Football Heads to Desert to Meet Wildcats
GAME SIX:
Venue: Arizona Stadium
Time: 7:30 p.m. PT
Television (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from Learfield): AM 1150/AM 570
Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook reporter);
Sirius Ch. 85 / XM Ch. 85 / SXM App 85
UCLA will travel to play at Arizona in a Pac-12 contest set for 7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 9 in Tucson. The game will be televised by ESPN. The UCLA Learfield Radio Network will broadcast the contest, which will also be aired over SiriusXM and the Varsity App.
UCLA owns a 26-17-2 advantage in series battles with the Wildcats, dating back to 1927. Arizona holds a 13-10 edge in games played in Tucson over the years. The teams have split the past four meetings with each school unbeaten on its home field.
In last year's matchup played in the Rose Bowl, Demetric Felton (now with the Cleveland Browns) produced a career high in rushing yards, going for 206 yards on 32 carries with a touchdown. The Bruins had 281 rushing yards on 56 carries in the win. Brittain Brown had 72 yards on 16 carries, adding touchdowns on both the rushing and receiving ends. Chase Griffin, playing for an unavailable Dorian Thompson-Robinson, completed 12 of 20 passes for 129 yards, including three balls to Kyle Philips for 40 yards.
In the 2019 meeting in Tucson, UCLA dropped a 20-17 decision. UA used a fourth-quarter touchdown to swing a back-and-forth game their way and earn a close decision over the Bruins, who missed a chance to even the game on a late field-goal attempt. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who left the game in the third quarter with an injury, went 17 for 33 and threw one touchdown.
THE WATCHLIST
• Kyle Philips has caught at least one TD pass in each of the last four games which is the longest streak by a Bruin since Jordan Lasley had four straight scoring games in 2017 ... JJ Stokes is the last player to have a scoring reception in more than four straight games in a season ... Stokes had TD catches in seven straight contests in the 1993 season.
• Philips has six scoring receptions over the last four games which is the most over a four-game stretch by a Bruin since Darren Andrews had seven in four games in 2017.
• On the ground, UCLA has outrushed its opponent in 11 consecutive games - the longest streak by the Bruins dating back to 1980 is a 15-game stretch which covered the last four games of 1984 and all 12 games of the 1985 season ... it has racked up a 973-to-433 rushing yards edge on opponents in 2021 ... the Bruins average 4.4 yards per rush while opponents are at 3.1 ... per game, UCLA is at 194.6; opponents 86.6.
• Mitchell Agude has been credited with four forced fumbles in the first five games of 2021 and is second in the NCAA with a 0.80 average per game. Linebackers Robert Thomas (2000) and Donnie Edwards (1993) share the UCLA record (dating back to 1975) with six forced fumbles in a season. Elvis Dumervil of Louisville holds the NCAA record (kept since 2000 by NCAA) for a season with 10 in 12 games during the 2005 season. Edwards holds the UCLA career mark, at 12, with records dating back to 1990. In 2020, Agude was credited with the forced fumble which was returned for a TD at Oregon and added two forced fumbles vs. Arizona ... he rated 10th nationally (0.43/game) last season.
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson is second in the NCAA (first) in Pac-12) with a 16.03 yard average on each completion ... he is 11th in the nation with an average of 9.54 yards per pass attempt ... he is second in the Pac-12 lead with 10 passing TDs ... DTR ranks 16th in the NCAA in passing efficiency at 165.2 ... UCLA has had only two starting QBs register at least a 160.0 pass efficiency mark for a season -- Drew Olson in 2005 (161.6) and Cade McNown in 1997 (168.6).
• The Bruins are third in the Pac-12 in scoring and are flirting with the 40-points-per-game mark with an average of 35.4 points through five games ... the Bruins have averaged 40+/game just twice (dating to 1945) -- in 1973 (42.7) and 1954 (40.8) ... UCLA averaged 39+ points in 2005, 1998, 1997 seasons.
• Tight end Greg Dulcich recorded his fourth career 100 receiving yards game vs. Arizona State on a career-best nine receptions (136 yds) ... he had 117 yards, on three catches, vs. LSU which marked the eighth straight season in which a Bruin TE has gome over the century mark in at least one game (Dulcich in 2020, Devin Asiasi in 2019, Caleb Wilson in 2018 and 2017, Nate Iese in 2016, Thomas Duarte in 2015 and 2014) ... in 2020, Dulcich averaged 19.88 yards per catch (13th in NCAA) and 73.9 receiving yards per game ... both marks rated as second best among the nation's tight ends in 2020 and best among Power 5 tight ends ... he had a career-best 167 receiving yards vs. USC.
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to move up the charts and rates sixth on the school list is career passing yards (6,286) ... next on that list is Cory Paus (1999-02 with 6,877) ... DTR is up to fifth on the school career-total-offense list (7,089) with Drew Olson (2002-05) in fourth (8,324) ... Thompson-Robinson (50-T5) is now taking aim on Josh Rosen (2015-17) who holds down fouth on the school career TD passes list with 59.
• Qwuantrezz Knight leads UCLA in tackles with 31 ... he is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss (4.5) and third in sacks (1.5).
• Bo Calvert, who moved to OLB in '21, is tied for the team top spot in tackles for loss with 4.5 ... he recorded a career-best 2.5 vs. Fresno State.