Joe Williams runs wild in No. 19 Utah's 52-45 win over UCLA

 Five years after Utah running backJoe Williams and UCLA quarterback Mike Fafaul left Fork Union Military Academy together, they both posted record-breaking performances on the same wild afternoon.

Only Williams left the Rose Bowl happy with his effort - and his decision to get back in the game with the Utes.

Williams rushed for a school-record 332 yards and four touchdowns in his second game back from retirement, and No. 19 Utah held off pass-happy UCLA 52-45 Saturday.

Williams broke off TD runs of 3, 43, 64 and 55 yards during the greatest rushing day in Utah (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) history, surpassing Mike Anderson's 1999 record, and the most prolific rushing performance ever by a UCLA opponent.

"I'm pretty sure (the Bruins) are tired of seeing the back of my jersey running down the field," Williams said, giving the credit to his offensive line. "We've got five grown men out there that could be in the NFL tomorrow. I'm just glad to be running behind them."

Cory Butler-Byrd returned the opening kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown on a day of stunning superlatives for the Utes in their second straight win at the Rose Bowl.

Williams quit football last month before returning last week when injuries decimated Utah's depth, and he has 511 yards on the ground in two games since.

"It's awesome," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We've had some really good running backs come through here, and played against some inferior teams (compared to UCLA). He broke the record of all-time, and we've had a bunch of guys in the NFL, running backs that have done a lot of great things."

Williams broke Anderson's Utah record shortly before shredding Edgerrin James' record for a Bruins opponent on his fourth scoring run with 10:28 to play.

"That young man had a world-class day against us, and that's disappointing because we've been playing the run so well," UCLA coach Jim Mora said.

Williams didn't get a chance after the game to talk to Fafaul, his former high school teammate in Virginia.

Fafaul made his own history, setting UCLA records for pass attempts (70) and completions (40) while throwing for 464 yards, third most in school annals. UCLA essentially abandoned its awful running game, which began the weekend ranked 126th out of 128 FBS teams.

"We wanted to do something to help our run game and catch the defense off-guard," Fafaul said. "It's not about the records or my performance. I just wanted a victory, and it's really disappointing."

The former walk-on had five touchdown passes and four interceptions for the Bruins (3-5, 1-4) in their fourth loss in five games.

Fafaul was prolific but erratic in his second straight start in place of injured Josh Rosen, who went through warmups but didn't play. Fafaul had the third-biggest passing performance in UCLA history, trailing only 500-yard games by Cade McNown and Drew Olson.

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah: Williams ran wild on a record afternoon, but the ground game behind a dominant offensive line only lessens the sting for a Utah defense that got beaten for several big plays with poor tackling. Whittingham won't be happy about the Utes' inability to limit a backup quarterback and an offense with no running game.

UCLA: After struggling to run the ball all season, the Bruins abruptly reverted back to the spread passing offense run by departed offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. After running the ball just seven times in the first half, the Bruins didn't call another running play until the final snap of the third quarter. "It's difficult from the standpoint that (the Utes) kind of know what's coming," Fafaul said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Utah: Injuries and defensive woes can't slow down the Utes, who appear to be Colorado's biggest competition for the Pac-12 South title. The Utes should slide up a bit in the polls with a difficult late-season schedule looming.

UP NEXT

Utah: The Utes return home to host dominant Washington in one of the season's biggest matchups in the topsy-turvy Pac-12.

UCLA: After a bye, the Bruins continue chasing bowl eligibility with a Thursday night trip to suddenly powerful Colorado.

Washington State holds on for 27-21 win over UCLA

 Over the past three weeks, Washington State has started conference play by taking down three of the teams expected to be at the top of the Pac-12.

The Cougars are rolling and they're winning with more than just Luke Falk's arm.

"Hey, we can do it other ways," Falk said.

Gerard Wicks rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns, Jamal Morrow added another TD run, and Washington State won its fourth straight, 27-21 over UCLA on Saturday night.

The Cougars beat Oregon, Stanford and UCLA in consecutive weeks and validated their position as the other contender in the Pac-12 North along with Washington.

