The 2022 UCLA Bruins football team represent the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team is led by fifth-year head coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game a ...

and competes as members of the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

. After starting the season 5–0 for the first time since

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, the Bruins made their first appearance of the season in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

at No. 18.

Previous season

Offseason

Incoming transfers

The Bruins added 3 players via transfer during the offseason: * DL Laiatu Latu –

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

* LB Darius Muasau –

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

* WR

Jake Bobo Jackson Bobo (born August 4, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Duke before transferring to UCLA and was signed as an undrafted free agent by ...

–

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

(graduate)

Preseason

* The Bruins began spring practices on Tuesday, March 29 until Saturday, April 30 * The 2022 Spring Showcase will be held on Saturday, April 23 – 9 a.m. and shown on P12 Network *

Dorian Thompson-Robinson Dorian Trevor Thompson-Robinson (born November 14, 1999), also known by his initials DTR, is an American football quarterback for the UCLA Bruins. He has been a two-time second-team all-conference selection in the Pac-12 (2020, 2021). Early yea ...

and

Zach Charbonnet Zachariah Charbonnet (born January 8, 2001) is an American football running back. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines before transferring to UCLA Bruins in 2021. He was a two-time all-conference selection in the Pac-12 with ...

named to the

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

watch list * Dorian Thompson-Robinson named to the O'Brien Award watch list * Zach Charbonnet is listed for the

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football League ...

named to the

Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

watch list * Michael Ezeike named to the

John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ac ...

watch list * Carl Jones Jr. and Darius named to the

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watch list * Chase Griffin added to the

Wuerffel Trophy The Wuerffel Trophy is an award given annually to the college football player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement." The trophy, designed by W. Stanley Proctor and named in honor of former Universi ...

watch list * Kazmeir Allen named to the

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) with the support of Paul Hornung, a native and resident of Louisville, Kentucky and member of the College Football Hall o ...

watch list * Pac-12 media day was held on July 29, 2022 at Novo Theater,

L.A. Live L.A. Live is an entertainment complex in the South Park District of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the Crypto.com Arena and Los Angeles Convention Center. L.A. Live was developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), Wach ...

featuring Chip Kelly (3:00 p.m.), Jon Gaines II (OL) and Stephan Blaylock (DB) * UCLA is picked as the 4th place team in the preseason Pac-12 Conference media poll * Jack Landherr IV was added to the

Patrick Mannelly Award The Patrick Mannelly Award is an award given annually in the United States to the best college football long snapper. The award is named after Duke Blue Devils alum and former Chicago Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly. The award was founded in ...

watch list * Dorian Thompson-Robinson is named to the

Manning Award The Manning Award has been presented annually since the 2004 football season to the collegiate American football quarterback as judged by the Sugar Bowl Committee to be the best in the United States. It is the only quarterback award that incl ...

watch list

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Schedule

*Sources:

Game summaries

vs Bowling Green

This is the first meeting between the Falcons and the Bruins. Quarterbacking for Bowling Green is Matt McDonald, son of former

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

All-American quarterback Paul McDonald. UCLA linebacker Shea Pitts is the son of former UCLA defensive back

Ron Pitts Ronald Dwayne Pitts (born October 14, 1962) is a former professional American football player and current sportscaster. He played cornerback in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers, and played college football a ...

(1981-84). 27,143 people is the lowest attended game in UCLA history at the Rose Bowl, edging out 1992's Oregon State vs UCLA, which 32,513 people attended.

vs Alabama State ( FCS)

First game in program history against a FCS team.

vs South Alabama

at Colorado

vs No. 15 Washington

Thompson-Robinson threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another touchdown as UCLA defeated No. 15

40–32 for the Huskies' first loss of the year. The Bruins extended their winning streak to eight games, dating back to

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

vs No. 11 Utah

UCLA won 42–32 over No. 11

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, the highest-ranked opponent the Bruins had defeated under coach Kelly. Charbonnet finished with a career-high 198 yards rushing and a touchdown. Thompson-Robinson completed 76 career passing touchdowns, the most in UCLA history.

at No. 10 Oregon

UCLA lost 45–30 to No. 10

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

for their first loss of the season. After going up 17–10 in the second quarter, the Ducks recovered an

onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the o ...

