UCLA overcomes slow start to win the LA Bowl

INGLEWOOD, California – The UCLA Bruins finished their 2023 college football season with a win. The Bruins came into the Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk limping. The Bruins had lost three of their last four games of the regular season, including getting thumped 33-7 by Cal at the Rose Bowl Stadium. 

When the first half of the LA Bowl went into the books, it looked like UCLA might fold again and end its season on an unglamorous note. The Bruins were down at intermission to Boise State, 16-7. Things changed in the second half for the Bruins. UCLA outscored Boise State 28-6 in the second half to win the ballgame, 35-22. 

The big difference for the Bruins was the third quarter. UCLA scored 21 points in the third quarter while holding Boise State to zero points in the period. UCLA rushed for 280 yards and accounted for another 230 yards through the air to dominate the game. 

After the game, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly talked about his team’s comeback win. 

“I think our defense actually played well in the first half,” Kelly said. “We just missed a couple of tackles. They were where they were supposed to be. The runs were fit the right way. The long screen pass they had, we had a couple shots at ’em, didn’t get them down. Give credit to the running back for Boise. It was a pretty good run by him.

We felt confident, we were in the locker room at halftime, that everything that happened in the first half, it was us, missed tackles on the defense and penalties on the offensive side of the ball. We felt like if we could clean it up, we were poised to break out in the second half. And that’s what happened.

UCLA wrapped up its season with an 8-5 record. Boise State concluded its season at 8-6. Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson took ownership of his team’s loss.   

“Didn’t execute,” Danielson said. “Take full responsibility for it as a team. Defensively we didn’t execute. Offensively we couldn’t sustain drives. And then we gave up some big plays defensively, lost some of the momentum. Work to find ways to get it back and didn’t so I take full responsibility for the whole team. Gotta be better in the second half. When you’re going into the half with a lead and we’re getting the ball we gotta be better. We’ll learn a lot from it, look at the film and be better in the future for it.”