UCLA’s Charbonnet scores three TDs in win against Hawaii
Zach Charbonnet rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns in his UCLA debut as the Bruins rolled to a 44-10 season-opening victory over Hawaii Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA scored on its first five possessions as it snapped an eight-game losing streak to teams outside the Pac-12. Six of those defeats were under Chip Kelly, who is in his fourth season.
Charbonnet, who was at Michigan the past two seasons, scored all of his touchdowns in the first half as the Bruins roared out to a 31-3 lead at halftime. He scored their first touchdown midway through the first quarter on a 21-yard run after great blocks from the right side of the offensive line to extend the lead to 10-0.
The junior’s best run of the day came with 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter when he broke four Hawaii tackles before turning on the speed for a 46yard touchdown to make it 24-3. He then went over 100 yards on his sixth carry with a 21-yard score on the next possession.
Brittain Brown added 78 yards on 13 carries, including a 1-yard TD to make it 17-0 four plays after defensive lineman Datona Jackson picked off Chevan Cordeiro’s pass deep in Hawaii territory and returned it 11 yards to the Rainbow Warriors’ 9.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 10 of 20 for 130 yards. He completed all four of his passes on the opening drive of the second half, culminating in a 44-yard strike to Kazmeir Allen to make it 37-3.
UCLA’s final TD came when Ale Kaho blocked Matthew Shipley’s punt and it was recovered by David Priebe in the end zone.
Hawaii’s lone touchdown came late in the third quarter on a 1-yard pass from Cordeiro to Caleb Phillips.
Cordeiro was 24 of 46 for 216 yards. Hawaii is 4-13 in its last 17 games against Pac-12 opponents, including 10 straight road losses. Calvin Turner Jr. came into the game as the nation’s leading returner in career allpurpose yards (4,359 yards), but the senior all-purpose back was held to 50 yards on five receptions.
The Rainbow Warriors allowed 211.7 rushing yards per game last season. They gave up 249 yards against the Bruins. This is the Bruins’ first win in an opener since its 45-44 rally over Texas A&M in 2017. ILLINOIS 30, NEBRASKA 22 >> Under a new coach, with fans packed into the stands for the first time since 2019 and its backup quarterback at the helm, Illinois beat Nebraska.
The Big Ten conference win didn’t come without a price for the Illini.
Illinois starting quarterback Brandon Peters left the game holding his left (non-throwing) shoulder after being sacked hard near the end of the first quarter. He was 3 of 4 passing for 35 yards. He did not return and was replaced by Artur Sitkowski, a sophomore transfer from Rutgers.
Sitkowski was 12 of 15 passing for 124 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Illini rushing attack was led by Mike Epstein, who rushed for 75 yards on 16 carries, including a 45yard run in the first quarter.
Huskers quarterback Adrian Martinez was impressive, racking up 232 passing yards on 16 completions.
FRESNO STATE 45, CONNECTICUT 0 >> Jake Haener threw for three touchdowns and 331 yards and Fresno State started its 100th year of football with a win over Connecticut.
Haener left the contest on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the second half due to apparent leg cramps as temperatures on the field reached 120 degrees.