UCLA (3-1) defeated Stanford (0-4) by a score of 31-0 Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. Though the score may not reflect it, the Bruin offense struggled to find their rhythm early on against the Pac-10 cellar-dwellers and was held without a score going into halftime. The team’s only points had come off a punt that was blocked by wide receiver Gavin Ketchum. Senior linebacker Eric McNeal brought it in for a touchdown to notch the Bruins’ first points in the first quarter.
Quarterback Ben Olson had another sub-par performance, finishing with 219 yards in the air with two interceptions and no touchdowns. UCLA scored their first offensive points of the game deep into the third quarter on a one-yard run by freshman Chane Moline.
On the other side of the ball, the Bruin defense flourished, recording its first shutout of the season over the Cardinal, who fell to 0-4 on the year. UCLA swarmed Stanford’s offense - which failed to make any trips to the red zone - sacking quarterback Trent Edwards seven times while also forcing five turnovers. Stanford was limited to just 166 yards of total offense, averaging a meager 2.6 yards per play.
After heading into the locker room up by just one touchdown at halftime, the Bruin offense showed signs of life in the second half, scoring 17 points and effectively putting the game out of reach. Running back Chris Markey was the steadiest offensive threat, piling up 90 yards on the ground; however, the team’s two offensive touchdowns came from Moline, who punched in two scores from the goal line. Tight end Ryan Moya led the team in receiving with four grabs totaling 64 yards.
The defense put the finishing touches on their finest display this season with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter when Edwards was dropped on the Cardinal five yard line, leading to a fumble which was taken into the end zone by defensive tackle Kenneth Lombard.
See Monday's Daily Bruin for more stories and photos from this game.