Chip Kelly shouts out Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders after win against Colorado
UCLA used a pair of second-half touchdowns to pull away from Colorado on Saturday, handing the Buffaloes their fourth loss in the past five games. The Bruins scored to begin the fourth quarter and on the ensuing drive in an eventual 28-16 win to improve to 6-2 (3-2 Pac-12) on the year.
It was by no means easy, however. UCLA turned the ball over four times in the first half, including two first half interceptions from cornerback Travis Hunter. The defense then managed to bottle up quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the second half, holding the offense to just one touchdown.
Speaking postgame, Bruins coach Chip Kelly made sure to offer credit to both players.
“First off, we’ve gotta give Travis Hunter credit,” he said. “Those were two phenomenal interceptions. We turned the ball over in the run game twice, which is uncharacteristic of us. But we just had a good night to play our football against a really good offensive team. We gave them a lot of shots. A lot of respect for Shedeur and how he hung in there tonight. He’s a tough kid, though player. Wins are hard in this league and we’ll take it.”
Sanders finished the game 27-of-43 passing for 217 yards and a touchdown. He managed to take the Buffaloes 86 yards down the field for the final drive, connecting with Jimmy Horn on an 18-yard score.
The Bruins made life on Sanders difficult, finished the evening with seven sacks while holding Colorado to 242 yards of total offense. They also recorded 10 tackles for loss as they were in the backfield all evening.
The Bruins have been one of the top defenses in the league with 14.9 points allowed per game. Kelly explained after the game the impact the defense had in earning the win.
“Defense is what it’s all about in all of football,” he said. “I think that the defense playing the way they’re playing right now, they kept us in this football game tonight. They made it a little bit easier on us. Usually when you turn it over four times in the first half, you’re not going in with the same score we had.”
With the win against Colorado under its belt, UCLA now turns its attention to Arizona, which it will play next week. Kickoff for that contest against the Wildcats is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.