Buffs Lose At UCLA, 27-23

PASADENA, Calif. — True to form, the Colorado-UCLA game came down to the fourth quarter Saturday night — but it didn't finish the way the Buffs planned.

Instead, UCLA hung on down the stretch to collect a 27-23 win at the Rose Bowl, dropping Colorado to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in the Pac-12. UCLA improved to 3-2, 1-1.

The game was close throughout, as Colorado led early, then saw the Bruins rally to take the lead. UCLA held a 14-10 edge at the half after a CU fake field goal near the end of the half was sniffed out by the Bruins, resulting in an incompleted pass.

The Bruins led by as many as 11 in the second half. Colorado cut the lead to one twice, 21-20 and 24-23, but could never completely erase the deficit.

HOW IT HAPPENED: For the second week in a row, Colorado scored first. The Buffs marched 63 yards on nine plays, reaching the end zone on a 21-yard pass from Steven Montez to Phillip Lindsay for a 7-0 lead. The Buffs were aided on the drive by a 15-yard targeting penalty on UCLA's Darnay Holmes on third down. CU also converted a third-and-11 on a 14-yard Montez pass to Devin Ross.

Montez finished with 243 yards passing (17-for-36) and one touchdown and was also CU's leading rusher with 108 yards on 15 carries. The Buffs had 191 yards on the ground.

UCLA, though, quickly answered, driving 75 yards on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 7-7, getting a 12-yard touchdown throw from Josh Rosen to Austin Roberts. The big play on the drive was a 44-yard Rosen completion to Jordan Lasley.

Rosen was 28-for-45 for 372 yards with one touchdown and one interception while Lasley had seven catches for 146 yards. UCLA finished with just 95 yards rushing.

Colorado took the lead again two possessions later, driving 47 yards on five plays before settling for a 33-yard James Stefanou field goal. It was Stefanou's seventh straight field goal of the season and his eighth successful in attempt in nine tries, giving CU a 10-7 lead.

The Bruins, though, took the lead for the first time on their next possession when Rosen engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive. Rosen completed a 46-yard toss to Lasley on a flea-flicker play before Jalen Starks carried in from the 1-yard line for a 14-10 lead.

Colorado then muffed a chance to pull within one late in the half. CU drove from its own 13 to the UCLA 14, just missing a touchdown when a Montez throw to Juwann Winfree in the end zone fell incomplete. CU then lined up for a field goal but faked the attempt, only to see holder T.J. Patterson's throw to Stefanou fall incomplete.

The half ended with the Bruins holding on to their 14-10 lead.

After a CU possession that went nowhere to open the second half, UCLA quickly built its lead to 21-10, driving 58-yards in five plays with Soso Jamabo carrying in from the 2.

Colorado, though, finally got its offense back on track. The Buffs went 75 yards for a score on their next possession, with Phillip Lindsay capping the drive with a 2-yard run to cut UCLA's lead to 21-17 with 6:59 to go in the third quarter. The big play of the drive was a Montez run for 25 yards on fourth-and-1.

The Buffs then created their first big break of the game when safety Evan Worthington intercepted a Rosen pass near the sidelines. Colorado then drove 62 yards to the UCLA 16 before settling for a 33-yard field goal to close the gap to 21-20.

The two teams then traded punts before UCLA extended its lead to four on a 33-yard J.J. Molson field goal. The Bruins drove from their own 27 before the Buffs stopped the drive at the CU 16, forcing UCLA to take the field goal and 24-20 lead.

But Colorado answered again, driving from the CU 29 to the UCLA 16 before Stefanou kicked his third 33-yard field goal of the night to pull the Buffs to within one, 24-23, with 6:46 left in the game.

The Bruins, however, took the ensuing kickoff and methodically marched downfield, eating up yardage and time at the same time. The Bruins took 6:15 off the clock before finally taking a 31-yard Molson field goal for a 27-23 lead with just 26 seconds left in the game for the final points of the night.

Colorado's last-gasp drive ended with Montez throwing incomplete in the end zone as the clock ran out.

WHAT IT MEANS: Now 0-2 in Pac-12 play, the Buffs find themselves needing a conference win in a big way if they have any hope of staying close to the Pac-12 South division leaders.

NEXT UP: The Buffs play host to Arizona next Saturday in a 6 p.m. game at Folsom Field (Pac-12 Networks).

VISUAL RECAP:

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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Team Stats

Steven Montez

T.J. Patterson

Players Mentioned

Phillip Lindsay

Steven Montez

T.J. Patterson

Devin Ross

James Stefanou

Juwann Winfree

Evan Worthington

Players Mentioned

Phillip Lindsay

Steven Montez

T.J. Patterson

Devin Ross

James Stefanou

Juwann Winfree

Evan Worthington