, a play they had practiced all week after spotting an opening in the Bruins' kickoff coverage. Oregon proceeded to score another touchdown to lead 24–10.

vs Stanford

at Arizona State

vs Arizona

UCLA lost 34–28 to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, who entered the game as -point

underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...

s. The Bruins surrendered 436 total yards and 6.7 yards per play to the Wildcats. UCLA had a chance to comeback on the final play of the game on 4th-and-10 from the Arizona 29-yard line. A

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing (as a “scramb ...

Thompson-Robinson thew under pressure to an open

, who dove but was unable to catch the ball in the end zone. UCLA played without running back-receiver Kazmeir Allen, who was out due to an unspecified injury. Their streak of nine consecutive wins against unranked teams ended, while Arizona halted their eight-game road losing streak against ranked teams.

vs No. 7 USC

UCLA was eliminated from conference championship contention after losing 48–45 to No. 7

. The Trojans gained 649 yards, the most the Bruins have allowed since giving up 720 yards to

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. USC quarterback

Caleb Williams Caleb Williams (born November 18, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the USC Trojans. Williams played for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021 before transferring to USC as a sophomore in 2022, where he won several player of the year awards, i ...

had 503 yards of

total offense Total offense (or total offence) is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the ...

, passing for 470 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another. Thompson-Robinson threw for four touchdowns and also ran for two others, but he committed four turnovers, with the last of his three interceptions ending the game. UCLA jumped ahead 14–0 in the game, and held a 21–20 lead at halftime. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the second half, ending the game with a combined 93 points, five turnovers and over 1,000 yards on offense. It was the first game in the history of their crosstown rivalry that both teams started Black quarterbacks. It was the first time that both teams were ranked entering the matchup since

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

at California

vs Pittsburgh (
Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...
)

Rankings

Statistics

:''Updated through November 20, 2022'' Source:

Awards and honors

* September 28 – Shea Pitts is a semifinalist for the 2022

William V. Campbell Trophy The William V. Campbell, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is awarded by the National Football Foundation to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance. It i ...

* September 30 –

a Top 25 candidates,

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...

* October 12 – Laiatu Latu is listed on the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award watch list * October 19 – Head coach

was named to the

Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award is an annual college football award given to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision head coach whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. The award is named for Bobby Dodd, l ...

watch list * November 1 – Dorian Thompson-Robinson was named the

Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...

QB Class * November 1 – Zach Charbonnet was the

Doak Walker Ewell Doak Walker II (January 1, 1927 – September 27, 1998) was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. Walker then played professio ...

National Running Back of the Week and the

Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. The Rose ...

Pac-12 Player of the Week; Zach Charbonnet was named a semifinalist for the

* November 8 – Kazmeir Allen named to the

Honor Roll * November 14 – Jack Landherr IV named the

semifinalist * November 15 – Coach

DeShaun Foster DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980) is a former American football running back, who currently serves as the running backs coach at UCLA. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played coll ...

is placed on the

Broyles Award The Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles. The award is presented in Little R ...

list; Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...

semifinalist; Offensive unit is a

Joe Moore Award The Joe Moore Award is awarded annually to the best college football offensive line unit. The award is presented by the Joe Moore Foundation for Teamwork and they state that "The Joe Moore Award for the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit will a ...

semifinalist * November 16 – Zach Charbonnet is a

Walter Camp Player of the Year Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...

semifinalist * November 22 – Zach Charbonnet is a 2022 Doak Walker National Collegiate Running Back Award semifinalist * December 9 – Zach Charbonnet is named to the First Team

FWAA The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media ou ...

All-American, the Associated Press College Football All-America second team * December 20 – Jake Bobo named to the First Team

Academic All-American The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are giv ...

; Laiatu Latu is a 2022 College Football Comeback Player of the Year Award winner

References

{{UCLA Bruins football navbox

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

UCLA Bruins football seasons

UCLA Bruins football The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in college football as members of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Bruins play their home games at the ...