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Seventh-ranked UCLA matched its best start since 2005, riding a suffocating defense to a 27-0 shutout of visiting Nevada on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.
The Bruins (8-0) allowed just 176 yards of total offense and intercepted Nevada quarterback Luke Duncan on each of the Wolf Pack’s first three drives, capped by Derrick Barksdale’s interception return for a touchdown.
Barksdale’s pick-six sparked a UCLA team that started slowly on offense. After a field goal on its opening possession, the Bruins punted three straight times before the defense took over.
Scooter Jackson ended Nevada's first series with an interception, and Jalen Woods picked off Duncan in the red zone on the second drive. Barksdale then returned Duncan's third pass for a score. After the early mistakes, Nevada replaced Duncan with AJ Bianco, who completed 6 of 13 passes for 71 yards.
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Ty Dieffenbach, making his third start in place of the injured Nico Iamaleava, went 16-of-30 for 178 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. In the second quarter, Dieffenbach gave the Bruins some breathing room with a 4-yard touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 71-yard drive.
Dieffenbach put the game out of reach midway through the third quarter, connecting with running back Wayne Knight for a 12-yard touchdown. Knight’s season-long streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown ended, but the score was his second receiving touchdown of the season.
Nevada (3-5) struggled to make headway on the ground, finishing with 65 rushing yards at less than two yards per carry. Herschel Turner Jr. led the Wolf Pack with 28 yards on 11 carries.
Sahir West and Aiden Gobaira controlled the line of scrimmage for UCLA, each recording 1.5 sacks. West had two tackles for loss, while Gobaira finished with three.
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