Ethan Garbers threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns as No. 23 UCLA used its defense to overcome four first-half turnovers and earn a 28–16 victory Saturday, Oct. 28, over Colorado in a Pac-12 game at Pasadena, Calif.
T.J. Harden rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown for the Bruins (6–2, 3–2 Pac-12), who improved to 4–0 at home. The Bruins’ Carson Steele rushed for 75 yards with a touchdown reception but turned the ball over twice on first-half fumbles.
UCLA’s defense recorded seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss after entering 11th in FBS in total defense with 282.6 yards allowed per game.
Under pressure all game, quarterback Shedeur Sanders was 27–of–43 passing for 217 yards and a touchdown for the Buffaloes (4–4, 1–4), who lost for the fourth time in their last five games. Sanders’ TD came with 2:37 remaining on an 18-yard pass to Jimmy Horn Jr.
Horn had six catches for 35 yards and Xavier Weaver had five receptions for 86 yards for Colorado, which had just 38 yards rushing. The Buffaloes lost safety Shilo Sanders after he was ejected with just over three minutes remaining in the first half on a targeting call.
Colorado was held to 107 total yards in the first half and 255 for the game. UCLA had 487 yards of total offense.
Colorado scored on both of its first two drives but was held to field goals of 31 and 39 yards by Alejandro Mata. After Mata’s initial field goal on Colorado’s opening drive, the Buffaloes got the ball right back when Travis Hunter intercepted Garbers on UCLA’s third play.
The Bruins’ defense limited the Buffaloes to one red-zone drive in the first half and UCLA took a 7–6 lead early in the second quarter when Steele caught a 3-yard TD pass from Garbers.
Without Sanders in the secondary, UCLA sliced through the Colorado defense on the opening drive of the second half. The Bruins went 75 yards in two plays to open the third quarter, with Garbers hitting Logan Loya on a 49-yard pass, then finding Moliki Matavao on a 26-yard TD pass for a 14–6 lead.
Mata added a 34-yard field goal for Colorado in the third quarter before UCLA took over in the fourth. Harden scored on a 3-yard run with 14:13 remaining and Collin Schlee added a 7-yard TD on a keeper for a 28–9 advantage after taking over for Garbers.
