UCLA stays unbeaten at 9-0 with 34-20 win at Minnesota

Ty Dieffenbach threw two 75-yard touchdown passes to Aidan Mizell in the fourth quarter and UCLA stayed unbeaten with a 34-20 win at Minnesota, the AP reported via ESPN.

Dieffenbach, who took over a month ago for the injured Nico Iamaleava, finished with a career-high 303 yards on just eight completions. Wayne Knight rushed for 109 yards and his 15th touchdown of the season for the Bruins, who improved to 9-0 and 6-0 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota fell to 5-4 and 3-3. Quarterback Drake Lindsey passed for 205 yards and a touchdown that tied the game at 17 late in the third quarter, but the Gophers’ defense gave up two crushing coverage breakdowns on consecutive one-play possessions.

“Two plays, 150 yards: That’s the story of the game,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said.

What the coverage missed

UCLA has outscored opponents 110-39 in the fourth quarter. That is not luck and it is not a fluke. Bob Chesney conditions his teams to finish, and the Bruins are deeper than Minnesota. By the fourth quarter, the Gophers were gassed and the Bruins had fresh receivers running past the secondary.

Dieffenbach’s 303 yards on eight completions is the stat of the day. That is 37.9 yards per completion. He is not dinking and dunking. He is throwing deep to a transfer from Florida who runs a 10.5 100-meter, and Minnesota could not cover him. Mizell had two catches for 150 yards and two scores. That is 75 yards per catch.

The playoff committee ranked UCLA eighth in the first CFP rankings. The Bruins are 9-0 with a win at Minnesota, and they are behind three two-loss teams. Chesney’s response was perfect: “Don’t worry about watching this four-week drama series.” He is right not to care, because if UCLA wins out, they are in. The math is simple.

Minnesota kicker Luke Drzewiecki had made 26 straight field goals, an FBS record. He missed two 56-yarders in this game. Both misses gave UCLA short fields that turned into touchdowns. Fleck defended the decisions by pointing to his offense, which had produced the second-fewest yards in the conference. When your offense cannot move the ball, you try 56-yard field goals. When your kicker misses two of them, you lose.

What I think

UCLA is the most interesting team in the country and nobody is paying attention. They were 3-9 last year. They hired Chesney from James Madison, where he took the Dukes to the playoff. He lost his starting quarterback to injury in October. He is 9-0 anyway.

The Bruins are not the most talented team in the Big Ten. They might be the fifth or sixth most talented. But they are coached better than anyone, they do not beat themselves, and they finish games. That is a formula that works in November.

The playoff committee will eventually have to rank them. You cannot keep a 9-0 Power Four team behind two-loss SEC teams and expect anyone to take the process seriously. UCLA plays USC in three weeks. Win that and the argument is over.

Minnesota is not a bad team. They are injured. Their top two centers are out for the season, and the pass protection has collapsed. Lindsey is a freshman making throws behind a patchwork line. Fleck is a good coach in a bad spot. They will be fine next year. This year is about surviving.