Wicks' first touchdown late in the second quarter gave the Cougars (4-2, 3-0 Pac-12) a 10-0 lead and his second 1-yard plunge pushed the lead to 17-7 midway through the third quarter. Morrow added a 3-yard TD run late in the third as the Cougars beat UCLA in consecutive years for the first time since 2006 and 2007.

"I was proud of our guys for sticking in there and playing tough like they did. Because the conditions and our opponent, you have to be tough," Washington State coach Mike Leach said. "We could have finished better but we had a lot of awful good stuff in between to make this happen."

UCLA (3-4, 1-3) played without starting quarterback Josh Rosen a week after he suffered shoulder and leg injuries against Arizona State. The shoulder was the problem on Saturday, as Rosen only attempted a couple of throws during pregame warmups before determining he couldn't go.

Backup Mike Fafaul, making his first college start, was 24-of-40 passing for 258 yards. Fafaul threw two touchdown passes to Darren Andrews and added a 5-yard TD throw to Jordan Lasley. Fafaul hit Andrews on a 22-yard TD in the third quarter and his 4-yard TD pass to Andrews with 3:17 left pulled the Bruins with 27-21.

UCLA got the ball back with 2:43 remaining after holding Washington State to a three-and-out. But on the first play Lasley was hit from behind by Dylan Hanser and fumbled. Washington State's Robert Taylor fell on the loose ball. The Cougars punted back to UCLA with under a minute remaining but Charleston White intercepted Fafaul to clinch the win.

"I'm just kind of still feeling it about the game, the loss. It doesn't matter to me how I play," Fafaul said. "I'd rather throw three interceptions and win the game than throw three touchdowns and (lose)."

Falk failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his career. He finished 28 of 48 for 261 yards on a cold, rainy night on the Palouse. Falk was intercepted in the end zone in the first half and fumbled an attempted pass in the third quarter that led to UCLA's first touchdown.

But Falk led three long touchdown drives, including an 18-play, 91-yard drive in the second quarter that was capped by Wicks' first touchdown.

It was a forgettable night for the Bruins that included a (minus) 1-yard punt from Austin Kent in the first quarter that led to a few choice words from coach Jim Mora. Aside from a promising debut by Fafaul, UCLA was bullied on the line of scrimmage and saw its defense give up more than 24 points in regulation for the first time this season.

"I'm obviously not doing a good job of getting the message through," Mora said. "The buck obviously stops with me. It should, as the head coach. All blame should be focused entirely, initially on the head coach. It's my job to make sure we get it right with everyone else. I'm accepting of that. I've been in this situation a lot of times. When you coach for a long time, you've got to fight your way out of it, that's all you can do."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Washington State was already starting to pick up votes in last week's AP Top 25 and that's only going to increase. It would be a stretch to see the Cougars crack the Top 25 this week, but another win may do it.

FINALLY!

Washington State became the final FBS team in the country to make a field goal when Powell hit a 36-yard attempt midway through the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Powell had missed his first attempts of the season - one in each game. Powell made another 36-yarder in the fourth quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

UCLA: The Bruins continued to have no running game on a night where the weather and circumstances with their quarterback called for having offensive balance. The Bruins rushed for 43 yards on 25 carries, the fourth time in five games UCLA failed to crack 100 yards rushing as a team.

Washington State: The Cougars continue to get big production from their trio of running backs. The Cougars rushed for 95 yards, but the trio of Wicks, Morrow and James Williams added eight catches for 65 yards.

UP NEXT

UCLA: The Bruins return home to host No. 21 Utah next Saturday, their next-to-last home game.

Washington State: The Cougars travel to Arizona State next Saturday, the first of two straight road games.

Gonzalez gets record, Arizona State holds off UCLA 23-20

Arizona State sputtered offensively through the first half and lost another quarterback to injury in the second.

Good thing the Sun Devils have the most prolific kicker in college football history.

Zane Gonzalez kicked three field goals to become the NCAA's all-time leader and Arizona State grinded out a 23-20 victory over UCLA Saturday night despite losing back-up quarterback Brady White to a right leg injury.

