The fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal had to deal with some surprising spunk against the UCLA Bruins, but they eventually settled down and wore down the will of their opponents in the second half. Stanford scored four touchdowns on five of their second half drives and put down any faint hopes UCLA had of upset early in the fourth quarter.
Andrew Luck again was the key. He had not only an impressive catch, but threw three touchdowns and only FOUR incompletions (take that Robert Griffin III!), racking up 225 passing yards on 23 completions. He spread the ball out to nine different receivers, with Coby Fleener his main target (four catches, 76 yards, two touchdowns). He also found Chris Owusu six times, plus a late touchdown score. Stepfan Taylor paced Stanford on the ground, racking up 112 rushing yards with only 17 carries. It was a fairly methodical offensive effort, as Stanford produced 441 yards and 27 first downs on offense.
The Stanford defense wasn't quite as solid in their efforts. giving up 343 yards to the Bruins and a fairly solid 5.5 yards per play. Richard Brehaut had a solid enough performance for most of the game, piling up 202 passing yards and made two touchdown connections. He got solid support from the UCLA rushing attack, as Johnathan Franklin piled up 93 rushing yards on 13 carries. But the Bruins turned the ball over twice, setting up two crucial Stanford scores early, and that was the big difference.
Stanford now improves to 4-0 on the season. The Colorado Buffaloes are next on the docket, as they come to Palo Alto next week.
To discuss the effort by the Stanford football team, check Rule of Tree. To discuss the game with UCLA football fans, go to Bruins Nation.