awayTeamLogo UCLA 21 homeTeamLogo Oregon 42
Saturday, November 3, 2018 07:30 PM (ET)

Oregon whips UCLA, ruins return of former coach

Field Level Media
Nov 3, 2018

Junior quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns and freshman running back CJ Verdell rushed for 90 yards and a score as Oregon spoiled the return of former coach Chip Kelly to Eugene, Ore., with a 42-21 Pac-12 victory Saturday over UCLA.

Kelly, who coached Oregon to a 46-7 record from 2009-12, is in his first season guiding a rebuilding UCLA program in his return to college football. He left Oregon for the NFL, where he coached the Philadelphia Eagles (2013-15) and the San Francisco 49ers (2016).

The loss dropped the Bruins to 2-7 overall (2-4 in the Pac-12), giving Kelly as many losses in less than a full season with UCLA than he had during his entire run as head coach with the Ducks.

Oregon ended a two-game losing streak, both road defeats. The Ducks (6-3, 3-3) rushed for 200 yards and three TDs after not cracking the 100-yard mark during either of the previous two games.

Oregon freshman running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio had a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter and senior running back Tony Brooks-James had a 54-yard rushing TD with 5:56 to play. Junior wide receiver Dillon Mitchell made eight catches for 156 yards and two TDs.

Oregon buried UCLA early with special teams after struggling in that department during a 44-15 defeat at Arizona last weekend. Ugochukwu Amadi returned a punt 56 yards for Oregon's first touchdown with 11:08 remaining in the first quarter.

On the Ducks' next possession, they used a 28-yard pass by holder/punter Blake Maimone off a fake field goal attempt to extend the drive, leading to Verdell's 1-yard TD run.

Oregon took a 21-0 lead in the second quarter on Herbert's 4-yard TD pass to Mitchell. The drive started when UCLA's Adarius Pickett fumbled a punt at the Bruins 11-yard line.

UCLA freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 9-for-23 passing for 135 yards and an interception before he was replaced by senior Wilton Speight in the third quarter, but Thompson-Robinson did hit tight end Caleb Wilson on a 63-yard TD pass with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter.

Speight immediately took the Bruins on a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 25-yard TD run by junior running back Joshua Kelley, who finished with 161 yards on the ground. Speight also hit junior wide receiver Theo Howard on a 22-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter, finishing 13-of-25 for 147 yards.

Oregon played host to UCLA at Autzen Stadium for the first time since 2013. UCLA has not won at Oregon since 2004.

--Field Level Media

Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo