EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Wayne Knight rushed for a touchdown and caught another score, and No. 21 UCLA overcame an injury to starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to remain undefeated with a 17-15 victory over No. 13 Oregon on Saturday.
asserted
UCLA → rush → Saturday
Knight ran for 103 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 12 yards, including a fourth-quarter, 9-yard touchdown reception from backup Ty Dieffenbach for the Bruins (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten).
asserted
Knight → run → Bruins
The sloppy game featured 10 turnovers, including seven for the Ducks (3-2, 1-1), who saw their chances for a spot in the College Football Playoff fade with a second loss.
asserted
chances → feature → loss
“From the start, we came out, we punched them, and we just kept on going,” Knight said.
asserted
Knight → come → them
“We had a couple of mishaps, but we bounced back every single time.”
asserted
we → have → mishaps
Oregon came close with Evan Stewart’s 44-yard scoring pass from Brock Thomas to make it 17-15 with 2:16 left.
asserted
Oregon → come → 2:16
UCLA was flagged for a facemask penalty on Oregon’s 2-point conversion try, giving the Ducks another shot from a half yard away.
asserted
UCLA → flag → shot
UCLA’s defense smothered rusher Jordon Davison to thwart the Ducks.
asserted
defense → smother → Ducks
The Ducks had one final drive with less than a minute left but a lost fumble and fell short as time ran out.
“You’ve got to protect the ball, right?
asserted
You → have → ball
You can coach it and you can say it, but if it shows up, you’re not coaching it well enough.
asserted
you → coach → it
You’re not doing a good enough job there,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
asserted
Lanning → do → job
Iamaleava did not return in the second half because of a lower leg injury he sustained late in the opening half.
asserted
he → return → half
He completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards and threw two interceptions.
asserted
He → complete → interceptions
Dieffenbach took over for Iamaleava and threw for 43 yards and a touchdown.
asserted
Dieffenbach → take → yards
“When someone goes down and someone’s got to step up, I say it every single time, is that you’re either exposed or you’re revealed, right?
asserted
you → go → it
One of the two is gonna happen,” UCLA coach Bob Chesney said.
asserted
Chesney → go → two
“When your number gets called, for Ty to step up in that moment, when Nico couldn’t go, and he put himself in a spot where he was revealed for knowing our run game, knowing what to get us into.
asserted
he → call → us
Dylan Raiola started for the Ducks at quarterback in place of Dante Moore, who remains in concussion protocol.
asserted
who → start → protocol
Moore was hit in the first quarter of the Ducks’ 41-27 victory at USC on Sept. 26 and left the game by ambulance.
asserted
Moore → hit → ambulance
Raiola threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans and made his first start for the Ducks against the Bruins.
asserted
Raiola → throw → Bruins
Raiola, the first backup QB to start for Oregon since Braxton Burmeister in 2017, transferred to Oregon from Nebraska in the offseason.
asserted
Raiola → start → offseason
Raiola completed only six of 18 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions for the Ducks before he was replaced in the fourth quarter by Thomas.
asserted
he → complete → Thomas
UCLA has 10 interceptions this season, most in the nation.
asserted
UCLA → have → nation
“The product we put out there, the product I put out there, I’ve got to live with that.
asserted
I → put → that
So I’ve got to own everything, take it on the chin and move forward,” Raiola said.
asserted
Raiola → get → chin
The Bruins got to the Oregon 2 on their first series of the game, but settled for Mateen Bhaghani’s 21-yard field goal.
asserted
Bruins → get → goal
After Iamaleava was sacked and fumbled on the UCLA 1, Oregon recovered and Davison scored with a 1-yard run on the team’s first play to put the Ducks up 7-3.
asserted
Davison → sack → Ducks
Raiola was sacked and fumbled the ball away in the third quarter, and UCLA capitalized with Knight’s 35-yard touchdown run to put the Bruins up 10-6.
asserted
UCLA → sack → Bruins
UCLA had a chance to extend the lead but Matayo Uiagalelei blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt by Bhaghani.
asserted
Uiagalelei → have → Bhaghani
Iamaleava was brought down by Bear Alexander and Jerry Mixon on a keeper late in the half, but he returned.
asserted
he → bring → half
However, he did not start the second half.
asserted
he → start → half
Raiola was intercepted late in the half but then Iamaleava was picked off by the Ducks on the ensuing series.
asserted
Iamaleava → intercept → series
Dieffenbach hit Knight with a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to make it 17-6 before Oregon’s Gage Hurych made a 26-yard field goal to narrow it to 17-9 with 5:16 left in the game.
asserted
Hurych → hit → game
Up Next
UCLA hosts Wisconsin, which had a bye this weekend, next Saturday.
asserted
which → host → bye
Oregon hosts Nebraska, which lost 20-17 earlier in the day to Indiana, next Saturday.
___
asserted
which → host → Indiana
The Aporia
