Houston quarterback Case Keenum’s second-quarter pass deflected off a pair of hands and launched tantalizingly high towards Rahim Moore. The junior UCLA safety didn’t drop it. He didn’t botch the opportunity. He snatched it, and he took off with it.
Moore’s pick and subsequent return deep into Houston territory characterized what was a 31-13 victory for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Not only did UCLA stifle the vaunted Houston passing game, it seized upon early opportunities and ran with them. And then it ran some more.
The Bruins (1-2) scored all four of their touchdowns on the ground and piled up 266 yards through the running game. Redshirt sophomore running back Johnathan Franklin carried the ball 26 times for 158 yards and three of the scores.
After Houston (2-1) started the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter, UCLA rattled off 31 unanswered points to energize the home crowd of 54,407. An effective running game, an unrelenting defense and an injury to Keenum in the third quarter added up to a huge victory for the Bruins. The Cougars entered the game ranked No. 23 in the country but were largely ineffective on offense and were physically beaten on defense.
An aggressive UCLA defense forced three turnovers and quieted a Houston team that entered the game averaging more than a point per minute. Keenum’s replacement, redshirt junior Cotton Turner, was also knocked out of the game, and the Cougars ended up using three different quarterbacks on the evening. The last guy in ““ freshman Terrance Broadway ““ threw a short touchdown pass and also led the Cougars to a late field goal in the fourth quarter to make the score 31-13.
UCLA got two touchdown runs from Franklin and one from quarterback Kevin Prince to build a 21-3 halftime lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Bruins had tacked on 10 more points and coasted the rest of the way.
Prince was just nine of 17 for 99 yards and an interception, although he did carry the ball 10 times for 60 yards, and the UCLA rushing attack did more than enough to keep the chains moving and get the ball in the end zone.