STANFORD “”mdash; UCLA and Stanford each got one first-quarter drive. The respective drives turned out to be indicative of each team’s early season.
The Bruins marched the ball 79 yards down the field only to get stopped four consecutive times at the goal line. The Cardinal ““ led by Heisman trophy candidate Andrew Luck ““ took the ball 99 yards for a touchdown as the quarter came to a close.
Those first-quarter drives set the tone for the rest of the half as the Bruins would go on to fumble on their next drive, followed by a punt. The Cardinal capitalized on the short field created by the fumble to make it 14-0 before adding a field goal.
Luck lived up to his billing, going 10-for-12 in the first half for 85 yards but UCLA junior quarterback Richard Brehaut was impressive as well going 9-for-14 for 126 yards. It was the UCLA defense that had trouble getting off the field, allowing Stanford to convert on 5-of-7 third downs.
After giving up a quick seven points at the end of the half last week, the Bruins were finally able to close the half on a high note with an 80-yard touchdown drive in a shade under two and a half minutes. Brehaut found redshirt junior Joseph Fauria in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass to put UCLA on the board.