No. 23 UCLA recorded seven sacks and made life miserable for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the 28-16 win over the Buffaloes Saturday. The win keeps the Bruins alive for a potential backdoor berth into the Pac-12 title game and deals a major blow to Colorado's hopes of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.
Sanders had one of his worst statistical performances of the season against one of the top defenses in the country. He finished the night 27 of 42 for 217 yards and his lone touchdown of the evening was a 18-yard strike to Jimmy Horn Jr. with 2:37 left. Colorado's offense was held to 255 yards, while allowing 487.
Colorado (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) must find a way to win at least two of its remaining four games against Oregon State, Arizona, Washington State and Utah to earn a bowl berth.
UCLA (6-2, 3-2) got a monster performance from its All-American candidate edge rusher Laiatu Latu. The Bruins star defensive lineman recorded two sacks and multiple quarterback pressures to keep Sanders uncomfortable in the pocket.
UCLA's offense sputtered through the first half and the Bruins led just 7-6 going into the locker room for halftime, but Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers set the tone early in the third quarter with a 75-yard drive. The drive was capped with a 26-yard strike to Moliki Matavao. Garbers finished 20 of 27 for 269 yards.
Garbers opened the season as UCLA's starting quarterback before coach Chip Kelly turned to Dante Moore following a standout performance in Week 1. With Moore slogging through freshman struggles, Garbers' veteran presence helped him return to the top of the depth chart.
Colorado forced four first-half turnovers -- including two interceptions by Travis Hunter -- but they had to settle for field goal attempts from Alejandro Mata. Colorado safety Shilo Sanders forced a fumble, but was ejected shortly after because of a targeting penalty.
UCLA travels to face Arizona next week, while Colorado looks to regroup against Oregon State.
Starting as a true freshman at any position isn't an easy task. That difficulty ramps exponentially when you're playing quarterback. So it's no surprise that even a highly-touted prospect like Dante Moore struggled and Kelly elected to turn to a reliable veteran in Garbers. UCLA sputtered in the first half. They turned the ball over four times, couldn't establish the run and it looked as if Colorado was ready to pull an upset as double-digit underdogs. Insert Garbers. His experience helped pull the Bruins' offense out of a rut.
Moore tossed six interceptions in three Pac-12 games. Two of those were losses. But let's be clear, he is the future at quarterback for the Bruins. He's going to lead the team into its inaugural Big Ten campaign next year. Getting him on the field as a freshman doesn't just keep him out of the transfer portal, it provides valuable experience going forward.
For now though, it's Garbers' show. The Bruins play one Top-25 opponent (USC) the rest of the season and it's possible they could sneak into the Pac-12 title game with a little help. The formula for the rest of the season is simple: run the ball, pass when you need to with Garbers and rely on your all-world defense to win you games. If they follow that formula, they can be satisfied with the present and the future.
Colorado's lackluster defense has been an easy punching bag all season. The Buffs came in allowing allowing 473 yards and 35.9 points per game. Both marks rank near the bottom of the Pac-12. The numbers weren't great again today, but they also came through with some big plays and gave the Buffaloes a chance to pull an upset that would've changed the course of its entire season. Colorado forced four turnovers in the first half and gave their offense excellent starting field position every time.
The problems came on the other side of the ball, where one overarching theme still remains. The Colorado offensive line can't protect its star quarterback. Shedeur Sanders has been sacked more than anyone in the FBS this year. The Buffaloes were able to pick up some monster playmakers in the transfer portal at skill positions last offseason, but until they develop in the trenches, they will not compete with the top teams in the country.
On the fourth play of the fourth quarter, UCLA capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive to extend its lead to 12 with 14:13 remaining. UCLA used a heavy running attack to drive down the field and TJ Harden ended the drive with a 3-yard score. Colorado will need to respond quickly.
After UCLA opened the first drive of the second half with a touchdown drive, Colorado finally responded. Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata drilled his third field goal of the day to cut the deficit to five. On that series, UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu recorded his third sack of the night.
It took only two plays for UCLA to get on the board after a sloppy first half. UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers connected with Moliki Matavao for a 26-yard touchdown to extend its lead over Colorado. Garbers is 11 of 15 for 165 yards early in the third quarter.
It's been an interesting 30 minutes in Pasadena. For starters, Colorado star safety Shilo Sanders was ejected near the end of the first half because of a targeting penalty that brought UCLA closer in the Colorado red zone. A few plays later, UCLA elected to go for a short field goal attempt and kicker R.J. Lopez missed the 24-yard FG off the upright to keep Colorado within one.
The story coming into the game was how dominant the UCLA defense has been this season. The unit that ranks near the top of the country in most statical categories certainly did their part in the first half and held Colorado to 94 yards of offense. The Buffaloes defense came to play, too. Star two-way player Travis Hunter recorded a pair of interceptions and the defense forced a pair of fumbles, including one in the final minute of the half to keep UCLA out of the end zone. This is tracking to be an interesting ending here in Southern California.
For the second time today, Travis Hunter has an interception. UCLA elected to put in backup quarterback Collin Schlee on that series and his first pass attempt resulted in a turnover. There hasn't been much offense in this game and both teams combined have less than 200 yards.
