UCLA football drops 27-11 decision to No. 7 Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa — The UCLA football team lost a 27-11 decision to No. 7 Penn State in a Big Ten Conference game in front of 110,047 fans at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.


The Bruins (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) trailed Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) 14-3 at halftime and finished the contest with 260 total net yards. Penn State took a 27-3 lead with 8:17 left in regulation before UCLA scored a touchdown and the resulting two-point conversion in the final minute of the game.

The Bruins were playing their third road game in five contests and faced a top-20 opponent for the third straight time on Saturday (previously at No. 16 LSU and at home against No. 8 Oregon).


Redshirt sophomore quarterback for the Bruins Justin Martin completed 22 of 30 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown in his first-ever college start. Run back TJ Harden Finished with five receptions for 59 yards as a wide receiver Logan Loya made six catches for 57 yards.


Penn State totaled 385 net yards on Saturday afternoon, including 237 yards through the air and 85 on the ground. Junior quarterback Drew Allar completed 17 of 24 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Kaytron Allen led the Nittany Lions' rushing attack with 78 net rushing yards on 21 carries.


Penn State was 7-12 on third-down opportunities against UCLA, while the Bruins were 6-15 on third-down opportunities. Additionally, the Bruins finished 2 of 4 on fourth-period opportunities.


The Bruins scored on two of their three red zone opportunities at Penn State and hit a 25-yard field goal late in the second quarter to cut the Nittany Lions' lead to 14-3 heading into the final quarter late touchdown came.


UCLA's 16-play, 73-yard drive in the final minutes of the game helped the Bruins cut the deficit to 27-11. Martin found Loya in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The ensuing two-point conversion was a two-yard pass up the middle from Martin to the running back Keegan Jones.


Looking back at the first quarter, the Bruins' defense held Penn State's first two offensive attacks strong, forcing punts on three and six plays, respectively. Penn State broke through with touchdowns on consecutive drives late in the second quarter.


The Nittany Lions got on the field with a one-yard touchdown carry from Allar with 6:40 left in the second quarter, capping a 16-play, 82-yard drive. According to the UCLA sophomore kicker Mateen Bhaghani Penn State kicked a 25-yard field goal at 2:51 (second quarter) and drove down the field in eight plays to score its second touchdown of the afternoon. Allar completed a five-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Tyler Warren to help the Nittany Lions take a 14-3 lead.


Penn State scored a 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter before Allen stormed into the end zone on a one-yard carry late in the quarter to give the Nittany Lions a 24-3 lead. Penn State's Ryan Barker hit his second field goal of the day, a 40-yard attempt, with 8:17 remaining to give his team a 27-3 lead.


Bruins linebacker Carson Schwesinger Overall, he made a career-best 15 tackles against Penn State, including six solo tackles and one half-tackle for loss. Linebackers Oluwafemi Oladejo had a total of 10 tackles, a quarterback sack and two tackles for loss (TFL).


UCLA lost the all-time series to Penn State 4-3 when the two teams played each other for the first time since 1968. Saturday's game at Penn State was the Bruins' third road game of the season and their first ever major ten-road game.


UCLA will return to action on Saturday, October 12th at home against Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference showdown at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Bruins' game against Minnesota begins at 6:00 p.m. PT and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.