UCLA pulls off late comeback to beat BYU 24-23

Junior running back Paul Perkins had a monster game to help 10th-ranked UCLA overcome a poor performance by freshman quarterback Josh Rosen in a 24-23 victory over No. 19 BYU on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Perkins carried 26 times for 219 yards and one touchdown for the Bruins (3-0), who rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Rosen completed just 11 of 23 passes for 106 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Rosen was outdone by BYU freshman Tanner Mangum, who completed 30 of 47 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown for the Cougars (2-1). Senior running back Adam Hine rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries.

The Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Hine scored on a 7-yard run with 9:39 to play in the opening quarter. Hine's touchdown capped an 11-play, 71-yard drive on BYU's first possession.

The Bruins cut the deficit to 7-3 when Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 35-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The Cougars answered with a field goal of their own, extending the lead to 10-3 on a 40-yarder by Trevor Samson with 9:18 remaining in the first half.

UCLA tied the game at 10-10 on a 5-yard run by Perkins with 9:27 to go in the third quarter. BYU answered quickly, going up 17-10 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mangum to senior wide receiver Mitch Mathews with 6:26 to go in the third.

The Cougars extended their lead to 20-10 on a 45-yard field goal by Samson early in the fourth, but the Bruins battled back. They cut the deficit to 20-17 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Rosen to senior wide receiver Jordan Payton with 12:16 remaining, capping a five-play, 68-yard drive.

BYU went up 23-17 on a 32-yard field goal by Samson with 5:39 to go, but the Bruins mounted a seven-play, 80-yard drive to take their first lead of the game on a 3-yard run by sophomore running back Nate Starks with 3:21 to play.

BYU amassed 405 yards of total offense. UCLA had 402. The Cougars dominated time of possession, but they managed to score only three points off three UCLA turnovers. The Bruins won despite going just 1 of 9 on third-down conversions.

NOTES: UCLA faced BYU for the first time since 2008, when the then-18th-ranked Cougars crushed the Bruins 59-0 in Provo, Utah. ... The Bruins and Cougars are scheduled to meet again next season in Provo. ... This is the third consecutive season in which UCLA has been ranked in the top 10. ... The last time BYU defeated a top-10 team was in 2009, when the Cougars upset No. 3 Oklahoma.