"You're talking about a monumental accomplishment there," Arizona State coach Todd Graham said of Gonzalez. "I'm proud of Zane. That's huge."

Gonzalez hit from 35, 23 and 46 yards to reach 89 career field goals , passing Florida State's Dustin Hopkins, who had 88 from 2009-12.

Arizona State (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) needed all of those after struggling offensively in the first half and watching White limp off with a right leg injury in the fourth quarter.

Making his first career start with Manny Wilkins out, White had some shaky moments, but led the Sun Devils on four scoring drives in the second half.

He finished with 179 yards passing and a touchdown with an interception, but couldn't put any weight on his leg after being injured in the fourth quarter.

"Hopefully, we'll get good news on Brady, but it doesn't look good," Graham said.

UCLA (3-3, 1-2) had a strong defensive game, holding the high-scoring Sun Devils to 275 total yards.

Offensively, the Bruins had trouble getting out of their own way.

UCLA had four turnovers and missed on two scoring opportunities in the first half, when JJ Molson missed a pair of field goals.

The worse news could come from the training table.

Quarterback Josh Rosen left in the first half with a right leg injury , but returned in the third quarter to throw touchdown passes to Jordan Lasley and Nate Iese .

The sophomore was unable to come back after injuring his right shoulder on a hard hit in the fourth quarter. He threw for 400 yards on 24-of-43 passing with an interception.

"Josh is beat up. He is beat up," UCLA coach Jim Mora said. "He has taken some horrible hits because we can't protect for him."

It didn't help that the Bruins couldn't run the ball at all, finishing with minus-1 yard rushing on 23 carries.

With no running threat to worry about, Arizona State was able to ramp up its pressure on Rosen, repeatedly knocking him to the ground.

"We can't run the football at all," Mora said. "When you can't run the football and you have to throw every down then they can pin their ears back and come after you, which they do. Unfortunately we couldn't protect tonight, either."

THE TAKEAWAY

UCLA: The Bruins struggled offensively most of the night even when Rosen was in and they could be in bigger trouble if the sophomore is out for an extended time. UCLA also must find some way to get its run game rolling or there could be more games like this.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils moved into a tie atop the Pac-12 South with Colorado and Utah, but need to get Wilkins back. Arizona State's defense gave up more big plays in the passing game, but came up with the big stops when it counted.

ZANE'S RECORD

Not only did Gonzalez break the NCAA record , his final kicked ended up being the game-winner. The senior had to give it a little body english, but the 46-yard kick early in the fourth quarter curled just inside the upright.

"It wasn't exactly the best kick; I was pretty nervous about it, looking at it the whole way," Gonzalez said. "It was a perfect snap, a perfect hold and I didn't hit it the best. I was watching it the whole way and (holder Matt Haack) was hitting me on the back."

UP NEXT

UCLA plays at Washington State.

Arizona State plays at No. 21 Colorado next Saturday.

Rosen accounts for 4 TDs in UCLA's 45-24 win over Arizona

 UCLA coach Jim Mora challenged his offense at halftime, asking them to play at the same level shown on defense and special teams through the first 30 minutes.

The Bruins responded, with Josh Rosen throwing two of his three touchdowns and rushing for one touchdown after the ultimatum, and UCLA pulled away from Arizona 45-24 on Saturday night.

Rosen was 20 of 37 for 350 yards, Kenneth Walker had four catches for 114 yards with a pair of touchdowns and Darren Andrews added 108 yards receiving and a 26-yard TD run.

"If we could just find a way to put it together as a football team we could be pretty darn dynamic, and that's the challenge," Mora said. "I think it's pretty evident we can play some really good defense. We can play some good special teams. We can play some good offense. We just got to do it all at the same time."

UCLA (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) struggled to run the ball for long stretches, but it didn't matter as the injury-riddled Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) saw their offensive ranks further depleted. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins took a big hit from linebackerKenny Young in the second quarter and was replaced after halftime. Running back Nick Wilson came up limping late in the first quarter.

Right tackle Gerhard de Beer and right tackle Jacob Alsadek also suffered undisclosed injuries, while left guard Freddie Tagaloa did not travel with the team.

