UCLA Upsets No. 13 Oregon 17-15 Behind Defense, Backup QB

No. 21 UCLA defeated No. 13 Oregon 17-15 at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, remaining undefeated at 5-0 and earning the program's first win in Eugene since 2004. The Bruins' defense forced seven Oregon turnovers, holding the Ducks to 272 total yards and stopping a potential game-tying two-point conversion with under three minutes remaining.

Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the game at halftime with a lower leg injury after throwing two interceptions and fumbling at his own 1-yard line. Backup Ty Dieffenbach replaced him, throwing a 9-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Knight in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game-winner.

“When your number gets called, for Ty to step up in that moment, when Nico couldn't go, and he put himself in a spot where he was revealed for knowing our run game, knowing what to get us into.”

Knight rushed for 103 yards on 22 carries and added a receiving touchdown, accounting for both UCLA scores. Oregon turned the ball over seven times, with starter Dylan Raiola completing just six of 19 passes before being benched for Brock Thomas, who threw a 44-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart late in the fourth quarter.

The Ducks had a final chance from the UCLA 5-yard line with 48 seconds left but lost a fumble on a lateral play as time expired. UCLA coach Bob Chesney improved to 5-0 to start his tenure, becoming the first Bruins coach to do so.