Johnathan Franklin, Marqise Lee Earn Pac-12 Honors For Offense, Special Teams

UCLA Vs. Rice: Reaction To Bruins' 49-24 Win

The UCLA Bruins had a well-rounded performance against the Rice Owls, and SB Nation's Bruins blog, Bruins Nation, had a lot of talking points about their performance.

Despite the fact that the first half was so back and forth, the Bruins certainly closed the door in the second half:

As wild and crazy the first half was, the offense was nice to watch - it actually MOVED. In the second half the defense finally picked it up, made the adjustments they needed, and pitched a shut out.

Even though the win was dominant, there's always something to improve on:

There were still too many penalties, including at least three personal fouls...The biggest concern, however, was UCLA's conversion rate on third down - converting (I believe) only one third down the entire night (but converted two fourth downs. Explain that.) If we want to reach the pre-set goal of 9 wins this year, we have to improve our third down conversion rate. I do like how we were eating up yardage as we marched down field, which should make third downs easier if it's short yardage.

UCLA next host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Rose Bowl next Saturday.

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UCLA Vs. Rice Recap By The Numbers: Brett Hundley, Johnathan Franklin Shine

The Jim Mora era got off to a great start on Thursday night, as the UCLA Bruins rolled over the Rice Owls 49-24 at Rice Stadium in Houston. Here is a look at the game with some numbers that stood out, especially from redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley.

Star of the game: The redshirt freshman Hundley ran for a 72-yard touchdown on his first play from scrimmage, and the Bruins never looked back. Hundley completed 21 of 28 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns to go with that run. Not bad at all for his first start.

Nearly a new high: Not to be outdone, tailback Johnathan Franklin ran for 214 yards on just 15 carries and scored three times himself. Franklin nearly matched his career high on the ground of 216 yards, set in 2010 against Washington State in 2010. The Bruins ran for 343 yards on 37 carries against Rice, an average of 9.3 yards per carry.

Record setter: Franklin "became the first player in UCLA history to have two rushes of at least 72 yards in a game after scoring on touchdown runs of 74 and 78 yards in the first half."

Rolling up the yards: UCLA amassed a whopping 646 total yards, the eighth highest total in school history, and the largest 2005 against Arizona State.

Still undefeated: The Bruins improved to 5-0 all-time against Rice, and have beaten the Owls by an average score of 37-17.

About those PATs: The Bruins had three, count 'em three, extra-point attempts blocked on Thursday, all by the same player! Cameron Nwosu set a new NCAA record with three blocked extra-points in one game.

Up Next: The Bruins return home, where they will get an extra two days to prepare for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. UCLA hosts the Big Ten (it still feels weird saying that) foe on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 4:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl, in a game televised by Fox.

Talk about the game with Bruins fans at Bruins Nation, and hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more comprehensive NCAA football coverage.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Bruins Win 49-24 In Mora's First Game

The UCLA Bruins racked up 618 yards of total offense, and new head coach Jim Mora and freshman quarterback Brett Hundley enjoyed successful debuts as the Bruins crushed the Rice Owls 49-24 Thursday night at Rice Stadium in Houston.

The Bruins scored the first 19 points of the game, starting off when Hundley capped the first UCLA possession with a 72-yard touchdown run. Hundley passed for 202 yards and ran for 68, the total reduced by sack yardage.

Senior running back Johnathan Franklin rushed for three long touchdowns of 78, 74 and 22 yards and totaled 214 yards on 15 carries for the game.

Jerry Johnson and Joseph Fauria caught touchdown passes as the Bruins scored the first 19 points of the game, then broke open a close game with Damien Holmes' 44-yard fumble return just before halftime.

The Bruins (1-0) scored 35 points before halftime and shut out the Owls in the second half.

Talk about the game with Bruins fans at Bruins Nation, and hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more comprehensive NCAA football coverage.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Brett Hundley, Johnathan Franklin Put Bruins Up 49-24

After plenty of struggling with the Rice Owls, the UCLA Bruins appear to have taken control with an early 4th quarter drive led by their new quarterback Brett Hundley.

The offenses calmed down in the third quarter between the UCLA Bruins and the Rice Owls as neither side scored in the third quarter. But the Bruins put together their most complete drive early in the fourth quarter to really put UCLA in a dominant position. Hundley managed a rush for six yards, then completed five of seven passes. Hundley managed two connections to Shaquelle Evans of 11 and 17 yards, the latter coming on a 4th-and-4 situation. Hundley then stuck a 4th down throw to Joseph Fauria for four yards at the goal-line to put UCLA up three scores.

On the subsequent drive, Johnathan Franklin punctuated the drive with his third rushing touchdown of the game for 22 yards. UCLA is in control of this one now.

