This post was updated Oct. 29 at 8:12 p.m.

Logan Loya brought grace to the gridiron along the sidelines in the third quarter. 

With a pirouette-esque toe drag, the senior wide receiver’s one-handed grab was eventually ruled a catch as the tip of his left foot grazed the turf moments before his right landed out of bounds. The sold-out Rose Bowl erupted after the initial call of incomplete was overturned. 

Eight plays later, the Bruins found the end zone for the third time, extending their lead from five to 12. 

With a 232-yard advantage, then-No. 23 UCLA football (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) defeated Colorado (4-4, 1-4) by a score of 28-16 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in front of 71,343 attendees, its most since 2015 and the highest by a Pac-12 team this year. Loya’s sideline play would account for 14 of his 111 yards, a career-best. 

“I did feel like I was falling out of bounds, and I was like, ‘Ah, just reach, reach,’” Loya said. “And then it happened and the toe was in.”

The Bruin defense suppressed the Buffaloes’ scoring attempts for much of the contest, limiting quarterback Shedeur Sanders – who averages 345.7 passing yards – to 217 across the game. The unit also sacked Sanders seven times. Coach Chip Kelly said he was proud of his team’s ability to limit Sanders to his lowest passing yardage all season.

“Our guys being able to contain Shedeur like that, and no one really has,” Kelly said. “But I also want to give credit to Shedeur, that kid is a tough kid because he got hit, and he just kept balling.”

The defensive wall only conceded one touchdown late in the fourth quarter, as kicker Alejandro Mata accounted for 10 of his team’s 16 points throughout the game. Despite the defensive success, the Bruins’ offense didn’t get the same memo to begin.

For the fourth time in five games, UCLA threw an interception on its opening drive. 

Redshirt junior Ethan Garbers launched the ball within reach of wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. Kelly selected Garbers to start from his three-quarterback rotation, but that choice proved grim early, and it would remain so for the rest of the quarter. 

Colorado couldn’t convert the turnover into a touchdown but still exited the first quarter with a 6-0 advantage behind two field goals – with the second proving to be its only points off turnovers all night. 

Kelly said he referenced the upcoming holiday to ensure his team held onto the ball.

“I had to remind our kids that this was Halloween, not Christmas, and we need to stop giving away gifts,” Kelly said.

Heading into the second frame, Kelly opted to trust the process with Garbers. The quarterback would deliver on the third drive of the day, finding junior running back Carson Steele for a three-yard touchdown to match Colorado’s score and exceed it with the extra point.

Neither team would find the end zone again for the rest of the quarter, but the period wouldn’t prove to be without its scares. 

Six minutes in, redshirt junior quarterback Collin Schlee entered the game and mirrored his predecessor by throwing an interception to Hunter on his first drive – a trend for UCLA quarterbacks throughout the season. The forfeited ball would give Colorado its third possession off a turnover. A pair of fumbles from Steele before and after the pick would bring the Bruins turnover total to four.

Garbers said the turnover realization in the halftime break woke them up.

“Those turnovers were just mistakes, and mistakes can be fixed,” Garbers said. “We came in at halftime, and we felt like we let our defense down a little bit. So we had to pick it up. And we came out, two-play drive on the start of the second half and scored.”

To open the third quarter, Colorado’s No. 130-ranked passing defense would allow UCLA to add to its end zone success with a 26-yard passing touchdown to redshirt sophomore tight end Moliki Matavao to bring the score to 14-6.

From that point on, with two more touchdowns from Schlee and sophomore running back T.J. Harden, the Bruins would hold on for the win.

Garbers said the record-breaking numbers in attendance made the win all the more special.

“Looking up at all those fans, it’s great,” Garbers said. “That’s how college football should be – stadium packed, everyone on their feet. I mean, it’s great to see it, and we hope we can do it again.”