Bruins seek respect after spotlight win
As the clock struck midnight, about an hour after a marquee Friday night performance in a 40-32 win over No. 15 Washington at the Rose Bowl, UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson pulled out the receipts.
He went on Twitter and posted a screenshot of an article from earlier in the week, previewing the game. The first sentence read: “Have you ever seen a less impressive 4-0 team?”
That continued the defiant postgame reaction from the Bruins' fifth-year leader, who sent a message during and after Friday's win: Put some respect on UCLA's name.
Despite being the first 5-0 team in the country, UCLA has barely cracked the periphery of the AP Top 25 poll. The Bruins received two preseason votes, one vote after Week 1, no votes after Weeks 2 and 3 and three votes after Week 4.
“I believe so, but we'll leave that up to them,” defensive back Stephan Blaylock said when asked if he thought UCLA (5-0, 2-0) should be ranked after Friday's win.
To be fair to the national media, the games were all on the Pac-12 Networks, and the opponents were hardly worthy of appointment-viewing during busy Saturday slates.
But Friday night, the country watched on ESPN as UCLA answered most, if not all, of the questions that kept them out of the rankings.
On offense, ThompsonRobinson showed the poise and consistency of a fifth-year quarterback, throwing for more than 300 yards for the first time this season and outdueling Washington's Michael Penix Jr., the early breakout star of the Pac-12. Zach Charbonnet surpassed 100 rushing yards for the third time this season. Jake Bobo had the first two-touchdown performance of his career and a career-best 142 receiving yards.
UCLA sacked the previously unsackable Penix twice, with Washington transfer Laiatu Latu continuing a storybook start to his Bruins' career. The Bruins baited Penix, the country's top passer entering the game, into two interceptions.
The secondary, much-maligned in previous seasons, did give up 345 passing yards to Penix, but most of those came late in the game with Washington in desperation mode. The Huskies (41, 1-1) had just 16 points entering the fourth quarter.
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who beat UCLA last year at the Rose Bowl when he was coaching Fresno State in a 40-37 thriller, said Penix eventually found a rhythm, but it was a challenge to move the football.
“It took a lot longer than what we're used to,” DeBoer said. “Their defense did a great job of making us earn it. They weren't just going to give you anything down the field.”
UCLA coach Chip Kelly hoped before the game that his secondary could take advantage of Penix's propensity for throwing passes into tight windows.
They did that twice, with Blaylock and JonJon Vaughns stepping in front of receivers. After Blaylock's pick, Thompson-Robinson hit Kam Brown for a 15-yard touchdown on the next play.
That gave UCLA its first two-score lead at 23-10 in the second quarter. It was an allaround response, according to Kelly.
“When we get a turnover, if our offense doesn't do anything with the turnover, then it really doesn't count,” Kelly said. “So when you have a turnover, we have to respond on the offensive side of the ball.”
For all of the attention on Thompson-Robinson and the offense, the ability of UCLA's defense to equally deliver may continue to determine the Bruins' competitiveness moving forward. New defensive coordinator Bill McGovern took over a defense that was last in the Pac-12 against the pass last season and 74th in the nation in points allowed per game.
The defense doesn't need to be otherworldly. Even against an elite offense like Washington's, making just enough plays could be sufficient. Whether it was Latu's nine-yard sack that forced the Huskies to kick a field goal, a pair of interceptions in Washington territory or a fortuitous goal-line fumble leading to a safety, UCLA's defense gave the offense sufficient breathing room.
So does a team which is 5-0 for the first time since 2013, a winner of eight straight dating back to last season and coming off its biggest win since last year's upset over No. 16 LSU deserve to be ranked? After beating the Tigers last year, UCLA went from unranked to No. 13 the following week.
Thompson-Robinson & Co. believe they've done their part to earn a spot.
“We'll let y'all decide,” Thompson-Robinson said.
