UCLA football unveils another closeout special to stay undefeated

MINNEAPOLIS — If UCLA is in a tight game late, it always seems to have a major ally.The fourth quarter.The Bruins did their closing-time thing again Saturday, thanks to a simple formula.Throw a deep pass to Aidan Mizell.After quarterback Ty Dieffenbach completed a 75-yard touchdown pass to Mizell midway through the fourth quarter against Minnesota, he tried the exact same thing on the next play.It came with the same result, and suddenly a game that felt like it could have gone in either direction was swinging wildly in the Bruins’ favor.After defensive back Scooter Jackson intercepted a pass shortly thereafter, the eighth-ranked Bruins were comfortably on their way to a 34-20 victory at Huntington Bank Stadium.It was a triumph that moved the Bruins to 9-0 for the first time since 1998 — the last time they won a conference title.It also increased their dominance in the fourth quarter, when they have outscored teams by a 110-39 margin this season.Dieffenbach was a master of efficiency, passing for a career-high 303 yards while completing only 8 of 16 passes.That gave him a stunning 37.9 yards per completion.His late touchdown passes were also redemption for someone who had struggled for much of the game, losing a fumble and being intercepted before halftime that led to a Minnesota field goal.In the end, none of UCLA’s turnover problems, trouble giving up big yardage on kickoff returns or plodding run game mattered.It still had the fourth quarter.It was a win that UCLA badly needed after checking in at No.

8 — behind two two-loss SEC teams — in the first College Football Playoff rankings.Remaining unbeaten after a quality road win gives the Bruins a chance to move up into more comfortable territory when the next rankings come out on Tuesday.After Minnesota had tied the score at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter, Dieffenbach threw the first of his touchdown passes to Mizell on the next play from scrimmage.The Golden Gophers tacked on a field goal on their n...