CORVALLIS, Ore. — UCLA was taking the proverbial buzzsaw to Oregon State on the way to a comfortable lead, but Beaver punt returner Jordan Poyer made the Bruins pay for leaving time on the clock at the end of the half.
Poyer’s 85-yard touchdown return cut the lead to 21-10 going into the locker room. Redshirt junior punter/kicker Jeff Locke, the last man with a chance to catch Poyer, got the worst of it. After a Beaver special teamer brought the wood, Locke crumbled to the ground and stayed there for a couple of minutes before walking off.
Before the punt return, the game had a familiar feel to it. One team had all the pressure, cashed in on the turnovers and got the opposing offense booed off the field — all in the first half.
That would be an accurate description of Texas holding the upper hand on UCLA a week ago, but this week it was the Bruins capitalizing on their chances.
Junior quarterback Richard Brehaut, looking poised and assertive in his ninth career start, took the UCLA offense 46 yards down the field and held on to the ball for a 5-yard touchdown run to put the Bruins up 14-3. That came after a Sean Westgate interception off first-time Beaver starter Sean Mannion.
The Bruins extended their lead to 21-3 after recovering a Mannion fumble deep in Oregon State territory. It took only one play, and it was redshirt freshman F-back Jordon James who ran in a fly sweep to give UCLA what appeared to be a comfortable lead.
Word in the press box is that Locke is OK after the crushing hit, but it’s a different story for redshirt junior running back Johnathan Franklin. He received treatment at the half after injuring his hip and is questionable to return to the game. Senior Derrick Coleman and sophomore Malcolm Jones lead the two-headed attack in Franklin’s stead.