UCLA football grounds down Iowa for 3rd straight win

PASADENA The UCLA football team extended its winning streak to three games and achieved its first home triumph of the season Friday night with a 20-17 victory over Iowa.

Special teams and defense helped the Bruins (4-5 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) recover from a 10-point deficit and limit Iowa (6-4, 4-3) in front of 53,467 at the Rose Bowl.

Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, had two interceptions and the rushing attack had its most successful game of the season with 211 yards.

Running back T.J.

Harden led the way with 125 yards.

Schwesinger grabbed an interception and the defense forced a three-and-out to set the Bruins up for two touchdowns in the first half after Mateen Bhaghani hit the second-longest field goal in program history by sending the ball just barely over the crossbar from 57 yards out.

Schwesingers interception set UCLA up at the 45-yard line and allowed Harden and Jalen Berger to combine for runs that got the Bruins to the 2-yard line.

Garbers fired a short pass to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for the touchdown to tie the score at 10.

The defense forced Iowa to punt for the first time toward the end of the second quarter and got the ball back in Garbers hands.

The redshirt senior and Logan Loya teamed up to pull UCLA ahead 17-10 when they connected for passes of 11 and 29 yards the latter resulting in a touchdown when Loya cradled the ball as he fell into the end zone with 3:23 left in the half.

Loya was sure-handed amid an offense that was without tight end Moliki Matavao and receivers Rico Flores, Jr.

and J.Michael Sturdivant.

He finished with five catches for 94 yards.

UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano stripped the ball from Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan, reaching in to scoop the ball out of the crook of the quarterbacks arm before the first half came to a close.

On the other side of the break, Schwesinger grabbed his second interception of the game after Oluwafemi Oladejo came off the edge to pressure Sullivan.

Sullivan left the game due to an apparent injury in the third quarter and the Hawkeyes brought in Jackson Stratton, their fifth-string quarterback who had joined Iowa as a walk-on after previously playing for Colorado State.

Still, Iowa managed to put together a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter by going 61 yards in 14 plays.

Kamari Moulton punched the ball in from a yard out to tie the game at 17 despite pressure from Oladejo and a pass breakup by Ramon Henderson earlier in the drive.

Bhaghani added a 27-yard field goal with 4:49 left that proved to be the winning score.

UCLA next travels to Washington for a 6 p.m.

tipoff Friday and returns to Rose Bowl Stadium on Nov.

23 to play USC..

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