Culver City Observer -

When it comes to running fast, the UCLA Bruins football team is not lacking for speed. They have high

school sprint champions in their backfield and even their quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, had

a best time of 11.14 in the 100 meters in high school. They use the speed to put pressure on the

opposing defenses. Then there is running back Zach Charbonnet.

Charbonnet is not the fastest player in the Bruins backfield, but he is the best player in the backfield.

On Saturday Night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Charbonnet ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns

on 21 carries, while also catching 5 passes for 61 yards in leading the Bruins to a 38-13 rout of the

Stanford Cardinal football team.

Stanford head coach David Shaw had this to say about the Bruins and Charbonnet after the game.

"You have to score touchdowns to beat teams like [UCLA]. Defensively we held on for a while, but

eventually that runner ... he's special, he's big, he's fast, he wears you down. Offensively we didn't keep

the ball enough, defensively [Charbonnet] started getting too many yards."

As Stanford linebacker Ricky Miezan said after the game about Charbonnet, "Probably the most

physical [running back] we'll see this year. One of the harder running backs to tackle in all of college

football." The Bruins rushed for 324 yards and had five rushing touchdowns in the game. Charbonnet is

third in the nation in rushing yardage per game at 137.7 yards per game and leads the nation in average

per carry at 7.53 yards per carry.

Charbonnet is listed at 6-foot 1", 220 pounds and is a physical running back. He also has good speed.

At Oaks Christian high school, Charbonnet ran a 49.6 in the 400 meters at the Ventura County

Championships. The 400-meter race is a combination of power, speed, and speed endurance.

Charbonnet shows all those traits on the football field.

Head coach Chip Kelly continued to sing the praises of Charbonnet, as he has done many times this

season. "He is a three-down back," Kelly said. "That's why he's going to have a career after UCLA,

playing professional football, because he can do it all. He can pick up a pass protection. He's a weapon

coming out of the backfield, and obviously we saw what he's like when he runs the football. I thought

Zach played outstanding today."

Stanford scored on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead on the Bruins. The Bruins came storming

back, scoring 24 unanswered points to take a 24-3 lead in the 2 nd quarter. They were never threated by

Stanford after that. Charbonnet scored on runs of 23 yards, 1 yard and 37 yards. Thompson-Robinson

scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter.

With the Bruins leading 31-6 early in the fourth quarter, all-purpose wide receiver Kazmeir Allen lined

up in the backfield and took the hand-off from Thompson-Robinson, found a crease, and took off for 72

yards and a touchdown. The former California state 100-meter sprint champion is just one example of

the speed that the Bruins can throw at opponents.

Kelly was pleased to see Allen get some snaps in the running game. "The fact that we could get him a

couple of runs in the backfield and then use him as a weapon outside and also use him as a returner

makes it difficult to defend him," Kelly said. "He is a guy that has a chance to hit a home run every single

time he has the ball in his hands. I was really happy to see that he got a rushing touchdown today."

Defensively, the Bruins played well, with four sacks and an interception by linebacker Darius Muasau.

The defense held Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee to 115 yards passing. McKee had a terrible time

finding an open receiver on the night, as he completed just 13 of 29 pass attempts.

The Bruins are 7-1 for the season after the win and Stanford is now 3-5 for the season. The Cardinal

had a two-game winning streak after beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road and defeating

the Arizona State Sun Devils at home. The Bruins are headed to Tempe, Arizona this Saturday,

November 5 th , for a battle with the Sun Devils. The Bruins are favored by 10.5 points over the Sun Devils.

The Sun Devils are playing better football since the firing of their head coach, Herm Edwards. They

have won two of their last three games, losing by one point at Stanford, while defeating the Washington

Huskies at home and the Colorado Buffalos on the road. The Sun Devils are always a tough opponent in

Jevone Moore

UCLA receiver, Jake Bobo is tackled by two Stanford players

the desert. The game will start at 7:30 PM and will be televised on FS1.

The Bruins are two wins away from a showdown at the Rose Bowl with their crosstown rivals, the USC

Trojans. The Trojans are currently ranked 9 th in the nation in the AP Poll and the Bruins are right behind

at No. 10. In the College Football Playoff Rankings, the Bruins are ranked at No. 12 in the nation, with

USC at 9 th . Oregon is ranked 8 th in both the AP and CFP Polls.

But first, the Bruins need to take care of business at Tempe against a competitive Sun Devil team. The

Sun Devils have struggled to stop the run at times this season and this should be a good matchup for the

Bruins high-powered running attack.