UCLA Football: Joshua Kelley shines in Bruins’ first win under Chip Kelly

UCLA football snapped a five-game losing streak with a dominant win over Cal made possible by an incredible performance from running back Joshua Kelley.

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson only needed to attempt 15 passes as the Bruins rolled to 30-point victory on the road over Cal. The Golden Bears were a ranked team with wins over North Carolina and BYU a few weeks ago, but UCLA made quick work of them on their own turf.

That’s not too hard to do when your lead running back carries the ball 30 times for 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns. That’s becoming par for the course for junior Joshua Kelley, who posted the third100-yard game of his career against Cal a week removed from his first two trips over the century mark against Colorado and Washington. The difference this time? The strong performance was enough to lead the Bruins to victory.

The Bruins’ potent rushing attack, combined with a five-turnover performance from their defense turned an otherwise equally matched game into a blowout. UCLA and Cal produced comparable stats in first downs (20 for UCLA, 20 for Cal), total yardage (348 for UCLA, 310 for Cal) and third down conversions (5-for-14 for UCLA and 3-for-14 for Cal). None of that matters when you turn the ball over five times.

Cal quarterback Brandon McIlwain tossed two picks and fumbled twice. Running back Patrick Laird added a fumble of his own. By and large, it was a forgettable evening for the Bears who will have to turn things around down the stretch to secure bowl eligibility, something that UCLA will have to wait at least one more year to experience under Kelly. For now, they earned a win — that’s a step in the right direction.