UCLA 20-13 Fresno State (November 30, 2024) Game Recap

PASADENA, Calif. – Despite all the adversity he has faced throughout this season and his career, Ethan Garbers was able to put together a memorable finale for UCLA.

The senior passed for 289 yards, including a touchdown on his final attempt, as the Bruins rallied for a 20-13 victory over Fresno State in the Rose Bowl.

Garbers, who completed 26 of 40 passes, put it out of reach with a 2-yard touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant with 1:38 left. The 15-play, 78-yard drive, which lasted 6:14, gave the Bruins a 20-10 lead.

“We wanted to finish it. In the second half, everyone came out and dominated,” said Garbers, who completed 26 of 40 passes. “To get a win in the last game in the Rose Bowl is special. I have a lot of great memories here.”

TJ Harden scored the first touchdown in the third quarter for the Bruins (5-7), who have won four of their last six games after a 1-5 start to the season.

“This game was very similar to our season. We had some ups and downs, but my guys were very resilient, continued to play hard and didn’t let anything get in their way,” said DeShaun Foster, who finished his first season as coach. “We kept fighting and were able to get a few points out of halftime and get things going.”

Fresno State (6-6) had a 10-6 halftime lead but took the lead with a three-pointer on the first drive of the second half. UCLA took over the 40 on its own after a punt and gained 56 yards in four plays, capped by Harden’s 5-yard run up the middle for his second touchdown of the season.

The big play of the series came when tight end Moliki Matavao had a 35-yard reception to the Bulldogs’ 5. Matavao finished his career with career highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (120).

Garbers’ senior season epitomized UCLA’s. He had nine interceptions and just four touchdowns in his first five games before turning things around with 12 touchdowns and just two picks in his final six games.

“I burn for him. We wanted to emphasize how bad it was for us to make sure we sent our seniors off the right way,” Foster said.

Fresno State’s Mikey Keene – who came into the game leading the Mountain West in passing yards (2,668) – completed 30 of 43 for 219 yards.

The Bulldogs had a four-game winning streak in the series – including three straight in the Rose Bowl – but lost to the Bruins for the first time since 2000.

“I felt good about how we played and in the second half those breaks that we kept having slowed down the whole pace of the game and then they took advantage of situations,” said interim coach Tim Skipper. “We made long fields.” Attack. Something like that can’t happen when you play against a team like that.”

UCLA opened the scoring with two field goals from Mateen Bhaghani before Raylen Sharpe caught a 7-yard pass from Keene midway through the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead.

Dylan Lynch made two field goals for Fresno State, including a 42-yarder with 31 seconds left, to put the Bulldogs up 20-13.

Lynch attempted an onside kick, but it went out of bounds, ending any hopes of a Bulldogs comeback.

The takeaway food

Fresno State: Skipper doesn’t know what his future status will be beyond the bowl game, but intends to continue recruiting and navigating the transfer portal.

“The bottom line is you have to win. That’s the nature of the business,” he said. “It’s not about me at all. It’s all about these kids.”

UCLA: Linebacker Carson Schwesinger had 15 tackles, including a quarterback sack, after being named a Butkus Award finalist last week. It was the ninth double-digit tackle game for Schwesinger, who leads the Big Ten in total stops.

Next

Fresno State: Will learn its bowl destination on Dec. 8.

UCLA: Opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 against Utah.

——

Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football