SAN DIEGO “”mdash; It wasn’t quite the wild, wild west, nor was
it at high noon, but UCLA’s game against pass-happy San Diego
State had all the makings of a shootout.
The problem was, the Aztecs shot blanks more often than not, and
the Bruins showed off their explosive firepower and wide range of
weaponry during their 43-7 rout in front of 33,610 at Qualcomm
Stadium.
“This team showed a lot of pride and character,”
said UCLA head coach Bob Toledo, whose team enters Pac-10 play with
a 3-1 record. “These guys were on a mission, and they
accomplished that mission.”
The Bruin defense sent a message early on. Late in the first
quarter, linebacker Marcus Reese’s interception gave UCLA the ball
at the Aztec 7, setting up Manuel White’s five-yard touchdown run
and giving the Bruins the early 7-0 advantage.
“It was so crucial for the defense to set the tone,”
Reese said. “They have a high-powered offense, and the only
way to stop a high-powered offense is to make big plays. We didn’t
do that last week, and we lost. This week, we did make the big
play.”
Then, it was the special teams’ turn to come up big. On Brian
Simnjanovski’s punt attempt from the Aztec 21-yard line, Matt Clark
broke through the line and blocked the punt. Jibril Raymo recovered
the ball in the endzone, giving UCLA a 14-0 advantage.
On the Bruins’ ensuing possession, the UCLA offense
finally got its gun loaded. Quarterback Cory Paus, who threw a
surprising 12 times in the first quarter, connected with Craig
Bragg on a 37-yard streak.
“We wanted to come out and throw the ball, (and) I have no
problems with that.” Paus said. “We did a good job of
keeping their offense off the field and sustaining our
drives.”
The touchdown gave UCLA a 21-0 lead, but the Bruins did not let
up. When the Aztecs were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, long
snapper Robbie Ryan’s snap sailed over Simnjanovski’s
head and through the end zone for a safety.
On their next possession, San Diego State showed signs of life
as the offense engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive to pull within
23-7. Aztec quarterback Adam Hall connected frequently with
receiver Kassim Osgood, who caught 72 of his 97 second-quarter
yards, including the touchdown.
UCLA responded. The Bruins fired right back, with a 64-yard pass
from Paus to tight end Mike Seidman, who is quickly becoming a
potent weapon in the Bruin offense.
“We’ve been able to throw to Seidman in spring and fall
practice, and it’s good to take advantage of that kind of
weapon,” Paus said. “Defenses know we have a talented
tight end, and they’ll have to decide how to cover him. It’s nice
to be in a position where I have the opportunity to make that throw
to Mike.”
Seidman finished the game with a career-high 134 receiving
yards, 112 of which came in the first half. UCLA entered halftime
with a 33-7 lead.
Aside from a Chris Griffith field goal during the third quarter,
UCLA couldn’t find the same offensive spark it had in the first
half, but once again, the defense responded. The Aztecs mustered
only 54 yards of total offense and never got into a rhythm. Hall
completed only three of eight passes for 22 yards ““ hardly
the numbers expected from a quarterback who entered the game
leading the nation with 405 passing yards per game.
The outcome was never in doubt after that, and UCLA got a chance
to play its reserves. Redshirt freshman Tyler Ebell scored the
first touchdown of his collegiate career, giving UCLA its final
43-7 margin of victory.
Through it all, the defense shined, forcing five turnovers and
holding the nation’s leading receiver J.R. Tolver to just 30 yards.
Tolver entered the game averaging 179.2 yard per game, but
cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. was never too far from him and played
a physical bump-and-run coverage. Manning finished with only two
fewer catches than Tolver ““ his interception to Tolver’s
three receptions.
“We were too focused today,” Manning said. “We
heard all week about the stats and how good their offense was, but
we wanted to come out shooting today. We set the tone, and we
brought our ‘A’ game. We just weren’t going to get beat
today.”
In celebration of a San Diego State touchdown, the Aztecs fire a
cannon that reverberates throughout Qualcomm Stadium. Thanks
largely to a physical UCLA defense and a Bruin offense that kept
San Diego State’s offense on the sidelines, the Aztecs only
got one chance to fire.