Thanks to stout defense in the red zone, UCLA survived a poor first half and entered halftime of Saturday night’s road game at California down just 12-0.
The Bears posted 267 total yards to the Bruins’ 97 but were unable to punch the ball into the end zone, coming away with only four field goals to show for the half.
After each team opened with a pair of punts, Cal notched field goals on four straight possessions, the final one coming on a 15-play, 93-yard drive.
Just as they did last week against USC, the Bruins struggled to control the ball. UCLA totaled just 9 minutes and 34 seconds in time of possession.
Redshirt senior quarterback Mike Fafaul struggled mightily, starting the game 0-for-6 and finishing the half just 2-for-11 for 23 yards.
Meanwhile, Cal quarterback Davis Webb picked apart the UCLA defense, ringing up a total of 159 yards on 21-of-32 passing.
The Bruin running game, facing one of the FBS’s worst rush defenses, showed glimpses of success in the opening half, tallying 74 yards on 16 attempts for an average of 4.6 yards per carry.