its best start to a season since 2005.

Led is the operative word. After his 70-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Logan Loya, Thompson-Robinson ran the length of the field to give his receiver a hug. When redshirt freshman offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio was flagged for a false start in the red zone, Thompson-Robinson was the first in DiGiorgio’s ear, making sure the offensive lineman’s head was still up and focused on the next play.

“When I can get fired up in there and I can get in the huddle, … most of the time it’s me correcting somebody or somebody correcting me,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I’m just trying to make sure everybody’s staying in the game, everybody’s always focused and locked in and nobody’s missing a beat.”

Thompson-Robinson threw for 299 yards on only 18 completions, four of which went for touchdowns, while adding a score on the ground. And most importantly, he became the program’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with his last of the afternoon.

Although he made clear it was his entire team that owned the Rose Bowl while walking off the field Saturday afternoon, Thompson-Robinson perhaps controls the largest share.

“I was out there screaming and yelling,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I definitely wanted this one.”

Coach Chip Kelly celebrated the fifth-year signal-caller in the locker room following the win, giving UCLA’s new all-time passing touchdowns leader a game ball in front of his teammates.

Kelly said Thompson-Robinson’s emotional growth over the past five years is now bearing fruit for his team – and the entire country – to see.

“He’s invested a ton in himself, and he’s reaping the rewards of that investment,” Kelly said. “To see how he’s grown as a person and how he’s grown as a leader, it’s cool to watch, and it’s well deserved.”

Halfway through the regular season, Thompson-Robinson is now on pace to shatter nearly all of his single-season highs with UCLA. He has 1,510 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns through six games, and his 9.3 yards per attempt tops all Pac-12 starting signal-callers.

When Thompson-Robinson was asked if those numbers warrant a greater national conversation, the quarterback’s favorite receiver, redshirt senior Jake Bobo, butted in before he could answer.

“Yes,” Bobo said.

Being overlooked is nothing new for Thompson-Robinson. A week ago, after UCLA’s win over then-No. 15 Washington, Thompson-Robinson said he was motivated by his team’s lack of recognition compared to other undefeated teams.

But the Bruins are now nationally recognized in the rankings. With Thompson-Robinson at the helm, UCLA is 6-0 – tied for the best mark in the conference.

Thompson-Robinson, however, still isn’t satisfied.

“I want top five, want top two. We want it all,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I promise you, we want more. This is nothing compared to what we want.”

According to Kelly, that constant desire for more is what makes his quarterback special.

“I think all great athletes have some type of chip – no pun intended – on their shoulder,” Kelly said. “If it takes me trying to find some things that people said, bad things, I’ll do that. If he keeps playing like he’s playing right now, everybody’s going to be pretty happy and smiling on Saturday.”

UCLA will have a bye next week before partaking in another ranked test at No. 12 Oregon on Oct. 22.

Regardless of the result though, Thompson-Robinson will still have a chip on his shoulder – just as he had this week and the week before.

“It’s going to be even bigger in two weeks when we go to Oregon, and it’s going to be bigger after that,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I don’t care who we’re playing, everybody’s going to mean business this year.”