The UCLA Bruins defeated the Utah Utes, 21-14, at the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins put together a dominating defensive performance, keeping Utah's offense putting any points on the board until late in the fourth quarter.
Utah's only points during the first 56 minutes came on special teams, when UCLA punt returner Steven Manfro muffed a punt that was recovered by the Utes' Ryan Lacy in the end zone.
That touchdown was sandwiched by two UCLA scoring drives in the first quarter. The first was a 13-play, 69-yard march that was capped off by a 12-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brett Hundley. The next could hardly have been more different, as Hundley connected with Shaquelle Evans on a 64-yard strike to put the Bruins up 14-7.
That score remained there until Johnathan Franklin was able to punch it in from 3 yards out to put UCLA up 21-7 late in the third. Franklin finished with 79 yards on 22 carries in the win.
Utah made the game interesting in the final minutes, when quarterback Jon Hays came in for one play to throw a touchdown on fourth down to Dres Anderson. The score was set up earlier by a wide receiver pass from DeVonte Christopher to starting quarterback Travis Wilson.
The Bruins were nearly able to run out the clock on the ensuing drive, as they punted the ball with 8 seconds left on the clock. They move to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play. The Utes dropped to 2-4, 0-3 in the Pac-12.
Box Score Hero: Brett Hundley was 15-for-21 for 183 yards and one touchdown. He also ran the ball 15 times for 68 yards and a score.
Rankings Ramifications: Neither team was ranked prior to this game. By moving to 5-2, UCLA may receive votes in the polls, but many voters might still have their 43-17 loss to Cal last Saturday on their minds.
But Did They Cover? The Utes pulled the backdoor cover, as UCLA was favored by 10 points.
For More On This Game: For more on Bruins football, visit UCLA blog Bruins Nation, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes and SB Nation Los Angeles.
For more on Utes football, visit Utah blog Block U, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.
This story was originally published on SB Nation.com.