EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Senior tailback
DeShaun Foster avoids Washington’s defense on his
way to breaking the UCLA single-game rushing record with a total of
301 yards. UCLA 35 Washington 13
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
The Washington Huskies came into Saturday’s game against
UCLA with many things going for them. They carried a 12-game
winning streak into the game. They had not allowed a rushing
touchdown in over 11 months. They had bragging rights over UCLA
from the year before. They had pride.
Washington left the Rose Bowl with none of those things.
The No. 7 UCLA Bruins didn’t just beat the No. 8 Huskies,
they dismantled them 35-13.
The Bruins got easy access to their first touchdown drive
through the prowess and determination of the defensive line. During
a second down and 10 situation on the Washington 40-yard line, UCLA
defensive tackle Rodney Leslie did all of the damage on his own. He
attacked Washington quarterback Taylor Barton from the blind side
and hit him so hard that the ball popped out of his hands into the
eager arms of UCLA defensive end Kenyon Coleman.
“We shook Barton up in the beginning and as the game went
on he wanted to get rid of the ball faster,” Leslie said.
“We got him out of rhythm and it made the game easier on
us.”
The Bruins responded with an efficient six-play drive that ended
with the first of UCLA running back DeShaun Foster’s four
touchdown runs. But it was the second touchdown run where Foster
was able to break the UCLA record with 301 yards.
Foster took the ball at the Washington 21-yard line and broke
four tackles en route to the end zone and a 14-point UCLA lead.
“When you start breaking tackles and making contact, the
other team starts to wear down,” Foster said. “Every
time they get up a little slower and eventually the fullbacks, the
offensive line and I can start to control the game.”
The third touchdown was notched in the most unexpected way. The
punt return team, which has been one of the chinks in the Bruin
armor all year, came through to make it a three-possession game.
UCLA linebacker Marcus Reese blocked a Derek McLaughlin punt that
was recovered by Jibril Raymo in the end zone.
All of this happened in the game’s first 15 minutes.
The only scoring change within the next 15 minutes occurred
right before the half came to a close. Taylor tossed a 40-yard
touchdown lob up for streaking Washington receiver Todd Elstrom
with 20 seconds remaining on the half.
Foster ended the first half with a solid 105 yards on 15
carries, but would almost triple his total yards before the end of
the second half. On the first Bruin play of the third quarter,
Foster burst through the line untouched for a 65-yard scamper that
ended inside the one-yard line. Foster ran it in on the next play,
but his dominance was still in the early stages.
The 286-yard rushing disparity between the two teams illustrates
UCLA’s dominance at the line of scrimmage. The defense, which
normally runs through the linebackers, was instead led by the
aggressive play of the defensive line.
“The defensive line did a good job of keeping the
offensive line off of me,” UCLA linebacker Robert Thomas
said. “The blockers were so concerned about our line that I
was able to run free and play my game.”
The blockers on the other side of the ball were doing their part
to make the play of others easier. During many of Foster’s
runs, he would get across the line of scrimmage completely
untouched because the offensive line held Washington tackle Larry
Tripplett and company at bay for 60 minutes of football.
A score of 35-13 is not an accurate portrayal of how dominant
the Bruins were. If it were not for a number of missed
opportunities, the UCLA total would have been a lot higher. Foster
fumbled the ball on three occasions, but one he recovered off a
dropped kickoff and another was negated by a Washington penalty.
Both he and fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury fumbled the ball deep in
Washington territory and possibly cost two more Bruin touchdowns.
Cornerback Matt Ware had the ball drop out of his hands. Robert
Thomas had three.
“It seemed like the ball was floating in the air for about
a minute. It was like slow motion,” Thomas said of his first
interception opportunity. “It was the first time that I had
touched the ball all year, and I can’t believe it
didn’t end up in my hands.”
The ball was up in the air for a long time when quarterback Cory
Paus threw the ball as well. UCLA head coach Bob Toledo called for
Paus to throw deep on eight different occasions. Seven of them were
after UCLA was up 21-0. The only bomb that was completed was a
33-yard highlight reel catch by completely horizontal UCLA receiver
Brian Poli-Dixon.
If the Bruins could have capitalized in the red zone and cut
down on the number of turnovers, the UCLA score could have topped
50, or maybe 60.
“We told our players that they needed to make a statement
today, and I thought we made a statement to everyone today,”
Toledo said.
Just imagine what kind of statement the Bruins will make to the
country when they put it all together play a game without any
mistakes.