Los Angeles, Calif.-----Brandon Rutley's 65-yard, third-quarter touchdown run put San Jose State where it wanted to be heading into the final 15 minutes at the Rose Bowl.
Tied 17-17, the Spartans had overcome three seven-point deficits and were primed to take their first lead of the night late in the third quarter after linebacker Vince Buhagiar recovered a fumble following a reception by UCLA wide receiver Taylor Embree at the San Jose State 24-yard line.
But, it was the Bruins' fourth-quarter ground game that was the difference UCLA's 27-17 win over San Jose State (0-2).
RUNNING THE FOOTBALL
The Bruins (1-1) gained 134 of their 272 rushing yards in the last quarter. A five-play, 79-yard drive, all running plays capped by Derrick Coleman's 24-yard touchdown run with 3:35 remaining gave UCLA its biggest lead of the night. In between Rutley's burst to pay dirt and the Coleman score, UCLA's Kip Smith booted his second field, a 20-yarder with 7:31 to go. Coleman turned out to be the game's leading rusher with 135 yards on 14 carries.
San Jose State had a ground game of its own rushing for 202 yards - the first time since the 2009 Cal Poly win that the Spartans rushed for more than 200 yards in a game. Quarterbacks Dasmen Stewart and Blake Jurich accounted for more than a third of the total with a combined 69 yards. Three times Stewart ran for a first down en route to his 47 yards rushing and Jurich did it once, too, in his limited action.
STEWART'S FIRST START
Stewart made his first major college start in place of fifth-year senior Matt Faulkner, who was held out of the game after experiencing concussion-like symptoms during the week. Stewart had a regal command in the pocket before leaving the game in the third quarter due to cramps. The redshirt sophomore was 15-of-22 for 111 yards.
A highlight of Stewart's night was his leadership and execution in an 88-yard, 16-play drive that consumed 7:53 of game time to tie the score at 7-7. He converted four third-down situations and a 4th-and-4 when he found running back David Freeman in the middle of the field. Freeman capped one of the most impressive drives in years with a 1-yard dive.
"Everyone did a great job helping me in my first game. I had great protection and we ran the ball hard," Stewart said. He added his ability to make the right reads of the Bruins' defense was instrumental in gaining his comfort level.
A turnover-free contest for 2.5 quarters turned into a turnover-fest the rest of the way. Each team gave away the ball twice before the final gun. Sheldon Price's interception of a Stewart pass at the San Jose State 37-yard line initiated the Bruins' go-ahead score that ended Kip Smith booted a 20-yard field goal with 7:31 remaining. Those were the only points scored off of the game's four turnovers.
The Spartans had outgained UCLA, 297 to 281 through three quarters, but with Stewart battling his cramping issues and Jurich doing all he could, San Jose State only had two fourth quarter first downs. One of them came on a fourth-down when Jurich was the unceremonious victim of a personal foul that kept San Jose State's hopes alive on its final possession.
UCLA ended up outgaining San Jose State, 417 to 317. Bruins quarterback Richard Brehaut passed for just 145 yards and one touchdown compared to 264 yards and two scores the week before against Houston.
"We couldn't stop their run down the stretch. The run was what hurt us the most," said Spartan safety Duke Ihenacho, who led all players with 11 tackles.
San Jose State can notch its first win of the season, Saturday, September 17, when it hosts Nevada in the home opener at Spartan Stadium. Game time is 1:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (408) 924-SJTX or visiting www.sjsuspartans.com.