UCLA Football: What we learned in Bruins’ loss to Colorado

2. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has the ability to carry UCLA

Although the comeback effort came up just short, the display of poise from junior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was impressive to say the least.

DTR threw for over 300 yards, rushed for over 100 yards, and totalled four touchdowns to two turnovers. In the second half, Thompson-Robinson played a near perfect game, not turning the ball over and totalling three touchdowns.

While Colorado’s defense is not the best in the conference, the Bruins could have easily rolled over and died after going down four scores early. Rather, DTR put the team on his back, making play-after-play to keep the game competitive.

The highlight play from Thompson-Robinson came on the second play of the second half, as DTR scrambled for a 65-yard touchdown run to cut the Bruins’ deficit to 14. Thompson-Robinson has always been a capable runner throughout his career at UCLA, however his ability to clutch up during a comeback effort and rely on his legs, rather than try to force the ball down the field, was a sign of growth in the quarterback’s third season under center.

With the Bruins facing off against the top-two teams in the Pac-12 from last season in back-to-back weeks, Thompson-Robinson will certainly need to put the team on his back again. Ideally he won’t be dealt a 28-point deficit in either game, but a successful upset in either game starts and finishes under center.