PULLMAN, Wash. ””mdash; It took UCLA about five minutes to ruin Dad’s Weekend at Washington State.
By that time, hundreds of fathers sporting their newly purchased red sweatshirts joined their kids in a chorus of raucous boos.
It took the Bruins another five minutes to silence the noise altogether.
By that time senior fullback Chane Moline was dragging a pile of Cougars with him into the end zone to put the Bruins up two scores. When he lunged across the plane with hands hanging onto his heels, there was no sound in Martin Stadium at all.
“It was important just to start off the game fast,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Akeem Ayers said. “We wanted to make that first punch and didn’t want to hesitate.”
With three interceptions and two easy scores in the first 11 minutes of Saturday’s contest, UCLA looked right at home in Pullman, getting out to its best start all season in below-freezing conditions.
Although the Bruins ended the first quarter up only 14-0, the team’s dominating and aggressive defensive play combined with Washington State’s offensive ineptitude set the tone for the 43-7 rout that the game would become.
“It’s definitely a statement we try to send every game because we know that if we send a statement early, it fuels our offense and they will follow suit,” senior cornerback Alterraun Verner said.
UCLA has been outscored by opponents 74-58 in the first quarter of games this season, but Saturday, it was the Bruins taking control.
On the third play from scrimmage Ayers watched as Washington State quarterback Marshall Lobbestael audibled out of a play at the line of scrimmage. Ayers was responsible for the receiver in the slot on his side of the field and was purposely giving the receiver a cushion. According to Verner, Ayers was calling out the play as the Cougars were shifting. When Lobbestael dropped back, Ayers waited, baiting the quarterback into throwing to his man.
When he did, Ayers was there to snatch the ball.
“I just hopped the route,” Ayers said simply.
The offense responded with its own quick strike ““ one that took just a single play.
On the offense’s first snap, redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince rolled left and pitched a perfectly placed floater over the shoulder of sophomore receiver Taylor Embree who had his man beaten by at least five strides as he was streaking down the sideline.
In 84 seconds and just four total plays, the Bruins knocked the wind out of everyone wearing red.
But the battery would continue.
On Washington State’s next offensive play, Verner jumped a very similar route as the first interception and dropped his chance at a pick.
Two plays later Lobbestael tried a deep pass down the middle of the field, but it was woefully underthrown into double coverage. Sophomore safety Rahim Moore made the easy catch for his NCAA-leading ninth interception, and the boos sprinkled down on the field like the Friday evening snow.
Then came the knockout.
On the Cougars’ next possession and Lobbestael’s next passing attempt, the end result was the same. Lobbestael zipped the ball straight into the hands of Ayers, and the boos rained down like hail.
Moline’s touchdown on the following drive proved to be the last score UCLA would need. Lobbestael would be benched in the second quarter ““ but by that time, the game had long been over.
“It’s just guys making plays,” defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said. “That’s the game.”
Both players and coaches said they were pleased with the team’s fast start but coach Rick Neuheisel and one of his captains in Verner cautioned against getting too excited about their success. Both the player and coach were clear: UCLA will need to replicate its first-quarter performance against Arizona State and USC in the coming weeks if it still hopes to make the postseason.
“We could just have a total brain fart next week,” Verner said. “We like the progress we are making. We have emphasizing tackling and making plays. This is big for us because that bowl picture is still in sight.”