It didn’t take long for the Beavers to take control.
After surrendering 21 points in the opening 6:01 of Saturday night’s game, UCLA football (1-4, 1-1 Pac-12) finds itself trailing Oregon State (1-3, 0-1) 27-10 at the half.
The Beavers received the opening kickoff and took the ball 75 yards downfield in just under three minutes before capping off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Luton to wideout Isaiah Hodgins.
Hodgins – who entered the night with 509 receiving yards and six touchdowns – finished the half with five catches and a pair of scores.
On the ensuing drive for the Bruins, they failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 from their own 34-yard line, setting the Beavers up inside the 30-yard line after redshirt senior running back Joshua Kelley lost 5 yards on the play.
Oregon State struck again five plays later on a 5-yard rushing touchdown by running back Artavis Pierce, and a personal foul penalty by UCLA on the play moved the Beavers kickoff up to the 50-yard line.
With the short field, the Beavers caught the Bruins off guard, converting an onside kick that they recovered at the UCLA 27-yard line. Luton then found tight end Teagan Quitoriano for a touchdown on the next play to extend the lead to 21 points.
The Bruins got on the board early in the second quarter after redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Burton found redshirt freshman receiver Kyle Philips for a 7-yard touchdown.
Burton – who is making his first career collegiate start – completed 16 of his 21 pass attempts for 99 yards and a touchdown in the half.
On the ground, redshirt junior running back Demetric Felton is leading the way for UCLA with 30 yards on five carries.
The Bruins will receive the ball to begin the second half.
