Utah’s 30-28 upset of No. 8 UCLA ends a wild weekend for top 10 teams
As UCLA’s potential game-winning kick sailed right off the uprights with no time remaining, it felt like the perfect close to an unforgettable weekend.
The missed kick gave Utah a 30-28 upset win as the No. 8 Bruins became the fifth team in the top 10 to lose during Week 6, a feat that has never happened.
No. 2 Oregon.
No. 3 Alabama.
No. 4 Oklahoma
No. 6 Texas A&M.
No. 8 UCLA.
Of the five top 10 losers, only Oregon and UCLA lost to unranked teams. Overall, 11 teams in the top 25 fell making Week 6 one of the craziest weekends in recent memory.
And UCLA had a chance to save itself.
Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn initially missed a 55-yard kick that would have won the game, but played up a Utah player rolling into his leg and earned a second chance. However, true to karma, Fairbairn missed again. Both kicks were missed right.
The Utah defense was the star in this game. It sacked UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley 10 times and forced a turnover. It also limited the UCLA running game to just 137 yards on 50 carries.
Offensively, junior quarterback Kendal Thompson seemed to take the reins of the Utah offense. While he didn’t throw for a lot, his 83 yards rushing kept the UCLA defense on its toes as he continued to keep drives alive with his feet.
The Pac-12 goes from having seven undefeated teams heading into Week 5 to just one at the end Week 6. And it’s probably fair to assume no one thought that one team would be Arizona (not even Arizona fans).
Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, whose Ducks were the first top-10 team to lose this weekend, was prophetic following his team’s loss:
“I think there’s going to be a ton of movement nationally as well as in our conference. This is a tough conference, as we’ve said for a long time, coupled with the toughest path to the playoff.”
For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.
For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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