After weeks of defending how this team was different than it had been in previous years, UCLA’s football team finally let the results do the talking.
Bruins’ 21-0 shutout against Stanford Saturday at the Rose Bowl quieted their critics who have been harping on the defense’s struggles and anticipating another late season collapse.
Coming off their most devastating loss of the year, a 48-42 heartbreaker to Arizona State last week, the Bruins (5-3, 3-2 Pac-10) convincingly demonstrated their resilience by thoroughly outplaying the Cardinal (4-4, 2-3) on both sides of the ball.
The defense pitched its first Pac-10 shutout since 1987, yielding a season low 83 rushing yards and intercepting Cardinal quarterback Trent Edwards three times. Edwards had only 152 passing yards until completing a 71-yard strike late in the fourth quarter after the Bruins had already built a three-touchdown lead.
Tailback Maurice Drew complemented the defense’s first shutout with his first punt return for a touchdown. With the Bruins already ahead 7-0 early in the second quarter, Drew took a Jay Ottovegio punt, sidestepped a couple defenders, made a nice cutback, and outran the Cardinal special teams’ into the end zone for the 68-yard score.
Meanwhile, the Bruin offense put up over 400 yards for the second straight game. The Bruins marched 85 yards on their third drive of the game, highlighted by quarterback Drew Olson’s 40-yard pass down the sideline to wide receiver Tab Perry that put the Bruins at Stanford’s 2-yard line. Manuel White capped off the drive on the next play with a 2-yard touchdown run that would prove to be the only score the Bruins would need.
UCLA put the game away for good on the first drive of the fourth quarter. The Bruins needed just six plays to extend their lead to three touchdowns on a 3-yard pass from Olson to Drew.
Compiled by Andrew Finley, Bruin sports senior staff.