Touted freshman Khalil Tate came in at quarterback on Arizona's second possession of the second half, leading a drive that ended in a Josh Pollack field goal. Tate's next drive ended with a 31-yard touchdown toShun Brown. Tate had 72 yards passing and 79 yards rushing in his college debut, throwing a second touchdown to Cam Denson with 38 seconds remaining.

FRESHMAN FINDS

Tate and UCLA wide receiver Theo Howard were among the most accomplished and sought-after high school players in Southern California last year. Those talents were on full display in the Rose Bowl.

Howard caught his first career touchdown early in the third quarter, providing the spark Mora was looking for with a 19-yard catch-and-run where he shook an Arizona defensive back and sprinted up the far sideline. With dropped passes a lingering issue for the UCLA offense, how quickly Howard can become a consistent part of the rotation could determine the ceiling for what Rosen can accomplish this season.

At the start of the season, Tate was expected to redshirt as the fourth-string quarterback seeing only a handful of snaps in practice. With Anu Solomon missing the last four games with a knee injury, those reps increased and coaches told Tate to prepare for the exact situation that unfolded against UCLA.

"Thought he would give us the best chance to score points," Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez said, explaining his decision to play Tate.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona: The decision to play Tate could effectively put the Wildcats into rebuilding mode this season. Despite his declaration, Rodriguez would not have put Tate in there simply as a stopgap measure. Rodriguez apparently decided that Tate's development now takes precedence.

UCLA: After last week's last-second loss to Stanford, the Bruins got everything they needed to remain in the Pac-12 South race. Utah lost at California and Arizona State was pummeled at Southern California, leaving surprising Colorado as the only team in the division unbeaten in conference play. However, UCLA needs improvement from its inconsistent offense to push for the Pac-12 title.

UP NEXT

Arizona: The Wildcats travel to Utah next Saturday. Arizona upset the No. 10 Utes 37-30 in double overtime last season, giving Rodriguez a win over a top 10 team in each of his first four seasons in the desert.

UCLA: The Bruins travel to Arizona State next Saturday for their first conference road game. The visiting team has won the last four games in the series.

No. 7 Stanford rallies past UCLA 22-13

UCLA contained Christian McCaffrey, kept Stanford's offense out of the end zone and generated just enough points to lead the Pac-12 champions until the Cardinal's final drive.

And then everything reverted to usual form in this one-sided California rivalry.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Burnswith 24 seconds to play, and No. 7 Stanford rallied for its ninth consecutive victory over the Bruins, 22-13 on Saturday night.

McCaffrey rushed for 138 yards for the Cardinal (3-0, 2-0 Pac-12), but they struggled on offense for 3 1/2 quarters. Stanford got the ball back with 2:05 left and coolly put together a 70-yard drive capped by Burns' fade to Arcega-Whiteside, who got one foot inbounds on an acrobatic play.

"We just kept our composure from the time we started to the time we finished," Arcega-Whiteside said. "We made mistakes, but you could sense in those last two minutes that we were all going to execute. When we do it, it all pays off."

Solomon Thomas then returned Josh Rosen's fumble 42 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play, punctuating the heartbreak for a lively Rose Bowl crowd. Even with that TD, Stanford had its lowest-scoring performance since the 2015 season opener.

PAIN WITHOUT GAIN

Another stirring Stanford victory was another soul-crushing loss for the Bruins (2-2, 0-1), who haven't beaten their upstate rivals since 2008. They had never even led the Cardinal for more than six minutes in any of those eight straight losses, but UCLA nursed an advantage in this one for nearly three quarters - until Stanford snatched it away again.

"That's about as difficult as it gets," said UCLA coach Jim Mora, who has never beaten Stanford's David Shaw. "It stings when you lose like that, and played so courageously on defense, and done such a great job against a really good team, and they make the play. Doesn't matter who you play. Losing like that is just awful."

ROSEN'S VOW

Rosen passed for 248 yards for the Bruins, hitting Nate Iese for his only touchdown in the first half. He got the Bruins to midfield in the final seconds, but couldn't reach field goal range before fumbling on a sack from behind.

The sophomore passer still thinks UCLA can rally to make the Pac-12 title game.

