Stay right here for all of the latest updates on the Bruins’ postseason matchup against the Panthers.
No. 18 UCLA football (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) is playing Pittsburgh (8-4, 5-3 Pac-12) in the 2022 Sun Bowl on Friday, with the Bruins looking to win a postseason contest for the first time in eight years.
Stay tuned for injury and personnel updates, highlights and other key events to keep an eye on all day long.
Charbonnet not dressed for game, per reports
10:49 a.m.: While the Bruins’ All-American running back went through pregame warmups with his team, it looks like he won’t be taking the field Friday.
According to the Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bolch, Charbonnet is not in his uniform with kickoff less than 15 minutes away. He went through the entire bowl practice schedule without any hint at an opt-out, so his reason for not playing remains undetermined.
Each time Charbonnet missed a game earlier this season – against Alabama State and Arizona State – it was not reported on before the game, and he did not have a serious injury in either case. This could be another cautionary last-second move, or one that was in the works for a month.
Either way, it appears UCLA will have to lean on Keegan Jones, TJ Harden, Colson Yankoff and others for their ground attack. Last time the Bruins were tasked with replacing Charbonnet, they rushed for 402 yards and five touchdowns, so the scheme should help his replacements succeed regardless.
Bruins bowling after extended wait
10:21 a.m.: It looked like UCLA was going to snap its postseason drought a year ago in San Diego. A few hours away from kickoff, that dream was stopped dead in its tracks.
COVID-19 won’t stand in the way of the Bruins this time around, though, as they have officially arrived at the Sun Bowl and are on the field for warmups. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet, among other longtime veterans and NFL hopefuls, are going through their normal pregame routine.
It’s been five years since UCLA appeared in a bowl and eight since they’ve won, so Thompson-Robinson & co. have a lot at stake. A win Friday would make it 10 on the season, the most since Jim Mora and Brett Hundley were the faces of the program back in 2014.
Pitt, on the other hand, is missing its two best offensive players and its four best defensive players due to an assortment of reasons, including NFL Draft opt-outs, the transfer portal and injuries.
The spread continues to shift in the Bruins’ direction, with the line opening at 3.5 points and now climbing all the way up to 8.5 points. As kickoff nears, anticipation of a UCLA drubbing is clearly growing.
Of course, the team hasn’t won on this kind of stage in nearly a decade, so it wouldn’t be totally out of character for the Bruins to make this one a little more interesting. They were heavily favored earlier in the year against Arizona, but lost that one at home.
Nothing is set in stone until the clock hits zeroes, obviously, but between their personnel advantage and what’s at stake for the coaches and veteran players, UCLA coming in as a heavy favorite certainly checks out.
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