UCLA football leads Kansas State 31-6 at halftime
By Matt Joye
Jan. 2, 2015 5:40 p.m.
SAN ANTONIO — UCLA wasted little time in answering whether it would show up for Friday’s Valero Alamo Bowl. After a demoralizing loss to Stanford to end their regular season, the Bruins had some reason to lack motivation for their bowl game.
But UCLA came out with perhaps its quickest start of the season and leads Kansas State 31-6 at halftime.
The Bruins wasted no time on their first possession, as redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley hit sophomore receiver Thomas Duarte for a 19-yard pass. The next play, Hundley lateraled to redshirt junior receiver Devin Lucien on an option play which went for another 34 yards.
Hundley capped the drive, scrambling to his left for a 10-yard rushing touchdown to give UCLA an early 7-0 lead.
The Bruins’ defense was equally as efficient out of the gate. On K-State’s first offensive snap, Wildcat quarterback Jake Waters was smothered by Bruin defenders and sacked by redshirt senior linebacker Eric Kendricks. It was much of the same on the ensuing two plays, as sophomore outside linebacker Deon Hollins nearly sacked Waters and forced the quarterback to throw the ball away.
When UCLA got the ball back, its offense kicked back into gear, moving down the field on a 30-yard run by redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins. Junior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn then hit a 30-yard field goal to give the Bruins a 10-0 lead.
The Bruins scored again on their next possession, as a 4th-down conversion attempt turned into a 28-yard touchdown run by Hundley, putting UCLA ahead 17-0.
Momentum began to shift slightly in the second quarter as Kansas State hit a 47-yard field goal and forced a UCLA punt, which senior receiver Tyler Lockett returned for 41 yards to UCLA’s 15-yard line. The Bruins caught a break when Lockett dropped a wide-open touchdown pass, forcing the Wildcats to settle for another field goal, making it 17-6 UCLA with 10:05 left in the half.
UCLA’s offense, meanwhile, slowed down considerably, starting the second quarter with back-to-back three-and-outs. However, UCLA’s defense quickly got things back on track as sophomore outside linebacker Myles Jack snagged an interception and returned it 41 yards to the Kansas State 44 yard line. The play set up a 32-yard rushing score by Perkins to give UCLA a 24-6 lead.
The Bruins forced K-State’s second turnover in the half’s waning moments, as redshirt sophomore cornerback Marcus Rios sacked Waters, forcing a fumble in the process. UCLA recovered and Hundley hit junior receiver Jordan Payton for a 37-yard gain four plays later. Then, Hundley connected with Lucien over the middle for a seven-yard touchdown pass, giving the Bruins a 31-6 lead in the final minute of the half.
