This post was updated on Sept. 8 at 12:43 a.m.
PASADENA — Brett Hundley waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, with a flick of his wrist, the redshirt junior quarterback sent the ball some 62-yards downfield right into the hands of sprinting sophomore wide receiver Kenny Walker.
A minor miracle.
No, not the throw or catch. The time.
After a near-universally panned performance in the team’s opening game, UCLA’s much-maligned offensive line delivered a strong second effort in the Bruins’ 42-35 win over the Memphis Tigers on Saturday.
Yes, Hundley was sacked four times – one of which coach Jim Mora attributed to the quarterback not getting rid of the ball soon enough – but the Bruin O-line gave their quarterback ample time to throw for most of the game, while also opening up holes for the running backs. The line was an integral part of a UCLA offensive attack that scored at least one touchdown per quarter (and six overall) just a week after scoring just one touchdown in the game against Virginia.
The reason? Another game’s worth of experience for a group that depends on communication and chemistry didn’t hurt. The fact that the team was playing at home at the Rose Bowl instead of on the east coast didn’t hurt either. Oh, and redshirt junior center Jake Brendel, he of 28 career starts, was back in action for the first time since spraining his knee during fall camp.
“Having Jake back, I know one thing, it has a hell of a lot more calming effect on me,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. “I don’t know about the other guys, but I feel better with him there.”
So does Hundley. After playing his first ever game without Brendel at Virginia, the quarterback said he felt very comfortable with the center back in the lineup.
The effect was immediately noticeable.
By the first quarter’s end, Hundley was 10-11 passing with a touchdown and 23 yards on the ground, while redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins had plenty of room to run, racking up 46 yards on six carries and a score. A week ago, UCLA never found a rhythm and was often flustered by the Virginia defense. Saturday, the Bruins found their groove early en route to a 540-yard day, with Hundley tossing 396 yards through the air.
Much of that was made possible by a more consistent run game. After barely opening so much as a crack a week ago, UCLA found success running up the middle and scored three times on the ground.
Perkins, who led all Bruin running backs in rushing yards for the second straight week, has quickly emerged as the leader of what was presumed to be a three-man backfield at the season’s beginning. The redshirt sophomore started the game and saw the majority of the carries throughout. He fell just two yards shy of his first 100-yard game and added two scores on the ground, displaying patience and good vision when he carried the ball.
“The offense is predicated around the run game. So if the running game is working the pass game is going to open up,” Perkins said. “I’ve just been trying to perfect my craft, read the defenses better, just pick up blitzes and just make sure I can bust through the hole (and) make plays when I can.”
Still, there are problems to address. Hundley hit the ground four more times than UCLA would’ve liked, and the team failed to pick up a crucial first down on the ground late in the fourth quarter that would have sealed the victory.
“(We) certainly protected better, ran the ball well,” Mora said. “(But) at the end of the game there, when you have to be able to run it, when you need to be able to get a first down running it … they stuffed us three in a row. So we have to get that fixed. … I want to be able to run the freaking ball.”