UCLA football can’t hold off Minnesota

PASADENA — The UCLA football team watched the possibility of its first Big Ten Conference win wither away on Saturday night.

The Bruins defensive front applied all the pressure it could muster, but Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer threw a quick pass to Darius Taylor for a 5-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the game right before the eyes of the tired Bruins.

Minnesota freshman Koi Perich leaped for an interception at the edge of the end zone, ending any hopes of last-second heroics as time expired, the same way he sealed a victory over USC the week before.

UCLA (1-5 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) had its strongest start of the season but Minnesota (4-3, 2-2) caught up and pulled away with a 21-17 win in the Gophers’ first appearance at the Rose Bowl since 1961.

“We’ve got to be more detailed and continue to grow,” head coach DeShaun Foster told reporters after the game. “But this one’s gonna sting. I’m going to be pissed off for a little bit. It’s hard to sit up here and try to be positive.”

Quarterback Ethan Garbers led the Bruins offense by completing 25 of 36 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions.

UCLA lost the turnover battle 3-0 and was charged with 10 penalties that equated to 105 yards.

“Defensively, we gave up too many yards on penalties that are just discipline things and we’ve got to clean that up,” said linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who had a game-high 12 total tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.

While the Bruins’ passing game took flight early, the pass rush kept Minnesota grounded for the majority of the game.

Gophers linebacker Cody Lindenberg intercepted Garbers early in the second quarter, but Minnesota’s offense wasn’t on the field for long. Defensive lineman Siale Taupaki came up with a timely sack and edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo’s tackle for loss forced a third-and-11 situation that the Gophers couldn’t convert.

The Gophers only managed 84 yards of total offense in the first half as UCLA went into the break with a 10-0 advantage.

“Coach (Ikaika Malloe) called a great game,” Foster said. “The defense has played well. I’m just glad that we have the type of defense that we have, that they keep showing up day in and day out each week.”

The Bruins went into halftime with a 10-0 advantage — their first halftime lead of the season — but Minnesota scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to pull ahead. Quarterback Max Brosmer connected with Elijah Spencer for a 12-yard touchdown and Darius Taylor scored on a 2-yard rush.

A fresh glimmer of potential for a Big Ten Conference win emerged when Garbers connected with J.Michael Sturdivant for a 42-yard touchdown with 6:54 left in the game. The touchdown strike capped an 89-yard drive that was fueled by short passes and runs by T.J. Harden, Keegan Jones and Jalen Berger.

“J.Mike was just getting open, as simple as that,” Garbers said. “You get open, you get the ball. He was doing a great job tonight, he made some fantastic catches and I wish we could’ve gotten the ball to him a little bit more to start the second half.”

Garbers started at quarterback after missing the previous week due to injury and led the Bruins to a touchdown on their first offensive drive of the game. He hit Logan Loya with a 14-yard pass to move UCLA to the 2-yard line and three plays later, Jones took a direct snap and punched the ball in from 1 yard out.

It was Jones’ first touchdown of the season and the first time UCLA scored on its opening possession all season. The Bruins also had a halftime advantage for the first time this season and led 10-0 at the break after a 34-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani.

“We’re a one-half team right now,” Foster said. “I need to find a way to get these guys to come out and approach the second half like they did the first half of the game. Until we do that, we’re not going to be able to get out of our own way and we’re going to continue to take losses like this.”

The Bruins will look for their first Big Ten win when they travel to Rutgers (4-2, 1-2) for their longest road trip of the season next week.