PASADENA — UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet helped the Bruins overcome a slow start in the first half to defeat Colorado 44-20 at the Rose Bowl.
As a result, UCLA (6-4 overall, 4-3 Pac-12 Conference) is officially bowl eligible for the first time under Chip Kelly.
Charbonnet scored three short yardage touchdowns in the second half to help the Bruins pull away. Charbonnet had 17 carries for 67 yards.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins leaps for the first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for aa first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first down against safety Mark Perry #5 of the Colorado Buffaloes as the play was called back on a holding call in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Daniel Arias #6 of the Colorado Buffaloes can’t reach a pass over defensive back Devin Kirkwood #26 of the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Wide receiver Kyle Philips #2 of the UCLA Bruins catches a pass and runs for first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins reacts toward an official in the first half of a NCAA Football game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first down against linebacker Robert Barnes #20 of the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Safety Mark Perry #5 of the Colorado Buffaloes intercepts pass intended for tight end Greg Dulcich #85 of the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins runs for a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. UCLA Bruins won 44-20. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates after running for a touchdown against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. UCLA Bruins won 44-20. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Keegan Jones #22 of the UCLA Bruins is tackled by safety Ray Robinson #32 of the Colorado Buffaloes in the fourth quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. UCLA Bruins won 44-20. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins runs for a first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
wide receiver Brenden Rice #2 of the Colorado Buffaloes can’t reach a pass in the end zone over defensive back Jay Shaw #1 of the UCLA Bruins in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #1 of the UCLA Bruins runs for a first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Brendon Lewis #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes runs for a first down against the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Brittain Brown #28 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first down against safety Isaiah Lewis #23 of the Colorado Buffaloes in the third quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for aa first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Linebacker Bo Calvert #33 of the UCLA Bruins dives for the fumbles against offensive lineman Jake Wiley #60 of the Colorado Buffaloes as the UCLA Bruins recovered the ball in the fourth quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. UCLA Bruins won 44-20. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Keegan Jones #22 of the UCLA Bruins runs for yardage against the Colorado Buffaloes in the fourth quarter of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. UCLA Bruins won 44-20. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Tight end Greg Dulcich #85 of the UCLA Bruins catches a pass for first down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
wide receiver Keith Miller III #88 of the Colorado Buffaloes catches a pass for a first down against linebacker Ale Kaho #10 of the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Zach Charbonnet #24 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first down against safety Mark Perry #5 of the Colorado Buffaloes as the play was called back on a holding call in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Linebacker Mitchell Agude #45 of the UCLA Bruins sacks quarterback Brendon Lewis #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Brittain Brown #28 of the UCLA Bruins runs for first d down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Running back Brittain Brown #28 of the UCLA Bruins runs for afire down against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback Brendon Lewis #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes runs for a first down against the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head coach Karl Dorrell of the Colorado Buffaloes walks off the field after the UCLA Bruins defeated the Colorado Buffaloes 44-20 during a NCAA Football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, November 13, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
It was his second three-touchdown performance for the Bruins, with the last coming against Hawai’i in the season opener. Charbonnet leads the team with 11 rushing touchdowns this season.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson ran for 23 of his 99 total rushing yards on a touchdown with 6:07 left in the third quarter and provided the Bruins with their first lead of the game, after trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half.
The senior moved into fifth all-time on UCLA’s career quarterback rushing yards list with 1,034 career rushing yards, passing Mark Harmon’s 976 yards from 1971-1973.
“I think it was good just to be back out there,” Thompson-Robinson said. “Being away from football, you kind of miss it.
“Just fun to be back out there with the guys. We started out a little slow, but we definitely picked it up in the second half and I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
Thompson-Robinson completed 18 of 27 passes for 257 yards in his first game back after missing the Utah game on Oct. 30 with a hand injury. Receiver Kyle Philips had eight catches on nine targets for 99 yards. Philips has moved into seventh on the Bruins’ all-time career receptions list with 151, passing receivers Devin Fuller and Nelson Rosario (146).
Philips also contributed on special teams, returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, the third longest in school history, to essentially put the game out of reach, giving the Bruins a 44-20 lead with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter.
UCLA WR @KylePhilips17 on his 82-yard punt return for a TD. pic.twitter.com/1lGlbasTvv
— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) November 14, 2021
The defense would shut out the Colorado offense in the second half as the Bruins scored 34 unanswered points.
“I felt they were still doing the same stuff,” Colorado coach Karl Dorrell said about UCLA’s second half performance. “They were pressuring us quite a bit. We caught them on a few runs in the first half. Even in the second half, we caught some in the third quarter when we were still churning out some yards. … We just did not execute at a level that we were in the first half.”
UCLA needed a better showing from its run defense, after allowing opposing running backs to score four touchdowns in each of the last two games. Colorado running back Alex Fontenot scored a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in the first half to establish the early lead.
Fontenot scored a touchdown with 4:53 left in the first quarter on a drive where the Buffaloes rushed for five first downs on the drive, including one on a 16-yard run by Jarek Broussard.
The Bruins couldn’t get out of their own way, having two big touchdown plays called back because of penalties.
Charbonnet had a 51-yard touchdown run called back after tight end Greg Dulcich was called for holding.
UCLA football coach Chip Kelly said very few changes were made during halftime.
The Bruins scored 37 unanswered points against Colorado in the second half. pic.twitter.com/tRk0GRBwhI
— James H. Williams covers UCLA football (@JHWreporter) November 14, 2021
Receiver Kam Brown had a 40-yard touchdown catch called back on fourth down, after referees determined Brown stepped out of bounds while running up the field. The penalty resulted in a loss of down and the ball was turned over on downs.
Brown would cut into Colorado’s lead, scoring a 1-yard touchdown on the next play. Colorado led UCLA 10-7, after the successful PAT, with 7:56 left in the second quarter.
Fontenot answered with his second rushing touchdown on a 1-yard touchdown with 5:22 left in the second quarter.
On UCLA’s next possession, Thompson-Robinson hit Dulcich for the 55-yard gain and the first down.
UCLA would settle for a 47-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-12 but Nicholas Barr-Mira’s kick was wide left. It’s the third straight game in which Barr-Mira has missed a field goal.
This content was originally published here.
