Zach Charbonnet and UCLA Crush Stanford 38-13 at Homecoming

UCLA Bruins #24 Zach Charbonnet (RB) running loose for a big gain against the Stanford Cardinal’s defense at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

PASADENA, CA - A day after the 100th anniversary of the Rose Bowl opening, the UCLA Bruins paid their respects by beating the Stanford Cardinals 38-13 for their Homecoming Night.

The Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 18 of his 29 passes for 199-yards and one rushing touchdown., and Tanner McKee from Stanford completed 13 of his 29 passes for 115-yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

The win comes ahead of the first College Football Playoff rankings this Tuesday, with UCLA sending a powerful message to the CFP committee with their 25-point blowout of Stanford led by star running back Zach Charbonnet.

Charbonnet carved up the Cardinal defense for 198 yards and three touchdowns. UCLA was firing on all cylinders, and their defense left its imprint on the game.

Stanford Cardinal #18 Tanner McKee (QB) in the grasp of UCLA Bruins #15 Laiata Latu (LB) at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson gave UCLA a 7-3 lead with his 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Moments later, Charbonnet scored his first touchdown with a 23-yard run to give the Bruins a 14-3 lead.

That scoring blitz energized the crowd in the stadium, including NBA Star Zion Williamson in attendance, who was cheering on the sidelines next to the Bruins' bench.

UCLA Bruins #1 Dorian Thompson-Robinson (QB) throwing a pass to one of his receivers downfield at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

This was evident during the numerous third down plays including the gong-ringing on 3rd & 21 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. The bell ringing and crowd noise led to a near sack of Stanford's quarterback Tanner McKee, who struggled to get a pass off.

"Getting to hear the crowd hyped and everything, definitely brings juice to the team," said UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Stanford had all the momentum entering this matchup after coming off back-to-back wins, while UCLA was trying to forget their first loss last week against Oregon.

UCLA Bruins #24 Zach Charbonnet (RB) leaping over a Stanford Cardinal defender at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1

UCLA's high-octane offense annihilated Stanford's defense for 38 points, a defense that was the primary reason for both of their wins the past two weeks. The Cardinal defense had allowed only 14 points against Notre Dame and Oregon State before giving up 38 tonight.

Stanford's lack of offense didn't help their cause either, not scoring a single touchdown until most of the Bruin defensive starters were on the bench with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

Stanford Cardinal #8 Brendon Barrow (RB) got lose in the open field against the UCLA Bruins’ defense at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Before that garbage time touchdown when the score was 38-6, the Cardinal did not score a touchdown in their last 13 quarters dating back to early October.

"It was probably one of our worst games in a while," said Stanford linebacker Ricky Miezan. "This one hurt. We have to go back and evaluate it tomorrow.

Charbonnet would score his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give UCLA a 17-3 lead.

"He's special, he's big, he's fast, he wears you down. He started getting too many yards," said Stanford coach David Shaw.

Coach Shaw's praise was valid after Charbonnet scored his third touchdown in the third quarter with a 37-yard touchdown run where he bolted up in the middle and made a few jukes to make a defender miss before bouncing off of two would-be tacklers on his way to the endzone making the score 31-6.

"Charbonnet is one of the harder running backs to tackle in all of college football. Probably the most physical running back we'll see this year," said Cardinal linebacker Miezan.

UCLA Bruins #24 Zach Charbonnet's (RB) 37-yard touchdown was his third one against the Stanford Cardinal’s defense at the Rose Bowl. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Whether running the football, receiving, or blocking during pass protection, Charbonnet did everything his coach asked of him on the night.

"He is a three-down back. That's why he's going to have a career after UCLA, playing professional football because he can do it all," said UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. "He can pick up pass protection. He's a weapon coming out of the backfield, and obviously, we saw what he's like when he runs the football."

There were some questions looming about how the Bruins would do on defense without their defensive coordinator Bill McGovern missing the game due to illness.

"We played well, and Coach Clancy stepped in. It's like nothing happened," said Muasau.

The Bruin onslaught running the football did not stop with Chardonnet. Kazmeir Allen put the final nail in the coffin after running through Stanford's defense for a 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, which capped off a 99-yard six-play drive giving the Bruins a 38-6 lead.

"He's really valuable. He's a guy that has a chance to hit a home run every single time he has the ball in his hands. I was really happy to see that he got a rushing touchdown today," said Kelly of Allen.

Tonight's win in front of the 48,350 in attendance brings UCLA to 7-1 on the season and keeps them in the running for the College Football playoff. The Bruins will head to Arizona State next week for their showdown with the (3-5) Sun Devils.