UCLA holds off Oregon for momentous win behind backup QB

EUGENE, Ore.– As Oregon commenced its tradition of playing “Shout” from “Animal House” before the fourth quarter, the power dynamic inside Autzen Stadium was flipped on its head.UCLA players pranced giddily to every note on their side of the field, bouncing around while thrusting their arms into the air.The Ducks?They milled about, showing no palpable emotion.On a stunning Saturday showdown in which neither team could get out of its own way, it was the Bruins who were doing all of the celebrating.Backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach delivered a gutsy performance and the UCLA defense put on a show for the ages during the No.

21 Bruins’ pulsating 17-15 victory over No.13 Oregon.It took two final stops.The Ducks needed to go only 1 yard on a 2-point conversion with 2 minutes left to tie the score.

They couldn’t get it, Oregon running back Jordon Davison getting stuffed by Jalen Woods and Tyson Ford short of the goal line.The Bruins (5-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) were eventually forced to punt, giving the ball back to the Ducks at their own 5-yard line with 48 seconds left.But Oregon could not engineer a miracle finish, the Bruins recovering a fumbled lateral on the final play and pouring onto the field to celebrate once more.UCLA’s defense forced six turnovers, the Ducks (3-2, 1-1) held to 272 yards and scoring one of their touchdowns only after UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava fumbled at his own 1-yard line.After losing confidence in quarterback Dylan Raiola, who completed only six passes and had two others intercepted, the Ducks turned to third-stringer Brock Thomas.Iamaleava departed with a leg injury sustained when he was sandwiched by two defenders late in the second quarter.After returning for another play and throwing a pass that was intercepted in the end zone, Iamaleava was confined to the sideline for the second half.What it meansOne of the Bruins’ most momentous wins this century made Bob Chesney the first coach in school history to win his firs...