Despite aerial struggles, Brett Hundley galvanizes UCLA victory
With the Bruins trailing by three in the final possession of second overtime, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley took the game into his hands. The redshirt junior ran the ball on each of UCLA’s two plays during its final possession, with his second rush being this game-winning, eight-yard touchdown. (Katie Meyers/Bruin Sports senior staff)
By Kevin Bowman
Oct. 25, 2014 7:46 p.m.
BOULDER, Colo. – Nate Iese couldn’t have been more wide open.
The redshirt sophomore fullback found himself all alone as he ran towards the end zone. He turned his head as redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley’s pass approached him, leaping and stretching his 6-foot-3 frame as high as he could.
The ball sailed right over him.
The Bruins were forced to settle for a field goal on the drive. In a 40-37 double-overtime win over Colorado where every point was crucial, Hundley’s first-quarter overthrow was a glaring missed opportunity.
Hundley finished the game with 200 yards and a touchdown through the air, completing 24 of his 39 passes, but it was clear throughout the game that he wasn’t his normal self.
Multiple passes, like the one to Iese, floated well past their intended targets, often on plays in which the receiver was open downfield. For the normally accurate Hundley, who came into the game leading the nation in completion percentage at 72.5 percent, Saturday’s performance was “spotty,” according to offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
“He missed a couple,” Mazzone said. “Every once in a while my driver goes dead right … You don’t always hit the fairway.”
There were plenty of mitigating factors at Folsom Field that could have affected Hundley’s throws. For one, the high elevation – Boulder, Colo. sits 5,430 feet above sea level – could have carried the ball much as it does with the baseballs hit at the Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field. However, both coach Jim Mora and Hundley downplayed the effects of the altitude.
A moderate breeze was also blowing through the stadium, which Hundley said wasn’t present during warm ups but picked up as the game went on. But again, Hundley declined to use that as an excuse.
Instead, he said he was just focused on fixing the poor throws on his deep passes.
“This year has been so great on the deep balls,” Hundley said. “That’s one thing I focused on this offseason was hitting those deep balls and the whole season we’ve been completing a great percentage of them … But (in) this game they sort of just got away.”
With the downfield option taken away, Mazzone said he adjusted the game plan to include more runs and short passes to help the offense and his quarterback get into a rhythm, a strategy that came with mixed results.
Facing the nation’s ninth-worst defense in terms of points allowed, UCLA went on separate scoring droughts of 14:12 and 18:26, and had five three-and-outs throughout the game.
But even through his and the offense’s struggles, Hundley’s composure never wavered.
“It’s always the same,” said junior wide receiver Jordan Payton. “He stayed poised and calm like he always does.”
That relaxation in the face of adversity paid off. While Hundley’s arm was failing high at times, his feet stepped up to fill the void.
Hundley rushed for 110 yards on 12 carries, that final carry the most important – the game-winning touchdown run. On a read option, Hundley pulled the ball back from redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins and dashed up the middle himself for a touchdown and the win.
“It’s never really supposed to be pulled but the whole game the defense was flowing and one time they made the wrong move so it worked out,” Hundley said.
Hundley may not have had one of his better games Saturday, and it nearly contributed to a UCLA loss. But, as Hundley said, it worked out.
