No. 5 Oklahoma takes early lead over UCLA football with 34-7 at half
Redshirt freshman receiver Kyle Philips reeled in a 13-yard touchdown pass for UCLA football’s lone score of the first half. Philips recorded two catches and 20 yards in the first half. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)
By Ryan Smith
Sept. 14, 2019 6:42 p.m.
Welcome to the Jalen Hurts show.
Behind 347 total yards from the transfer quarterback, No. 5 Oklahoma (2-0) leads UCLA (0-2) 34-7 at halftime at the Rose Bowl.
Hurts – who entered Saturday’s contest averaging 111.5 rushing yards per game – began the day by carrying the ball four times for 99 yards and a touchdown on the game’s first possession.
And he didn’t slow down, either.
Hurts aired the Bruins out for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the opening half, while adding another 141 yards on the ground.
After a pair of drives that went nowhere for the Bruins, the Sooners tacked on 10 more points to extend their lead to 17-0 with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter.
UCLA eventually got on the board after sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson found redshirt freshman wide receiver Kyle Philips with a laser between a pair of defenders to cut the deficit to 10.
However, after another set of stagnant drives – including one that ended with an interception from Thompson-Robinson – Oklahoma extended its lead to 34-7 just before the end of the half.
Thompson-Robinson finished the first half with just 79 yards on 6-of-11 passing.
The Bruins also struggled to get things going on the ground, rushing for 37 yards on 18 attempts – good for just 2.1 yards per carry.
With a loss, UCLA would fall to 0-3 for the second straight year, something the program hasn’t done since the 1920 and 1921 seasons.
The Bruins will receive the ball to begin the second half.