Field Level Media
Sep 25, 2021
Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Philips one play after Stanford had rallied into a fourth-quarter tie Saturday afternoon, helping the 24th-ranked UCLA Bruins hold off the Cardinal, 35-24.
Thompson-Robinson, who played through a right shoulder injury much of the game, also rushed for two scores. He threw a game-clinching, 5-yard TD pass to Philips with 2:30 remaining for UCLA (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12), which bounced back from a 40-37 home loss to Fresno State last week.
Tanner McKee threw three long touchdown passes for Stanford (2-2, 1-1), including a 46-yarder to Bryce Farrell to tie the score at 21-all with 13:06 remaining.
But Thompson-Robinson fired deep down the middle on UCLA's next play, and the speedy Philips raced untouched into the end zone to give UCLA a lead it never relinquished.
Playing at home for the first time since Week 2 of last season, Stanford closed within 28-24 on a 48-yard field goal by Joshua Karty with 9:10 remaining. But the Bruins ran 6:40 off the clock with a run-dominated drive before Thompson-Robinson connected with Philips from the Cardinal 5-yard line on third-and-goal.
Thompson-Robinson left the game briefly during the final scoring drive to have his shoulder examined. He was able to return to the game, and on the next play threw his short TD pass to Philips.
The senior quarterback threw for 212 yards and the two scores, complementing his 1- and 2-yard TD runs.
Zach Charbonnet added a 5-yard TD run for UCLA, which rushed for 304 yards. Charbonnet had 209 of the yards on 25 carries.
Philips finished with five catches for a game-high 111 yards.
UCLA, which outgained Stanford 516-179, led 21-7 at the break, but McKee caught fire after halftime, first connecting with Elijah Higgins for a 56-yard score before the game-tying dart to Farrell.
McKee, who finished 22-for-33 for 242 yards, also hit Brycen Tremayne for a 19-yard TD in the second quarter.
Higgins was Stanford's primary pass-catcher with 78 yards on four receptions.
Neither team had a turnover.
--Field Level Media