UCLA defeats UNLV 42-21
Sophomore running back Soso Jamabo had three touchdowns for the Bruins in the first half to put them up 28-14. Although the Rebels cut the lead to one touchdown, UCLA hung on for the 42-21 win. (Miriam Bribiesca/Photo editor)
By Matt Cummings
Sept. 10, 2016 9:10 p.m.
UCLA outlasted UNLV 42-21 Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl in a game that proved more frustrating than expected for the Bruins, who entered the matchup as a 26-point favorite.
Three first-half touchdowns from sophomore running back Soso Jamabo helped UCLA (1-1) build a 28-14 halftime lead, but the Bruins stalled in the third quarter and the Rebels (1-1) pulled to within one score, entering the final period down 28-21.
Then UCLA sealed the game with a pair of strong fourth-quarter drives capped off by one-yard touchdown runs from sophomore running back Bolo Olurunfunmi and sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen, respectively.
Rosen enjoyed a solid game, completing 23 of his 37 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. Most notably, after his three-interception performance last week against Texas A&M, Rosen avoided turning the ball over.
He completed passes to 14 different receivers. Redshirt senior receiver Ishmael Adams led the team with four catches, all coming in the first half, and redshirt sophomore Jordan Lasley piled up a team-high 114 yards on three fourth-quarter receptions.
Jamabo dazzled the crowd with a trio of touchdowns on his six first-half carries, the most remarkable coming when the sophomore took the ball toward the left sideline before reversing course and outrunning UNLV’s defenders to the other boundary for a 23-yard score. He finished with 89 yards on 11 carries, and freshman Brandon Stephens contributed 76 yards on 10 carries, as the Bruins piled up 200 yards on the ground.
Junior receiver Mossi Johnson, who played just one snap last week against A&M, hauled in Rosen’s lone touchdown, making a 29-yard catch over the middle in the second quarter.
UNLV quarterback Johnny Stanton IV threw for a touchdown and ran for another but completed just 11 of 28 passes and tossed a pair of interceptions to UCLA redshirt senior defensive back Randall Goforth.
Just as they did the previous week against Texas A&M, the Bruins struggled in the third quarter.
A pair of penalties – one for a false start, the other for unsportsmanlike conduct – derailed UCLA’s opening possession of the second half, and freshman running back Jalen Starks lost a fumble on the team’s second drive, giving the Rebels the ball at their 40-yard line.
UNLV then went to work exposing the UCLA secondary’s tackling issues.
First, a missed tackle by sophomore cornerback Octavius Spencer allowed Rebel runner Lexington Thomas to break free for a 37-yard gain. Six plays later, UNLV back David Greene picked up a first down on third-and-one after redshirt sophomore defensive back Adarius Pickett failed to wrap him up behind the line.
Stanton finished the drive with a touchdown run, scampering 11 yards untouched through the Bruin defense to bring the score to 28-21.
The UCLA offense regained its footing in the fourth. A 75-yard pass from Rosen to Lasley keyed the Bruins’ first touchdown drive of the quarter, and a combination of Jamabo, Starks and Stephens pounded the ball for 51 yards on the ground during a six-minute, 88-yard scoring drive to put the game out of reach.
