Brandon Dawkins leaves game early in Wildcats loss at UCLA

PASADENA, Calif. — Josh Rosen threw for three touchdowns and rushed for one touchdown, and UCLA defeated Arizona 45-24 on Saturday night.

Rosen was 20 of 37 for 350 yards, Kenneth Walker had four catches for 114 yards with a pair of touchdowns and Darren Andrews added 108 yards receiving and a 26-yard TD run.

UCLA (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) struggled to run the ball for long stretches, but it didn’t matter as the injury-riddled Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) saw their offensive ranks further depleted. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins took a big hit from linebacker Kenny Young in the second quarter and was replaced after halftime. Running back Nick Wilson came up limping late in the first quarter.

Touted freshman Khalil Tate came in at quarterback on Arizona’s second possession of the second half, leading a drive that ended in a Josh Pollack field goal. Tate’s next drive ended with a 31-yard touchdown to Shun Brown. Tate had 72 yards passing and 79 yards rushing in his college debut, throwing a second touchdown to Cam Denson with 38 seconds remaining.

THE TAKEAWAY

Arizona: The decision to play Tate and not have him redshirt could effectively put the Wildcats into rebuilding mode this season. Coach Rich Rodriguez would not have put Tate in there simply as a stopgap measure. Rodriguez apparently decided that Tate’s development now takes precedence.

UCLA: After last week’s last-second loss to Stanford, the Bruins got everything they needed to remain in the Pac-12 South race. Utah lost at California and Arizona State was pummeled at Southern California, leaving surprising Colorado as the only team in the division unbeaten in conference play. However, UCLA needs improvement from its inconsistent offense to push for the Pac-12 title.

UP NEXT

Arizona: The Wildcats travel to Utah next Saturday.

UCLA: The Bruins travel to Arizona State next Saturday.