Oregon offense has its way as UCLA drops second straight Big Ten game

PASADENA — No. 8 Oregon came into the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2021 and scored on each of its first-half possessions to pull off a 34-14 win over UCLA on Saturday night.

The Bruins fell to 0-2 in their inaugural Big Ten Conference season, while the Ducks achieved their first win in the conference.

“Another game that didn’t go the way that we wanted it to go,” Foster told reporters after the game. “My defense played pretty well tonight going against a high-powered offense and we just didn’t execute the way we wanted to offensively to try to help our defense out.”

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 31 of 41 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns while running back Jordan James rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown.

Ethan Garbers was 12-for-20 passing for UCLA (1-3 overall, 0-2 in Big Ten) for 118 yards with two interceptions. True freshman Kwazi Gilmer was the Bruins’ top receiver with four catches for 31 yards.

Garbers played with a taped ankle in the second half and was walking with visible discomfort. He left the game in the fourth quarter after getting sacked four times, relieved by Justyn Martin who completed 1 of 4 passes for 7 yards.

Foster did not disclose if Garbers was in concussion protocol after the game.

“If you know Ethan, you know he was fighting to stay out there,” Foster said. “When you have a player that’s begging to stay out there, who wants to keep playing — let him play.”

Defensive back Ramon Henderson left the game late in the third quarter with an apparent injury but returned and made a tackle in the fourth quarter.

The Ducks (4-0, 1-0) piled on 28 points in the first half on the way to their 13th straight win for games that kick off after 7 p.m.

The Bruins defense stepped up for their only touchdown of the game — and it came just seconds before halftime. Bryan Addison intercepted Gabriel at the 4-yard line and took off down the Oregon sideline for a touchdown.

It marked the first career pick-six for Addison, an Oregon transfer, and was UCLA’s longest interception return since 2015. He was on the bench icing his leg in the final minutes of the game but did not appear to have any major injuries.

“It gave us a lot of momentum to go into the half,” linebacker Carson Schwesinger said. “If we can keep it for the rest of the second half, we’ll be able to get stops.”

Gabriel threw his first touchdown of the night to Traeshon Holden (11 receptions, 121 yards) for a 12-yard strike to top off a 75-yard drive within the opening six minutes of the game and James rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. Gabriel heaved a 52-yard pass to Tez Johnson with 9:11 left in the second quarter.

Addison trailed Johnson on the coverage but never caught up. Oregon was successful on its two-point conversion attempt to take a 28-3 lead and Atticus Sappington tacked on three more points with a 42-yard field goal.

“When you play a high-power offense like that, they’re going to be able to make some things happen,” Foster said. “But I’m just glad that my guys on defense keep fighting. They’re some resilient dudes.”

UCLA held Oregon scoreless in the third quarter while Bhaghani hit a career-long 54-yard field goal that just barely cleared the crossbar to bring the score to 28-13. It’s also the fourth-longest field goal made in program history.

The Ducks offense resumed with a 12-yard touchdown connection between Gabriel and Johnson.

UCLA continues its Big Ten schedule next Saturday at No. 9 Penn State. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 a.m. PT.

“We’re just gonna go to Penn State and continue to build on this,” Foster told reporters. “That’s all we’ve got to do. We’re going to learn from these losses and I know I see it, so I know you see it and you choose not to. They’re improving and we’re just going to continue to improve and keep working hard. Eventually, it’s gonna turn around.”