Bruins top Utah in double overtime, 34-28

WOW.

Just, WOW.

That’s all we have to say.

Thursday night was a tremendous night in our recreated, simulated 2019 season.

Look, we don’t even have to recap the first half, just know it was 14-7 in favor of UCLA, and the second half is where it got interesting.

After a sack knocked Utah QB Tyler Huntley out of the game early in the third quarter, this one had runaway written all over it. However, in true Cinderella story fashion, backup Jason Shelley had other plans. He was forced into action, and into action he went.

A near-scoreless third quarter (Utah tied it up late) saw Joshua Kelley give UCLA another lead midway through the fourth, and had it not been for some unforeseen magic, UCLA’s 10-play drive likely would have sealed a victory had it led to points.

Despite a 10-play drive that ate nearly seven minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, a fumbled snap by Dorian Thompson-Robinson gave the Utes life late in the game, down seven. It didn’t help that Utah’s Leki Fotu rumbled 35 yards to put the Utes into scoring position, but they still needed some Shelley magic.

He hit throw after throw on the final drive until he finally found Zack Moss on a 12-yard wheel route for the game-tying score as time expired. Man, was it a crazy ending to regulation.

Overtime opened with DTR running three consecutive times, for gains of nine, eight and eight, the final run going for six points to open the extra stanza. The Utes responded with a Shelley to Britain Covey touchdown in their possession of overtime, and this one wasn’t done yet. Double overtime, here we came.

For the first time in three quarters, the UCLA defense buckled up and forced a third and long from the UCLA 32-yardline. Shelley was out of magic.

Darnay Holmes wasn’t.

Holmes skied for a jump ball in the end zone, on what clearly looked like an intentional throwaway, coming away with a slick interception that would have been good in the NFL as he planted two feet in bounds.

He gave UCLA the ball back, needing just a field goal to win it.

It didn’t matter, however, as Kelley took a pitch 10 yards for a first down on the field play and on the second play, hauled in what looked like a swing pass to get the ball to the left hash to give JJ Molson a better angle. Kelley would not be denied. He broke three tackles on the play and scampered 15 yards into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown to end it, without even needing the field goal.

The home crowd exploded and it’s safe to say that class for Friday is cancelled.

Kelley totaled four touchdowns for the second week in a row and gave UCLA their first conference win in our recreated season. Utah falls to 1-4 (0-2).

Give it up for Kelley, literally the game-winner.

Passing Stats:
DTR: 10-28, 139 yards, 1 TD
Huntley: 6-10, 60 yards, 0 TD
Shelley: 12-29, 129 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing Stats:
Moss: 27 carries, 162 yards, 1 TD
Kelley: 29 carries, 144 yards, 3 TD

Receiving Stats:
Theo Howard: 5 receptions, 89 yards, 46 YAC
Covey: 5 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD, 20 YAC

Defensive Stats:
Francis Bernard, Utah: 9 total tackles, 6 solo, 3 TFL, 1 sack
Krys Barnes, UCLA: 10 total tackles, 9 solo, 4 TFL, 1 sack

Go Bruins!

Reminder, this is a fictional take on our recreation of the 2019 NCAA football season using last year’s updated rosters and playing the games in NCAA Football 14 on a Playstation3. For more information, check out our intro story.