EUGENE, Ore. – As Oregon commenced its tradition of playing “Shout” from “Animal House” before the fourth quarter, the power dynamic inside Autzen Stadium was flipped on its head.
UCLA players pranced giddily to every note on their side of the field, bouncing around while thrusting their arms into the air.
The Ducks?
They milled about, showing no palpable emotion.
On a stunning Saturday showdown in which neither team could get out of its own way, it was the Bruins who were doing all of the celebrating.
Backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach delivered a gutsy performance and the UCLA defense put on a show for the ages during the No. 21 Bruins’ pulsating 17-15 victory over No. 13 Oregon.
It took two final stops.
The Ducks needed to go only 1 yard on a 2-point conversion with 2 minutes left to tie the score. They couldn’t get it, Oregon running back Jordon Davison getting stuffed by Jalen Woods and Tyson Ford short of the goal line.
The Bruins (5-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) were eventually forced to punt, giving the ball back to the Ducks at their own 5-yard line with 48 seconds left.
But Oregon could not engineer a miracle finish, the Bruins recovering a fumbled lateral on the final play and pouring onto the field to celebrate once more.
UCLA’s defense forced six turnovers, the Ducks (3-2, 1-1) held to 272 yards and scoring one of their touchdowns only after UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava fumbled at his own 1-yard line.
After losing confidence in quarterback Dylan Raiola, who completed only six passes and had two others intercepted, the Ducks turned to third-stringer Brock Thomas.
Iamaleava departed with a leg injury sustained when he was sandwiched by two defenders late in the second quarter. After returning for another play and throwing a pass that was intercepted in the end zone, Iamaleava was confined to the sideline for the second half.
What it means
One of the Bruins’ most momentous wins this century made Bob Chesney the first coach in school history to win his first five games while also thrusting UCLA firmly into the mix for the College Football Playoff.
The unbeaten Bruins’ toughest remaining games are at Minnesota, at Michigan and against USC at the Rose Bowl.
Turning point
With UCLA facing a third and three at the Oregon 9 early in the fourth quarter, Dieffenbach rolled out and completed a pass to running back Wayne Knight, who beat a slower defender to the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown.
That gave the Bruins a 17-6 lead with 13:31 left to play.
MVP: Ty Dieffenbach
Going from third-string quarterback to hero, Dieffenbach was poised and confident after taking over for Iamaleava to start the third quarter.
He finished the game completing three of six passes for 43 yards with one touchdown.
Did you hear that?
The Oregon crowd kept booing the Ducks during a mistake-filled first half in which they struggled to move the ball.
The fans booed when quarterback Dylan Raiola was pulled down for a one-yard loss
They booed when the Ducks lined up in an illegal formation on a punt.
They booed when another run was stuffed, UCLA’s defense playing as if knew so many plays before the snap.
By halftime, Oregon had managed just 58 yards of offense. The Ducks’ touchdown came courtesy of Iamaleava fumbling at the Bruins’ 1-yard line, necessitating only a short run on the next play.
The Bruins made plenty of their own mistakes on the way to a 10-6 halftime lead. Iamaleava had two passes intercepted – including one in the end zone – and failed to complete what should have been an easy touchdown pass, resulting in a field goal.
Up next
The Bruins return home to face Wisconsin on Oct. 17 at the Rose Bowl, starting a three-game homestand. They will then face Michigan State on Oct. 24 before playing Nevada on Oct. 31 in a rare midseason nonconference game.
