Midwest MFA AgriServices

10/18 22:24 CDT UCLA extends its turnaround, beating Maryland 20-17 with 3 late scoring drives led by Nico Iamaleava UCLA extends its turnaround, beating Maryland 20-17 with 3 late scoring drives led by Nico Iamaleava By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer PASADENA, Calif. (AP) --- Mateen Bhaghani kicked a 23-yard field goal with two seconds to play, and UCLA beat Maryland 20-17 Saturday night to extend its improbable season turnaround with a third consecutive victory. Nico Iamaleava passed for 221 yards and led three scoring drives in the final minutes despite going down with an apparent knee injury during that wild stretch for the Bruins (3-4, 3-1 Big Ten), who managed to stay on the upswing in their roller coaster of a season. Iamaleava threw a go-ahead, 14-yard touchdown pass to Mikey Matthews with 3:33 to play, and Bhaghani's first field goal put the Bruins up 17-10 with 2:09 to play shortly after Scooter Jackson intercepted Malik Washington's pass deep in Maryland territory. But Washington, who passed for 210 yards, led the Terrapins (4-3, 1-3) on a dramatic tying drive, hitting Jalil Farooq for an 8-yard TD with 40 seconds left. Iamaleava then returned to the field and drove the Bruins 68 yards in 31 seconds. Anthony Frias II, who made an early 55-yard touchdown run for UCLA, made a 35-yard run to the Maryland 5 to set up Bhaghani's tiebreaking field goal. The Bruins won despite committing three turnovers in these schools' first meeting since 1955, including an interception returned 8 yards for a touchdown by Maryland's Jamare Glasker in the third quarter. UCLA went nine drives without scoring before Matthews' TD catch. After an 0-4 start that included the firing of head coach DeShaun Foster and the departure of both coordinators, UCLA has dramatically reversed course over the past two weeks with stunning victories over Penn State and Michigan State under interim coach Tim Skipper. This victory wasn't nearly as eye-catching, but the Bruins' defense kept Maryland's offense out of the end zone until the final minute of regulation. In their Rose Bowl debut, the Terrapins lost their third straight game after a 4-0 start. Maryland blew a late lead in all three defeats. Maryland entered the Rose Bowl leading the nation in interceptions, and Glasker recorded the Terrapins' fourth pick-6 of the season. Jalen Huskey also made an interception deep in Maryland territory in the second quarter. Frias put UCLA up 7-3 in the second quarter with his first career touchdown on that 55-yard romp. The Kansas State transfer had never scored in his first 36 games over four collegiate seasons. Maryland linebacker Trey Reddick was ejected for targeting in the second quarter. Huskey was also ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways Maryland: Washington's growing pains and the Terps' inability to hold a lead are brutal, but this defense still has the potential to be special --- and it'll have to be with Indiana, Illinois and Michigan coming up. UCLA: Nobody knows what to expect next from this team. A serious injury for Tennessee transfer Iamaleava would have put this season back in a blender, but the Bruins are still showing remarkable pride and poise under Skipper.

Up next Maryland: A bye before hosting the Hoosiers on Saturday, Nov. 1. UCLA: At Indiana next Saturday. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.