The Road Warrior Report - UCLA Review - September 15, 2019

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – On a steamy Southern California afternoon that turned into a gorgeous evening after the sun went behind the mountains, the Sooners took care of business against a hapless and outmatched UCLA team with a 48-14 rout Saturday night. While there were no exact numbers, it was clear that the Sooner fans outnumbered the UCLA fans in a half-empty Rose Bowl.

Jalen Hurts continued his assault on the passing efficiency records set by his two predecessors, going 15 of 20 for 289 yards and three TDs, while rushing for 150 yards on 14 carries, including all 99 yards on the Sooners’ opening drive of the game. Charleston Rambo led all receivers with five catches for 116 yards and two TDs. Lee Morris had two catches for 43 yards, while Grant Calcaterra had two for 40 and Nick Basquine had two for 17. CeeDee Lamb only had one catch, for 39 yards and a TD, while adding a one-yard TD run.



Kennedy Brooks had seven carries for 62 yards. Trey Sermon had seven for 53, and Rhamondre Stevenson had nine for 38 and a TD in mop up duty.

The Sooner defense, meanwhile, picked up two more turnovers on the night, on a pair of interceptions. They were generally solid, although there was a disturbing flashback in the second half when they allowed a 20-yard gain on third and 21.



The Sooners won the toss and elected to take the ball. Tre Brown elected to run the ball out of the end zone and was tackled at the OU 11. On the first play of the game, Hurts ran around the left side to an empty field and took it 52 yards to the UCLA 37. After a holding penalty negated a nine-yard run by Sermon, Hurts carried for one yard, then threw incomplete to Calcaterra. On third and 19 Hurts ran for 16 yards, then took it straight up the middle on third and three for 30 yards and a TD that made it 7-0 Sooners with 12:24 to play in the first quarter.

UCLA picked up one first down on their initial possession, then punted the Sooners down to their own six. Hurts hit Morris for 25 yards, then Brooks carried for 16 and Rambo caught a pass for 18 more and a first down at the UCLA 35. Rambo caught another pass for nine, then Brooks carried for 18 to the eight-yard line. The drive stalled at the UCLA four-yard line and Calum Sutherland hit his first field goal as a Sooner from 22 yards out to make it 10-0 Sooners with 5:49 to play in the first quarter.



After a UCLA three-and-out, OU took over on their own 31. Sermon ran for 32 yards, then lost two on the next play. Hurts then hit Lamb for 39 yards and the TD, and it was 17-0 Sooners with 3:31 to play in the first quarter.

UCLA dented the scoreboard with a nine-play, 75-yard TD drive to make it 17-7 with 13:39 to play in the first half. OU added a field goal that made it 20-7 with 9:25 to play in the first half.

A 15-yard loss on a sack by Jalen Redmond torpedoed the ensuing UCLA drive, and OU took over on its own 30 after a punt. Seven plays later, Hurts hit Rambo wide open for 48 yards and a TD to make it 27-7 with 4:11 to play in the first half.

Tre Brown picked off a pass on the ensuing UCLA possession to give the Sooners the ball at the UCLA 37. Hurts then ran for one, then 23 yards for a first down at the 12, Brooks ran for eight, then Hurts carried for three, and Lamb took a fly sweep one yard for the score. OU led 34-7 with 1:01 to play in the first half, and the game went to halftime with that score.

UCLA took the opening kickoff of the second half and produced their best drive of the day, taking up half the third quarter on a 75-yard, 14-play TD drive. The Sooner defense brought back bad memories on the drive, allowing a 20-yard gain on third and 21, then giving up the first down on the next play. The Bruin TD with 7:34 to play in the third quarter made it 34-14 Sooners.

OU went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half. A bad snap resulted in an 18-yard loss for UCLA on the first play of the ensuing possession, but the Sooner defense gave up a 42-yard run on the next play. UCLA moved it to the OU 43, but failed on a fourth and two pass, and the Sooners took over there.

Jeremiah Hall got a rare carry and lost a yard, then Brooks ran for two. Hurts took a huge sack on third down, but UCLA was offside. Hurts took advantage of the error and made a tough five-yard run for the first down Brooks ran for seven yards, then Hurts connected with Rambo for 39 yards and a TD, OU led 41-14 with 27 seconds to play in the third quarter,

UCLA missed a field goal on their next possession, then the Sooners had a 13-play, 80-yard TD drive. Stevenson’s one-yard run with 6:5 to play in the game set the final score of 48-14. The win was the Sooners’ 21st straight true road victory.

The Sooners now take a week off before Texas Tech comes to Norman on September 28 to open Big 12 play. Game time should be announced on Monday.