"It's one of the top teams in our conference, and we're going to see them again," Rosen said. "We're a million percent going to see them again."

THE TAKEAWAY

STANFORD: The Cardinal barely escaped with yet another victory, but UCLA's defense might have provided clues to other teams about how to control McCaffrey and the seemingly unstoppable Stanford offense. This is the type of victory that great programs get, and Shaw's unlikely powerhouse proved its tenacity yet again.

UCLA: The Bruins changed their offensive approach and bulked up their defensive line in the offseason, all with the intention of matching Stanford's brute strength and deceptive sophistication. The positive changes weren't evident in the Bruins' first three games, but they showed up in this matchup - just not quite long enough for a win.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

STANFORD: The Pac-12's highest-ranked team and preseason favorite will stay in the top 10 , but it wasn't impressive. The Cardinal won't move up, but No. 8 Michigan State's loss means they aren't likely to slide much, either.

UCLA: Nope.

UP NEXT

STANFORD: This trip had trap-game potential due to the Cardinal's visit to No. 9 Washington on Friday night in a game that could establish early supremacy in the Pac-12 race.

UCLA: The Bruins stay home for a visit from Arizona after shaking off this heartbreaker.

Defense rules the day as UCLA defeats BYU 17-14

 UCLA will take any win it can get after a season-opening loss to unranked Texas A&M, but Saturday night sure wasn't pretty.

Josh Rosen threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns as UCLA suffocated BYU 17-14 on Saturday night.

Neither offense shined as the two defenses controlled most of the night, but UCLA (2-1) was able to hold BYU (1-2) to 273 yards, including 23 on the ground. The Cougars were limited to negative rushing yards until late in the third quarter and 91 of those offensive yards came on their final possession.

UCLA fans hoped to see the Rosen that's expected to be a high first-round NFL draft pick after a mediocre start to the season, but BYU never allowed him to feel completely comfortable. Rosen, however, completed a handful of big passing plays, including a 33-yard touchdown to Darren Andrews.

"Josh has such high expectations for himself that, sometimes, he lets it get the best of him," UCLA coach Jim Mora said. "He has to realize he's not going to play a perfect game. He just has to play up to his ability level and his capabilities."

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill finished with 250 passing yards, one touchdown one interception and was sacked four times.

"We've got to start clicking offensively," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. "We were able to do it some drives ... but we have to start doing that throughout the game. We need to be able to sustain that and be more consistent. Obviously, that's what our focus is going to be on going into this next week."

THE TAKEAWAY

BYU: A second consecutive loss puts BYU in an awkward position. Such is life as an independent. Without a conference championship to play for, a berth in the College Football Playoffs is basically eliminated. The Cougars are already contracted for the Poinsettia Bowl if they aren't selected to a New Year's Six bowl. With two losses and nine games to go, including Michigan State and Mississippi State, that's unlikely. The BYU defense continued to play better than expected this season, but the offense regressed for a third consecutive game.

"Yeah, it's gut check time," Sitake said. "You can either let adversity divide you or unite you. I think our team is united. We are all on the same page and nobody is pointing fingers or blaming anybody else we just have to be better in some phases than others.

"We just have to get to work. You can't blame it all on one phase - special teams wise, defensively and offensively we just need to play our game plan."

UCLA: The Bruins defense solidified after a pair of shaky performances to start the season. UCLA gave up 378 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in the first two games, but held running back Jamaal Williams to 28 yards and shut down the mobile Hill. The Bruins also blanketed the Cougar receivers, giving Hill few options in the pass game. Jayon Brown had a team-high nine tackles.

"We played a ton of man coverage," Mora said. "Those young men did a tremendous job under a lot of stress and that allowed our rush to get there."

UP NEXT

BYU: The Cougars play their fourth consecutive team from a Power 5 conference with a neutral site game against West Virginia at FedEx Field - home of the Washington Redskins - in Greater Landover, Maryland on Saturday.

UCLA: The Bruins begin Pac-12 play, hosting No. 7 Stanford on Saturday.

