TicketsPASADENA, Calif. -- Michael Warren II rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, and Cincinnati spoiled Chip Kelly's coaching debut at UCLA by throttling the Bruins' offense in a 26-17 victory Saturday night.
Bryan Wright forced a fumble that led to a tiebreaking safety with 9:45 to play, and the Bearcats' defense limited UCLA to 306 yards in the first game of Kelly's ballyhooed return to collegiate coaching after a six-year absence.
Kelly lost only seven combined games during his wildly successful four-year tenure with the Ducks, but after two unsuccessful NFL stops, he's leading a rebuilding project at UCLA. In his debut, he frequently tried to run his famed offense with a freshman quarterback, center and running back after his starting QB got hurt.
"I'm disappointed in the mistakes that we made," Kelly said. "Disappointed in the mistakes that we made as coaches, putting guys in position to make plays. ... We can control our attitudes, and we can control our effort. Are we disappointed? Yeah. Anytime you put the amount of time we do into something, it hurts."
Thanks largely to solid work by UCLA's defense, the game was even in the fourth quarter. But shortly after Wright stripped UCLA freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and forced a safety, the Bearcats stopped the Bruins on downs at the UCLA 36.
Cincinnati then got its only offensive points of the second half with 1:44 to play on Warren's third 1-yard TD run, setting off a celebration for the Bearcats and their hearty cheering section.
"We don't want to look too far ... (but) we're going to enjoy this," said coach Luke Fickell, whose team went 4-8 last season in his debut. "Winning college football games is not easy. We went through a lot of (losses) last year. There's something we're going to have to handle that's a little bit different now, and that's praise."
Freshman Desmond Ridder passed for 100 yards and ran for 63 more after replacing senior starter Hayden Moore in the third offensive series for the Bearcats, but he struggled in the second half before the defense brought it home with a series of big plays.
Warren scored the clinching TD after the Bearcats initially lined up for a field goal, only for Fickell to change his mind after a UCLA penalty moved the ball from the Bruins 2 to the 1.
"It was a great team win, and I feel like it's going to bring us together," Wright said.
Kelly deliberately revealed little about the look and style of his first team at UCLA during the past months, but nothing was inordinately flashy or unusual about the Bruins' game plan — and Thompson-Robinson was inconsistent after taking over for injured starter Wilton Speight. The senior Michigan transfer injured his back in the first half.
Thompson-Robinson flashed tremendous arm strength, but went 15 of 25 for 117 yards, missing several big throws.
"Just too many mistakes," Kelly said. "But it's about giving them an opportunity to play. ... It's a younger team. Not a lot of experience. That's not an excuse. That's just a reality."
// UP NEXT
Possession of the Victory Bell is on the line when Cincinnati takes on Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Sept. 8, at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast by ESPN3.
Bryan Wright forced a fumble that led to a tiebreaking safety with 9:45 to play, and the Bearcats' defense limited UCLA to 306 yards in the first game of Kelly's ballyhooed return to collegiate coaching after a six-year absence.
Kelly lost only seven combined games during his wildly successful four-year tenure with the Ducks, but after two unsuccessful NFL stops, he's leading a rebuilding project at UCLA. In his debut, he frequently tried to run his famed offense with a freshman quarterback, center and running back after his starting QB got hurt.
"I'm disappointed in the mistakes that we made," Kelly said. "Disappointed in the mistakes that we made as coaches, putting guys in position to make plays. ... We can control our attitudes, and we can control our effort. Are we disappointed? Yeah. Anytime you put the amount of time we do into something, it hurts."
Thanks largely to solid work by UCLA's defense, the game was even in the fourth quarter. But shortly after Wright stripped UCLA freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and forced a safety, the Bearcats stopped the Bruins on downs at the UCLA 36.
Cincinnati then got its only offensive points of the second half with 1:44 to play on Warren's third 1-yard TD run, setting off a celebration for the Bearcats and their hearty cheering section.
"We don't want to look too far ... (but) we're going to enjoy this," said coach Luke Fickell, whose team went 4-8 last season in his debut. "Winning college football games is not easy. We went through a lot of (losses) last year. There's something we're going to have to handle that's a little bit different now, and that's praise."
Freshman Desmond Ridder passed for 100 yards and ran for 63 more after replacing senior starter Hayden Moore in the third offensive series for the Bearcats, but he struggled in the second half before the defense brought it home with a series of big plays.
Warren scored the clinching TD after the Bearcats initially lined up for a field goal, only for Fickell to change his mind after a UCLA penalty moved the ball from the Bruins 2 to the 1.
"It was a great team win, and I feel like it's going to bring us together," Wright said.
Kelly deliberately revealed little about the look and style of his first team at UCLA during the past months, but nothing was inordinately flashy or unusual about the Bruins' game plan — and Thompson-Robinson was inconsistent after taking over for injured starter Wilton Speight. The senior Michigan transfer injured his back in the first half.
Thompson-Robinson flashed tremendous arm strength, but went 15 of 25 for 117 yards, missing several big throws.
"Just too many mistakes," Kelly said. "But it's about giving them an opportunity to play. ... It's a younger team. Not a lot of experience. That's not an excuse. That's just a reality."
// UP NEXT
Possession of the Victory Bell is on the line when Cincinnati takes on Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Sept. 8, at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast by ESPN3.