PASADENA “”mdash; After a shaky start that saw the Bruins’ starting quarterback go down with an injury, UCLA came back to beat Washington State 28-25.
Redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Prince had a chance to steal the show and lead the Bruins to victory after junior Richard Brehaut left the game with a broken left leg in the second quarter.
He heard boos raining down from UCLA fans at the Rose Bowl when he entered the game and was intercepted once but he showcased his running ability early in the fourth quarter when he rushed for 22 yards on a drive that ended in a nine-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior Josh Smith.
The UCLA defense stiffened in the red zone in the first half but came apart at the seam in the second. After stopping the Cougars in the red zone three times to force field goals, the Cougars scored two touchdowns in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter with Washington State leading 25-20, Prince connected with senior Nelson Rosario for 58 yards to bring UCLA to the Washington State 10.
Prince found redshirt sophomore Shaquelle Evans in the end zone with 3:26 to go in the game. Prince then converted a 2-point conversion with a pass to Rosario to put UCLA ahead 28-25.
The Cougars’ next drive ended abruptly when redshirt junior Andrew Abbott intercepted Marshall Lobbestael and UCLA ran out the clock with the victory formation.