After weeks of defending how this team was different than it had
been in previous years, UCLA’s football team finally let the
results do the talking.
Bruins’ 21-0 shutout against Stanford Saturday at the Rose
Bowl quieted their critics who have been harping on the
defense’s struggles and anticipating another late season
collapse.
Coming off their most devastating loss of the year, a 48-42
heartbreaker to Arizona State last week, the Bruins (5-3, 3-2
Pac-10) convincingly demonstrated their resilience by thoroughly
outplaying the Cardinal (4-4, 2-3) on both sides of the ball.
The defense pitched its first Pac-10 shutout since 1987,
yielding a season low 83 rushing yards and intercepting Cardinal
quarterback Trent Edwards three times. Edwards had only 152 passing
yards until completing a 71-yard strike late in the fourth quarter
after the Bruins had already built a three-touchdown lead.
Tailback Maurice Drew complemented the defense’s first
shutout with his first punt return for a touchdown. With the Bruins
already ahead 7-0 early in the second quarter, Drew took a Jay
Ottovegio punt, sidestepped a couple defenders, made a nice
cutback, and outran the Cardinal special teams’ into the end
zone for the 68-yard score.
Meanwhile, the Bruin offense put up over 400 yards for the
second straight game. The Bruins marched 85 yards on their third
drive of the game, highlighted by quarterback Drew Olson’s
40-yard pass down the sideline to wide receiver Tab Perry that put
the Bruins at Stanford’s 2-yard line. Manuel White capped off
the drive on the next play with a 2-yard touchdown run that would
prove to be the only score the Bruins would need.
UCLA put the game away for good on the first drive of the fourth
quarter. The Bruins needed just six plays to extend their lead to
three touchdowns on a 3-yard pass from Olson to Drew.
Compiled by Andrew Finley, Bruin sports senior
staff.