HOUSTON “”mdash; It didn’t take long for Houston’s high-octane, air-raid attack to jump all over the UCLA defense.
Houston quarterback Case Keenum and the Cougars rarely huddled. The only things that stopped them were turnovers and drops as they scored on six of their first nine drives. The Bruin defenders weren’t able to put much pressure on Keenum as he delivered the ball to every part of the field with pinpoint accuracy.
Houston took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown in less than six minutes on its first drive of the game with the sixth-year quarterback leading the no-huddle charge.
UCLA couldn’t answer with a scoring drive of its own as center Kai Maiava snapped the ball over quarterback Kevin Prince’s head on the second play of the drive. The play resulted in a loss of 15 yards and forced a UCLA punt.
Keenum and the Cougars were at it again on their second drive, marching the ball into the Bruin red zone again and adding a field goal. UCLA got flagged for having too many men on the field during the drive as it couldn’t substitute quickly enough to keep up with Houston’s no-huddle attack.
UCLA’s second drive was a different story. The Bruins pounded the ball with running backs Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman before opening up the playbook on a third down near midfield. Prince connected with tight end Joseph Fauria over the middle for 29 yards followed by an 18-yard touchdown run by Franklin to put the Bruins back in the game.
The third time was the charm for the UCLA defense as it put some pressure on Keenum, getting a sack from defensive tackle Cassius Marsh and forcing the first Houston punt of the game.
Another grinding drive for UCLA started with a scare as Prince took the ball on a quarterback keeper and took a spill near the sideline, taking him out of the game. Team officials said Prince is being evaluated for a possible concussion. Richard Brehaut came into the game and was moving the drive along before a bad exchange with F-back Jordan James turned the ball over to the Cougars.
Houston took advantage, taking the ball 55 yards into the end zone on the legs of running back Bryce Beall. UCLA answered right back with an 80-yard drive of its own, capped off with two consecutive Brehaut to Fauria hookups, the latter of which was a 5-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-14.
Houston answered right back, twice, scoring in 53 seconds on a 34-yard touchdown run from running back Michael Hayes. Hayes looked to be brought down but emerged from a pile of tacklers and sprinted into the end zone, putting the Cougars back up by two scores. After a UCLA three-and-out, another quick Houston drive (27 seconds to be exact) ended in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Tyron Carrier to make it 31-14 at the half.
The second half opened with another long touchdown drive for the Bruins. A 54-yard, one-handed grab by Nelson Rosario put UCLA in scoring position, but it took a 1-yard lunge on fourth and goal from Derrick Coleman to put the ball in the end zone. Houston’s next drive ended with a fumble inside the UCLA 10-yard line, recovered by defensive tackle Iuta Tepa.
Brehaut turned the turnover into another touchdown drive, going 95 yards in nine plays and keeping the ball on a reap option play ran to near perfection. The quarterback runs were reminiscent of Prince’s keepers last year to beat Texas in Austin.
A couple of Houston drops helped UCLA force a rare three-and-out but UCLA followed suit, held back by an illegal snap penalty on Maiava. Houston then scored on its next drive after a Carrier fumble was recovered in the end zone to put the Cougars up 38-28.
UCLA fought back and had a chance to get within seven, but Kip Smith missed a 32-yard field goal wide right. The Bruins did get the ball back with less than three minutes left in the game and scored on an 11-yard pass from Brehaut to Anthony Barr to make it 38-34.
Unfortunately for UCLA, there just wasn’t enough time left to fight all the way back and Houston held on to win the season opener. Next Saturday UCLA will return home to face San Jose State.