UCLA trails Texas 10-3 at halftime
By Matt Joye
Sept. 13, 2014 6:43 p.m.
This post was updated on Sept. 14 at 1:58 a.m.
ARLINGTON, Texas — In a 0-0 tie with 4:29 to go in the first quarter, UCLA had its back against the wall.
Quarterback Brett Hundley exited the game after injuring his left elbow on a third-down run. The redshirt junior went airborne and landed awkwardly on his left arm as he braced himself.
With Hundley out, UCLA turned to redshirt sophomore quarterback Jerry Neuheisel, and a steady dose of its ground game. Redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins carried the ball twice for 10 yards total while redshirt senior running back Jordon James added another 26 yards on two carries following Hundley’s exit.
Junior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn capped the drive with a 47-yard field goal with 0:37 left in the first quarter to give UCLA an early 3-0 lead. The Bruins dominated time of possession in the initial quarter, controlling the ball for 9 minutes 56 seconds while the Longhorns ran just nine offensive plays.
Texas wasted no time in responding however, as the Longhorns fed the ball to senior running back Malcolm Brown on a 10-play 62-yard drive which resulted in a 33-yard field goal by junior kicker Nick Rose to knot the score at 3-3 with 10:32.
The UCLA offense stalled for much of the rest of the quarter with Neuheisel in, managing just four yards on six plays on its next drive. UCLA would get the ball into Texas territory on the final possession of the half, but was forced to punt.
Texas, however, wasn’t so stifled. Sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes connected with senior receiver John Harris on fourth and 8 for a 33-yard pickup that put the Longhorns at the Bruins’ 5-yard line.
A holding penalty would back Texas up to the 15-yard line. Swoopes would carry the ball down to the 2-yard line on second down and he would hit junior tight end M.J. McFarland in the back of the end zone to give Texas a 10-3 lead with 2:01 to go in the second quarter. It carried this lead into halftime.
Hundley went into the locker room shortly into the second quarter. His return is listed as “probable.”
Compiled by Jordan Lee, Bruin Sports senior staff.
