LOS ANGELES — Chip Kelly finally did it. He won a nonconference game at UCLA.
It took four seasons and seven tries, but there was no doubt Saturday afternoon that the Bruins were the far superior team at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA’s 44-10 victory over Hawaii also gave Kelly his first victory in a season opener with the Bruins and may have heralded that this team is capable of far greater things than a rout over a Mountain West Conference opponent.
Kelly’s nonconference record had been such a sore spot with UCLA fans that it could be rattled off at a moment’s notice: He had gone 0-6, including 0-4 against Group of Five opponents.
No more.
UCLA dominated in every facet Saturday. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown combined for 184 yards and four touchdowns, an attacking defense held the Rainbow Warriors without a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and the Bruins’ special teams blocked a punt for a touchdown.
Skeptics screaming “It’s just Hawaii!” should get some answers as to the Bruins’ potency in just a week. No. 16 Louisiana State and its throng of fans will visit the Rose Bowl on Sept. 4, providing more definitive clues whether UCLA will be a player on the national stage, or what happened Saturday was just a Hawaiian dream.
The announced attendance of 32,982 was the second lowest for a UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, topping only a crowd of 32,513 against Oregon State in November 1992.
