Sports
No. 4 UCLA survives a scare and a soaking rain to beat Illinois 22-14 for its first 10-0 start since 1998
Ty Dieffenbach came back from an arm injury to throw the go-ahead touchdown. Scooter Jackson picked off two passes as the Bruins stayed perfect.
It was not pretty. UCLA is still perfect anyway.
Ty Dieffenbach threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns after coming back from an arm injury as No. 4 UCLA beat Illinois 22-14 on a rainy Friday night at the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins are 10-0 for the first time since 1998. A year ago UCLA went 3-9.
The scare
Dieffenbach went down in the second quarter clutching his left arm. He was helped off the field.
He did not start the second half. Third-string quarterback Madden Iamaleava went 3 of 7 for 21 yards as the offense stalled.
Dieffenbach came back late in the third quarter to a roar from the crowd. He led an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Semaj Morgan for a 19-7 lead with 11:38 left.
Coach Bob Chesney said Dieffenbach had been dealing with an elbow injury on his non-throwing arm as well as a sore ankle.
Scooter Jackson seals it
Illinois answered with a touchdown to make it 19-14 with 7:14 left. The Illini then drove past midfield with under five minutes to go.
Cornerback Scooter Jackson ended that threat with his second interception of the night. He returned it 41 yards to set up a 37-yard field goal by Mateen Bhaghani.
Jackson has five interceptions this season to lead the Big Ten.
Big plays all night
Aidan Mizell caught six passes for a career-high 176 yards. That included a 54-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
UCLA led 10-0 at halftime. Aiden Gobaira then sacked quarterback Katin Houser in the end zone for a safety early in the third quarter.
The Bruins held Illinois to 240 yards and picked off three passes.
"They just don't give up," Chesney said. "They just believe that they have a shot to win every game and that they're going to find a way."
History for Chesney
Chesney is the first UCLA coach to start his tenure 10-0. It is only the third time the Bruins have won 10 regular-season games, joining the 1946 and 1988 teams.
What's next
UCLA plays at Michigan next Saturday in its first trip to Ann Arbor since 1996. The Bruins close the regular season against USC on Nov. 28 at the Rose Bowl.
Illinois fell to 6-4.
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