Northwestern escapes winless UCLA with 17-14 victory
EVANSTON-Northwestern looked to be on cruise control halfway through the fourth quarter, leading winless UCLA 17-6 and going in for what appeared to be the game-clinching score.
But then the game took a drastic turn when the Wildcats decided to go the conservative route and kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-goal from the UCLA 2 against one of the worst defenses in the nation.
Suddenly, what looked to be a leisurely ride on one of the many sailboats on a sun-drenched late September day on Lake Michigan turned into a bumpy trip through a white squall. The Bruins blocked the field goal, then scored on a touchdown and a two-point conversion to pull to within three points, and the Wildcats had to hang on for dear life before emerging with a 17-14 win, their first over an FBS opponent.
The Wildcats (2-2, 1-1 Big Ten) were poised to put a hammer lock on the game at the UCLA 2 halfway through the fourth quarter but elected to take the three points. That backfired on them in a big way when Rodrick Pleasant steamed in to block Jack Olsen‘s attempt with 7:48 left.
The block galvanized UCLA’s offense, which went 80 yards in just four plays, culminating in Nico Iamaleava’s 29-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Kwaze Gilmer in the back of the end zone. Iamaleava then hit Anthony Woods for a two-point conversion and what had been a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter was now down to a field goal with 6:29 left.
The teams traded fruitless drives, with UCLA electing to punt with 2:03 left and all three timeouts. All Northwestern needed was a first down to run out the clock, but the Bruins sacked Preston Stone on third-and-4 to force the Wildcats to punt in return. UCLA (0-4, 0-1) got the ball back but managed just one first down and time ran out on the Bruins after a third-down completion.
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While the game really turned on the field-goal attempt, head coach David Braun said that the opportunity to go up by 14 points was too good to pass up. He praised his defense for “bowing up” when they needed to get stops at the end of the game, but also lamented the Wildcats’ inability to drive the final nail in the Bruins’ coffin.
“We had an opportunity there in the second half to really pull away from a team…and didn’t do that,” he said.
Caleb Komolafe ran for 119 yards and a touchdown to pace the Wildcats and become the first Northwestern 100-yard rusher since Evan Hull in 2022.
Stone was efficient for most of the game, finishing 12-of-18 passing for 115 yards and one touchdown, with no turnovers.
UCLA, which was playing its first game under interim head coach Tim Skipper after the firing of DeShaun Foster, was led by Iamaleava, who threw for 180 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a team-high 65 yards.
Northwestern’s offense scored on all three of its first-half possessions to put up 17 points, but then got shut out in the second half.
The first drive stalled in the red zone, where Stone was sacked on a third-and-10, and the Wildcats had to settle for a 33-yard Olsen field goal. The second ended with Komolafe dropping a pitch, picking it up on the bounce and scoring on a 9-yard run. Stone then capped the last one with a 17-yard pass to Griffin Wilde in the end zone to make it 17-0 with 3:33 left in the half. Wilde finished with seven catches for 98 yards.
From there on, however, it was UCLA’s offense that found a rhythm, scoring on chip-shot Mateen Bhagani field goals on their last drive of the first half and first one of the second. Then, they got the touchdown to make it a tight game in the fourth quarter.
But on their last two drives, Northwestern forced the Bruins to punt and then turn it over on downs to end the game.
That’s one of the positives that Braun will take away from the game.
“[We} also learned that this team can withstand some adversity,” he said.
