UCLA football leads No. 7 Stanford 10-3 at halftime
UCLA’s defense limited Stanford to just three first half points. The Bruins also capitalized on two first half turnovers to take a 10-3 lead.(Miriam Bribiesca/Photo editor)
By TuAnh Dam
Sept. 24, 2016 6:48 p.m.
It was all No. 7 Stanford (2-0, 1–0 Pac-12) the first half.
Except for the score.
The Cardinal dominated time of possession, had more yards and first downs than UCLA (2-1), but the Bruins capitalized on their drives and stifled the Stanford offense for a 10-3 lead, the first halftime lead in this matchup since 2007.
Senior quarterback Ryan Burns nearly drove the Cardinal into the endzone on the opening drive, but a pair of penalties pushed them back and limited them to a field goal midway through the first quarter.
Sophomore Josh Rosen and the Bruin offense came up empty on the first drive to give the visiting team the ball and a chance to build on the lead.
The UCLA defense, which limited BYU to 23 yards on 25 carries last week in Provo, nearly held Stanford to a three-and-out, but a holding penalty on junior linebacker Kenny Young extended the drive for the Cardinal.
Five plays later, Stanford was in Bruin territory at the 42-yard line when Young made another big play, this time for his team.
The linebacker picked off the rookie quarterback in the latter’s first game at the Rose Bowl and returned it 40 yards before scampering out of bounds.
Rosen passed the football to redshirt senior tight end Nate Iese six plays later for the touchdown and the 7-3 lead.
In the second quarter, a hard hit from senior defensive back Tahaan Goodman on Stanford’s Francis Owusu led to a Stanford fumble – their second turnover of the game – and left the wide receiver on the ground.
Rosen marched the offense down the field and 70 yards later freshman kicker JJ Molson added three points to the Bruin’s lead.
The Cardinal dominated time of possession 17 minutes to 13 and had three more first downs and almost 30 more yards than the home team. But the UCLA defense pressured the quarterbacks, leading coach David Shaw to rotate between Burns and Keller Chryst in the second quarter.
Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey led the team in rushing, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, but missed several critical third-down passes forcing the Cardinal to punt the ball away.
