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By Ellis Williams
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UCLA Bruins quarterback Ty Dieffenbach had more to overcome than the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ pass defense Saturday.
An interception and a lost fumble threatened to derail his afternoon, but he still had time to turn those mistakes into a footnote.
UCLA wide receiver Aidan Mizell provided the opening. His two 75-yard touchdown catches on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions broke open a tight game, sending the Bruins to a 34-20 road victory and keeping them unbeaten at 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten.
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Dieffenbach finished with a career-high 303 passing yards despite completing just eight of 16 attempts. Three of those completions went for touchdowns. The result was an average of nearly 38 yards every time a UCLA receiver caught one of his passes.
UCLA identified Dieffenbach as the only FBS player since at least 1995 to throw for 300 or more yards on eight or fewer completions. The performance also matched his career high for touchdown passes and gave him his first multi-touchdown passing game as a Bruin.
“I knew I was going to get my shot, and I was ready,” Dieffenbach said after the game. “I’ve always been ready. So just keep preparing.”
UCLA head coach Bob Chesney emphasized the quarterback’s response to difficult stretches. Rather than carrying the frustration from a poor series into the next one, Dieffenbach learned from those mistakes and adjusted, Chesney explained. That response mattered in a game Minnesota kept close well into the second half.
The production was not limited to one target. Seven Bruins caught passes, with Mizell the only player to make more than one reception. UCLA tight end Noah Fox-Flores contributed a 27-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, and wide receiver Semaj Morgan’s 54-yard reception helped set up an early field goal.
Mizell’s two scores accounted for 150 of Dieffenbach’s yards, just under half his total. The other six completions produced 153 yards. For all the attention the late touchdowns deserved, the Bruins had found substantial gains through the air before their decisive burst.
The turnovers still left room for improvement. Yet UCLA’s passing-game explosiveness gave Dieffenbach a way to recover without needing a high-volume afternoon.
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