Colorado just forced its second turnover of the game and it may have potentially costed UCLA points. After UCLA RB Carson Steele went up the middle for an 18-yard gain, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders forced a fumble and the Buffaloes recovered. Colorado is back on the move and will have a chance to retake the lead.
One of the keys to a UCLA victory today was how edge rusher Laiatu Latu would perform against a lackluster Colorado offensive line. Through the first four drives of the game, he is making his presence known. Latu recorded his second sack of the day on third-and-15 to force another punt.
UCLA is on the board. The Bruins put together a 9-play, 45-yard drive that was capped with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Garbers to running back Carson Steele to take their first lead of the game. Colorado now gets the ball back for the first time in the second quarter with a chance to answer.
Colorado leads UCLA at the end of the first quarter thanks to a pair of field goals by Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata. The UCLA offense failed to put points on the board during its first two drives, but they will start the second quarter with the ball in the red zone. Ethan Garbers helped convert a critical first down with his legs near midfield to extend the drive a few plays prior.
For the first time today, the UCLA defense forced a punt. After Colorado scored field goals on its opening two drives, the Buffaloes couldn't move the ball past midfield. UCLA gets the ball near midfield after a long punt return.
Through the first two drives of the day, UCLA has 21 yards of total offense. Bruins QB Ethan Garbers is 2 of 5 for 2 yards and the offense hasn't looked good against a Colorado defense that ranks near the top in points allowed this season. If the UCLA offense doesn't come to life, Chip Kelly could potentially go away from Garbers.
After Travis Hunter made an outstanding read on the football and intercepted Ethan Garbers' pass, Colorado couldn't take full advantage of the turnover. Shedeur Sanders tossed a pair of incompletions and Colorado had to settle for another Alejandro Mata field goal. Colorado held UCLA to five yards of offense on its first drive of the day.
Here comes the Colorado defense. Star two-way standout Travis Hunter jumped the route and intercepted UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers to give the Buffaloes great field position. Can the Buffaloes capitalize?
The Buffaloes are off to a great start against a stout UCLA defense. Colorado reached the UCLA red zone before quarterback Shedeur Sanders tossed three straight incompletions to stall the drive. Colorado's opening drive that went 12-plays for 62-yards was capped by a 31-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata.
Heading into the week, UCLA coach Chip Kelly declined to name a starting quarterback, but it's the expectation that Ethan Garbers will get the nod. Garbers opened the season as the Bruins starter before Kelly turned to true freshman Dante Moore. Before the season started, it was expected to be a three-way battle between Garbers, Moore and Collin Schlee at the position, but it appears Garbers is in line to start the rest of the season.
"And we're one of the fortunate teams in the country, we have depth at quarterback," Kelly said this week.. "I believe Ethan's a starter at the Power 5 level, Dante's a starter at the Power 5 level, and Collin Schlee's a starter at the Power 5 level, so that's a luxury that not a lot of people have."
Colorado has played well against teams it can bait into shootouts, but UCLA is not that kind of team. The Bruins have held their Pac-12 opponents to just 18.5 points per game and boast a top-10 rushing offense to control games. Unless the Buffaloes found some new defensive linemen to counter the run over the bye week, UCLA should be able to bowl over the Buffs with ease. Pick: UCLA -17 -- Shehan Jeyarajah
The Bruins rank No. 11 nationally in total yards per game and No. 8 in yards per play. UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu has posted 6.5 sacks, 6.0 quarterback hurries and an interception in seven games. UCLA ranks No. 8 nationally with 24 sacks, which could swing the game in the Bruins favor because of the lackluster Colorado offensive line play. Protecting Sanders will be critical if Colorado wants to pull off an upset as double-digit underdogs.
Colorado and UCLA each have NFL talent on both sides of the ball. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, has led one of the best passing offense's in the country this season. He recently moved up to No. 18 in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings. Colorado also the best two-play player in the sport in cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, who is set to be surefire first-round draft pick in 2025.
On defense, UCLA has one of the best edge rushers in the country in Laiatu Latu. Sanders has been sacked as much as any quarterback in the country and that could mean a big day is on the horizon for Latu and the UCLA pass rush.
No. 23 UCLA is set to host Deion Sanders and Colorado momentarily in a battle of Pac-12 programs. The Buffaloes are looking to get back on track toward bowl eligibility after squandering a 29-0 halftime lead on Oct. 13 against Stanford. The 46-43 double-overtime loss dropped the Buffaloes to 4-3 and 1-3 in Pac-12 play, and it marked the biggest blow lead in college football since 2019.
As for UCLA, it's coming off a 42-7 win over the same Cardinal team on the road to improve to 5-2. The Bruins have a chance to run the table with only one ranked opponent remaining on the schedule. UCLA elected to turn to veteran quarterback Ethan Garbers last weekend; he replaces freshman Dante Moore, who started a majority of the Bruins' games this season. UCLA coach Chip Kelly has played Garbers, Moore and Kent State transfer Collin Schlee at quarterback in 2023.