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey wants to believe there was no foul play involved regarding the Miami Dolphins' injury situation with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who slammed his head last week against the Buffalo Bills before sustaining a concussion three days later versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
“If he was in a situation where it wasn't smart for him to even be out there, I would like to think they wouldn't have put him out there,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey wished Tagovailoa well, but the situation got him thinking about the league prioritizing player fines for those who don't meet the uniform requirements. Ramsey said he's been fined every week this season, including a fine of more than $10,000 for wearing the wrong socks last week against the Arizona Cardinals.
“Player safety should be like one of the most important things talked about,” Ramsey said to begin his 15-minute rant toward the NFL. “It probably needs to be talked about more, and then (expletive) like getting fined for socks. No, for real. Let's talk about it. (Expletive) like getting fined for socks or (expletive) like getting fined for tights or `BS' or anything like that.
“We need to start talking about that. That needs to not be talked about as much, right? We need to talk about players' safety. That's the stuff they need to put emphasis on, not freaking his socks are too high or his socks are too low or something like
CHARGERS VS. TEXANS: WHO HAS THE EDGE?
CHARGERS (1-2) at TEXANS (0-2-1)
When: 10 a.m. today
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
TV/Radio: Ch. 2 / 98.7 FM, 105.5 FM, 94.3 FM (Spanish) Line: Chargers by 5 ½
Notable injury designations: Chargers: WR Keenan Allen (out, hamstring), C Corey Linsley (questionable, knee), TD Donald Parham Jr. (questionable, hamstring). Texans: TE Pharaoh Brown (hip/shoulder, questionable), OL Austin Deculus (ankle, out), DL Kurt Hinish (foot, questionable), TE Brevin Jordan (ankle, out), LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (back, questionable), DB Isaac Yiadom (thigh, questionable).
What's at stake: A victory could put an end to any talk of a season on the brink for the Chargers. Maybe. Injuries have mounted and, after a lackluster loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, their season seemed like it might be on the verge of spiraling out of their control. Injuries continue to be a concern, especially with quarterback Justin Herbert battling fractured rib cartilage, left tackle Rashawn Slater out for the season because of a left biceps injury and edge rusher Joey Bosa undergoing groin surgery. Must-win? Yeah, you could say that.
Who's better: The Texans are improved, but the Chargers at full strength are the superior team. Problem is, the Chargers aren't at full strength with Herbert dinged up, Slater out for the season and Bosa sidelined for an indefinite period. The Chargers played well in splitting their first two games, but then tossed a clunker in last week's loss to the Jaguars. Houston is winless after a tie with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1and losses to the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears the past two weeks. Quarterback David Mills threw for 254yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 41-29victory over the Chargers on Dec. 26.
It was a mismatch, but not the way anyone might have expected, and the loss ultimately proved costly to the Chargers, whose overtime loss in the regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders officially knocked them out of a playoff spot.
Matchup to watch: The Chargers' offensive line must win the trench battle against the Texans' defensive line and edge rushers. It won't be an easy assignment with Slater out for the season and rookie Jamaree Salyer replacing him and center Corey Linsley battling a nagging knee injury. Will Clapp is expected to replace Linsley, though Linsley is expected to play.
Chargers win if: Their offensive line must hold together, protecting Herbert and opening room for running backs Austin Ekeler and Sony Michel. Herbert is looking for his seventh consecutive road start with 300yards passing or more. Rich Gannon holds the NFL record with eight in a row from 2001-02. The Chargers have yet to record a rushing touchdown this season.
Fantasy sleeper: Ekeler was last week's fantasy sleeper and he had a team-leading eight receptions. His totals of 21 catches and 139 yards lead all running backs in the NFL through three games. He has averaged only 2.5 yards per carry, though, a statistic that's bound to go up against a Texans defense giving up an average of 410 total yards per game.
Prediction: It's difficult to pick against the Chargers despite their many injuries to key players, and if there was a week to pick the Texans then this would be it. This looks like the week the Chargers get back on track, however. This is an opponent the Chargers can exploit on both sides of the ball, especially if Herbert's ribs are feeling better than last week. Chargers 28, Texans 20.