PASADENA, Calif. – – UCLA knew there was a challenge ahead for the nation’s second-leading rusher, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson.

Not only did the Bruins hold Johnson to his lowest rushing performance of the season, but UCLA’s ground game finally kicked out of first gear.

TJ Harden had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and Ethan Garbers threw two touchdown passes as the Bruins rallied for a 20-17 win Friday night.

Carson Schwesinger had a pair of interceptions to help UCLA win its third straight.

“We went into this week knowing it was a challenge and we were ready for it,” Schwesinger said.

Harden had 125 yards on 20 carries, the fourth time the junior has eclipsed the century mark in his career. His 15-yard gain up the middle after the 2-minute timeout gave UCLA a first down and put the game away.

“I knew I had to play a match like this. We saw the opportunity we had to run the ball against them,” Harden said. “We did a great job picking up blocks consistently.”

The Bruins had a 415-265 advantage in total yards, including 211-80 rushing.

Johnson, who averaged 142.1 rushing yards per game, had a season-low 49 yards on 18 carries.

“For me, in a nutshell, they played the ball extremely efficiently, and we didn’t. Really, I think they played the way they want to play,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.

Quarterback Brendan Sullivan sprained his ankle in the third quarter after taking a hit from UCLA linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo on a pass picked off by Schwesinger. Jackson Stratton came in and led the Hawkeyes on a 13-play TD drive, capped by Kamari Moulton’s 2-yard run from the left tackle, making it 17-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Mateen Bhaghani’s 27-yard field goal with 4:49 remaining put the Bruins ahead for good. Bhaghani also connected from 57 yards out early in the second quarter for the second-longest field goal in school history.

“We came out and really executed like we wanted to,” coach DeShaun Foster said. “They took pride in wanting to outdo them and we did that.”

Garbers, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 204 yards, was able to lead the Bruins (4-5, 3-4 Big Ten) to a win despite three turnovers in the first half. His two interceptions in the first quarter, including one in the end zone, scored 10 Iowa points. The senior also had a fumble on the Iowa 3-yard line, which was recovered by Jaden Harrell in the end zone as the Bruins came away empty in the red zone twice in the second quarter.

Garbers rallied the Bruins with a pair of TD passes in the second quarter.

After Bhaghani’s first field goal, Titus Mokiao-Atimalala tied the score midway through the second quarter on a 2-yard reception set up by Schwesinger’s first pick at the Iowa 45. Garbers then connected with a wide-open Logan Loya for a 29-yard touchdown with 55 seconds left in the first half.

“I didn’t start the game the way I wanted with turnovers. We moved the ball well across the field. I knew everything was there and continued to trust our boys,” said Garbers.

Iowa took a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game on Johnson’s 2-yard run. It was the first time this season that the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown on their opening drive.

It was also the junior’s 21st touchdown of the season, setting Hawkeyes’ single-season records for touchdowns and points.

“Obviously a disappointing result for us. I just finished telling the team, actually, you know, one thing about football: you usually get what you deserve, and we certainly didn’t play well enough to expect to win basically in any category tonight ,” Ferentz said after Iowa fell to sixth place. -4 and 4-3 in the conference. “So disappointing, and nothing really clicked for us.”

The takeaway

Iowa: The Hawkeyes lost for just the third time in 22 games in November, dating back to 2019.

UCLA: After going 1-5 at the half, the Bruins are hoping to get a bowl bid with three straight wins. That would be quite a turnaround, after there were already doubts about first-year coach Foster.

Next

Iowa: At Maryland on November 23.

UCLA: This Friday in Washington.

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