UCLA Football: Recapping the Win at WSU

Yes, the Bruins won in frigid Pullman, but it was anything from pretty.

The game started off very slow for UCLA, Washington State marched right down the field on their first possession. The defense held them to a field goal, it was blocked by Datone Jones and returned for a touchdown by Bruin cornerback Sheldon Price.That cycled repeated itself throughout the game. UCLA’s offense was very stagnant in the first quarter as they were tied heading in to the second. At that point, UCLA had blocked two field goals and a punt and only got 7 points out of them.

Nov. 10, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins safety Stan McKay (4) dances during a timeout against the Washington State Cougars during the second half at Martin Stadium. UCLA won 44-36. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

UCLA woke up in the second quarter, scoring 30 points. Brett Hundley was magnificent again, he found Devin Fuller, Joseph Fauria and Johnathan Franklin for touchdowns. It was 30-7 going in to the break and it looks like UCLA will win this game the way they did against Arizona. Halt right there, UCLA scored seven points in the third and held WSU to fourteen. The fourth quarter, different story. The Bruins gave up fifteen points and didn’t score as it looked like Washington State might come back. WSU QB Conner Halliday threw for 330 yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception. Leave it up to UCLA’s defensive backs to let WSU creep back into the game.

UCLA only gained 334 yards, yes, read that over again. Let me remind you, this is Washington State. They out gained us by 220 yards. The Bruins run defense was excellent, only gave up 67 yards on only 2.2 yards per carry. Our running game was awful, only gaining 73 yards on 1.9 yards per carry.

This was an ugly win, but a win is a win. UCLA needs to improve if they want to beat USC next week.