STREAKS CONTINUE

UCLA is now 34-1 under Jim Mora when leading at halftime. The Bruins have also won 47 straight regular season games when holding an opponent under 20 points.

NUMBERS SOMETIMES LIE

The Cougars first scoring drive came with the help of three defensive holding calls that totaled 24 yards. One came on a pass in the end zone to give BYU first-and-goal from the two-yard line. That's seven points and a 75-yard drive that may not have happened without the penalties - plus the final 91-yard drive - making the game look closer than it actually was.

QB CONTROVERSY?

Hill struggled mightily for the second consecutive game despite a decent stat sheet. He missed open receivers and was repeatedly run down from behind trying to scramble. Sophomore Tanner Mangum is considered a better pure passer, if Mangum isn't creating with his legs. Sitake said they considered making the change at halftime, but decided against it.

CAN'T COMPLAIN

BYU has held all three Power 5 opponents to 20 points or less this season. Sitake is a former defensive coordinator at Oregon State and Utah, but the defensive unit has exceeded expectations. Butch Pau'u had a career-high 19 tackles Saturday.

QUOTABLE

"I just wasn't connecting," Rosen said. "I wasn't executing. It gets frustrating when balls just kind of sail and get away from you.

"It gets real frustrating. Sometimes you got to go back to basics and kind of look at yourself in the mirror and hit the reset button."

Rosen, Jamabo lead UCLA over UNLV 42-21

Josh Rosen's arm once against captivated the Rose Bowl, but not with his usual passing prowess.

It was a block Rosen threw that stole the show in the Bruins' 42-21 win over UNLV on Saturday. Rosen sprung Soso Jamabo's 23-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, putting his throwing shoulder into 280-pound defensive lineman Salanoa-Alo Wily as the sophomore running back cut back across the field.

"I wanted him to use his left shoulder rather than his right shoulder," UCLA coach Jim Mora said. "I asked him if he could do that next time."

Rosen threw for 267 yards and one touchdown and rushed for one score, Jamabo ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns as the Bruins (1-1) rebounded from a sluggish third quarter to hold off the improving Rebels (1-1).

After posting an emphatic 37-3 win at UNLV last season, Mora was impressed with the improvement coach Tony Sanchez's team had made in less than one year. UCLA needed touchdown runs from Bolu Olorunfunmiand Rosen in the fourth quarter to pull away, with a targeting penalty against safety Kenny Keys extending the UCLA drive that pushed the lead back to 14 points.

"But that was the changing point of the game," Sanchez said. "Third-and-10, we're getting the ball back. All of a sudden you have that, they go down and score. You're chasing it after that."

Fabian Moreau intercepted two of UNLV quarterback Johnny Stanton's passes, taking the first back 52 yards to set up a short touchdown run by Jamabo. Stanton had 153 yards passing for UNLV, which fell to 4-16 all-time against Pac-12 teams. Lexington Thomas added 112 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Stanton found Mekhi Stevenson for a 14-yard touchdown pass late in the first half and scored on an 11-yard run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 28-21. Devonte Boyd had five receptions for 84 yards, but dropped a sure 73-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage.

THE TAKEAWAY

UNLV: It wasn't a signature win for Sanchez, but this gritty performance showed that he has the program trending up in his second season. UNLV hung with the Pac-12 South preseason favorite, demonstrating the energy and athleticism that had been missing for years. If Stanton can become a more consistent passer, a bowl bid isn't out of the question this season.

UCLA: There is plenty of work to be done before conference play begins against nemesis Stanford on Sept. 24. The run defense allowed 175 yards, and UNLV was able to convert 8 of 15 third downs. Rosen and the offense went ice cold in the third quarter. UCLA has plenty of talent but remains wildly inconsistent.

INJURY UPDATE

Already playing without defensive end Takkarist McKinley (groin), the UCLA defensive line got even thinner whenEddie Vanderdoes exited with a right knee strain. Vanderdoes tore his ACL in his left knee last season.

BACK TO SIN CITY

Sanchez was pleased that UNLV was able to compete with UCLA, but less than thrilled with his team's travel arrangements.

When asked what he took away from the game, Sanchez said, "Other than the 4.5 hour bus ride home?"

