UCLA makes a statement against Washington, sets up huge showdown with Utah on Oct. 8
Chip Kelly had his UCLA team ready to play. The Bruins struggled against South Alabama a few weeks ago. Their game against Pac-12 doormat Colorado offered no real indication into their evolution. Colorado is simply that bad. UCLA’s first big proving-ground moment was Friday night in the Rose Bowl against the Washington Huskies. U-Dub came into the game 4-0, having dominated each of its first four opponents and looking like a true Pac-12 contender.
“True” through four weeks is not the same as being true through eight or 10 weeks.
Washington, as good as it looked in its first four games, had not played a game outside of Seattle. The Huskies finally had to make a road trip against a talented opponent. We hadn’t seen UW get a stiff test.
The Huskies got more than they bargained for in Pasadena.
UCLA raced past Washington on Friday. The final score was 40-32, but UCLA led 40-16 entering the fourth quarter. The Bruins were up 26-10 at halftime and easily could have led by more. Two UCLA possessions ended in the Washington red zone without points due to fourth-down failures.
UCLA’s lines easily outclassed Washington’s lines. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson feasted on a young U-Dub secondary. It was a comprehensive win for UCLA, which looked like the team all its advocates thought it could be this year.
The obvious question: Was this game more the product of UCLA’s excellence or U-Dub’s flaws? That question will probably be answered next week, when UCLA hosts Utah in a massive game, easily the biggest of the Chip Kelly era in Westwood. If UCLA wants to cross the threshold and become the favorite to make the Pac-12 Championship Game, it must beat the Utes, period.
We will see if the Bruins are up to the task.
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