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Can Paul Perkins And UCLA Run Through Stanford For UCLA’s First Victory Over The Cardinal In Six Years?

By Mike Regalado

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    • Paul Perkins became the Pac-12’s leading rusher last week when UCLA defeated USC 38-20 at the Rose Bowl. The former leading rusher, Buck Allen of the Trojans, was limited to only 60 yards by the Bruin defense which gave Perkins the chance to take over the top spot. Behind a much improved offensive line, Perkins ran for 93 yards and 1 touchdown, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Though it was not his most dominating performance this season, he had his moments and it helped the Bruins put a beat down on their crosstown rival for the third straight year.

    But that was not the last of the season. UCLA has one more game and it is against an opponent that the Bruins have not had success against in the Jim Mora era… the Stanford Cardinal. Though Perkins leads the conference with 1,265 yards (115.0 per game), he is going to run into a team that leads the Pac-12 in rushing defense as Stanford is only allowing 112.8 yards on the ground. Clearly, something has to give.

    Stanford has not had the best all-around season and although you can point to the offense for a lack of production, the defense, which has been great, has also been inconsistent at times and given up their fair share of yards. In their six wins, the Cardinal have only allowed 84.2 rushing yards, yet that stat is a bit skewed. Though they had exceptional numbers against teams that do not have a proficient run game (they forced Washington State to -26 yards and limited Oregon State to 12), they did give up 198 to Army and 179 to Cal this weekend, both of which have decent running backs.

    Nov 1, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) reaches out to stiff arm Stanford Cardinal safety Kyle Olugbode at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

    In Stanford’s losses, teams have found ways to run right at the Cardinal causing them to give up 147.2 yards on the ground. Against teams that have a solid running attack, Stanford allowed 156 yards against USC, 129 against ASU and an astounding 267 against Oregon, though that was by committee.  Running backs Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner and quarterback Marcus Mariota all had a hand in the ground game that simply annihilated the Cardinal as all three had over 60 yards.

    The Cardinal will face a similar attack from Perkins and his committee. The Bruins have a similar style to Oregon, as they also have a dual threat quarterback in Brett Hundley that can get big yards on the ground at will. And let us not forget the supporting cast UCLA has with Jordan James, Nate Starks and Myles Jack who make up the second best run team in the conference behind Oregon.

    But here is the thing, Stanford knows about all of these players and will do whatever they can to stop them from making any kind of impact. One thing about Stanford is that they know how to prepare for a game which is why this specific battle will be one of the more interesting story lines in this game. If Perkins and UCLA can find success on the ground, there is a damn good chance they come out victorious.