Unlike the "paycheck" games that filled the Week 2 schedule where smaller teams receive a guaranteed payout, this game completed a home-and-home series with UCLA.

UP NEXT

UNLV: The Rebels are back on the road at Central Michigan with the Chippewas coming off their improbable and controversial 30-27 win at Oklahoma State. UNLV has not won a road nonconference game since 2007.

UCLA: The Bruins wrap up their nonconference schedule at BYU, which represents the end of the early Pac-12 South slate for the Cougars. UCLA's last trip to Provo, Utah in 2008 was a 59-0 thumping, the Bruins' worst loss since 1929.

Knight's TD run in OT lifts Texas A&M over No. 16 UCLA 31-24

Trevor Knight got a tip from assistant coach Jim Turner before facing fourth down from the 1-yard line in overtime in Texas A&M's 31-24 victory over No. 16 UCLA on Saturday.

The offensive line coach noticed how UCLA's defense had approached several plays and told Knight what he should do.

"Coach Turner said ... you're going to have an opportunity to pull this ball and walk it into the end zone," Knight said.

And that's exactly what he did.

Knight threw for 239 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores, including that one in overtime to lead Texas A&M past UCLA in his debut with the Aggies.

Texas A&M sealed the victory when Justin Evans knocked down Josh Rosen's pass at the goal line on fourth down.

"All I'm thinking is: `Man, I've got to make a play. I've got to make a play,'" Evans said. "He threw it up. I went up for it and made a play."

Knight, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, outplayed Rosen.

Rosen threw three interceptions while working under heavy pressure from a defense led by Myles Garrett.

The Aggies looked to have this one wrapped up when they led by 15 in the fourth quarter after using two third-quarter touchdowns.

But UCLA's offense finally got going after that, scoring twice in two minutes with the second one coming on a 62-yard pass by Rosen to cut it two 2. A 2-point conversion after that TD tied it with 2:39 remaining.

The Bruins were driving again after a third straight punt by A&M when Evans intercepted Rosen's pass for the second time to give A&M a chance to win it in regulation.

But Knight's pass was knocked down in the end zone to force overtime.

"I took too long to get going, and that can't happen," Rosen said. "It's a quarterback-driven sport, and you can't have a quarterback play that bad in the first half. It's completely unacceptable."

Knight wasn't the only former Sooner to shine for the Aggies on Saturday. Running back Keith Ford had a touchdown and 65 of A&M's 203 yards rushing in his first game since setting out a year following his transfer from Oklahoma.

NO CONVERSATION

Garrett, who led the Southeastern Conference with 12 1/2 sacks last season, had a sack, 1 1/2 tackles for losses and two quarterback hurries on Saturday. He was asked if Rosen said anything to him.

"We didn't have any chit chat. There was no trash talk," Garrett said. "I just knew I was going to be in his face a lot."

THE TAKEAWAY

UCLA: Rosen will have to make better decisions and the Bruins need to shore up an offensive line that allowed five sacks on Saturday to get back on track and win the Pac-12's South division as they were predicted to do.

TEXAS A&M: Coach Kevin Sumlin will certainly have plenty for Knight to work on after seeing him in game action for the first time with the Aggies. But his solid performance along with the excellent outing by the running game answered some questions about an offense that lost quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray to transfers and got a new offensive coordinator in Noel Mazzone this offseason.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

UCLA: The Bruins will likely fall a few spots in the poll because of the loss, but should remain ranked thanks to the comeback that forced overtime.

Texas A&M: The Aggies were receiving the second-most votes among teams not ranked in the preseason poll, so they should enter the poll next week thanks to the win and several losses among ranked teams on opening weekend.

UP NEXT

UCLA: The Bruins meet UNLV for just the second time next Saturday in their home opener.

TEXAS A&M: The Aggies stay home again next week when they'll face FCS opponent Prairie View, which is just 50 miles away, for the first time.

LAST WORD:

"Proud of our guys to get the win, but the way things happened we've got a lot to work on," Sumlin said. "We kind of went to sleep at the wheel there early in the fourth quarter. We can't have lapses like that."