UCLA continues to struggle to convert on third down. The Bruins are currently 0 for 7 on third down. But those two fourth down conversions on the drive have put UCLA in a strong position to win this one.

Talk about the game with Bruins fans at Bruins Nation, and hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more comprehensive NCAA football coverage.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Johnathan Franklin Running Amok, Bruins Lead 35-24 At Halftime

The UCLA Bruins have been involved in a wild scoring affair against the Rice Owls with 59 points scored in the first half. That's definitely a step up for the once moribund Bruins offense.

Johnathan Franklin has already compiled 169 rushing yards on only eight carries, with two touchdown rushes of 74 and 78 yards. Brett Hundley also scored a rushing touchdown of 72 yards and has completed 8 of 12 passes for 93 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. The UCLA special teams has struggled, getting three extra points blocked and fumbling a punt. The UCLA defense has also surrended 281 yards and 18 first downs from a surprisingly balanced Rice attack. But a late Rice fumble before halftime was returned by Damien Holmes for a late Bruin score, giving UCLA some breathing room with an 11 point lead.

UCLA has now scored 35 points at halftime, which is more points than they have in 11 of 12 games in 2012. UCLA has had three extra points blocked. I remember the days when UCLA wouldn't have three extra points. UCLA has scored six times so far, with five touchdowns and a field goal. However, the Bruins have missed three extra points in this contest to keep the score at 35 points.

Talk about the game with Bruins fans at Bruins Nation, and hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more comprehensive NCAA football coverage.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Brett Hundley Off To Scorching Start, But Bruins Only Lead 19-17

Brett Hundley's debut game against Rice is off to a good start. On his first play as the Bruins starting QB, Hundley ran the veer, chopped to the outside, and scooted 72 yards to the end zone to give the UCLA Bruins a 6-0 lead. Hundley then found Joseph Fauria for his first completion of 36 yards on the next drive and then connected with Jerry Johnson to make it 12-0. Then Johnathan Franklin took a rush up the middle and nearly went untouched on his way to UCLA's third touchdown in five offensive plays.

Hundley has completed four of his first six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. The Bruins had only one play of 70 yards last season. They've already had two in this game.

Rice has responded though thanks to some great drives and UCLA miscues. The Bruins have also missed two extra points and fumbled a punt that led to the third Rice score of the game. Rice has piled up a methodical ten first downs on 151 total yards of offense.

Talk about the game with Bruins fans at Bruins Nation, and hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more comprehensive NCAA football coverage.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Bruins Look To Stay Undefeated Against Owls

The UCLA Bruins kickoff their 2012 college football campaign in the same place they began last season: in Houston, Texas. But this season starts a new era for UCLA football, with new coach Jim Mora and new quarterback Brett Hundley set to take on the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium.

The Bruins lost last year's season opener 38-34 on the road to the Houston Cougars. But on Thursday night, they look to continue their undefeated all-time record against Rice.

The last time these two schools met was in 2006 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Chris Markey ran for 208 yards, and Khalil Bell chipped in with 102 yards on the ground as the Bruins beat the Owls 26-16. The Bruins are 4-0 all-time against Rice:

• 2006: at UCLA 26, Rice 16
• 2005: at UCLA 63, Rice 21
• 1966: No. 2 UCLA 27, at Rice 24
• 1955: at No. 11 UCLA 20, Rice 0
  

This is just the second meeting between the two schools in Houston. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. PT and will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

For more on UCLA Bruins Football, visit Bruins Nation.

College Football TV Schedule: Pac-12 Opens With 4 Thursday Night Games

UCLA Vs. Rice: Game Time, TV Info & More

The UCLA Bruins will open their 94th season of football on Wednesday, Aug. 30 against the Rice Owls in Houston.

The broadcast can be seen on the CBS Sports Network and will feature a broadcast team of Dave Ryan, Ron Zook, and Evan Washburn. Kickoff is set for 4:36 p.m. PT, as the Bruins begin their season in Houston for the second straight year.

On the radio, Sirius will air the game nationally on XM channel 138. Locally, the game can be heard on AM 1150 (KTLK) and the Bruin IMG Radio Network with a broadcast trio of Matt Stevens, Chris Roberts, and Wayne Cook.

UCLA is 60-28-5 in season openers and 3-3 in the last six openers on the road. Running back Johnathan Franklin will begin his campaign to win both the Doak Walker and Maxwell awards, as he is on the watch lists for both.

For more on UCLA Bruins Football, visit Bruins Nation.

UCLA Football: Bruins Offense Hopes For Revitalization With Noel Mazzone

The UCLA Bruins are soon going to learn how good their offense is. As they transition from the two year failure that was the Pistol, the Bruins will start trying to air the football out. UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will be coming over from a stint at Arizona State. UCLA has a pass-heavy intensive offense this season that will rely more on quick passes that spread the field out and force defenses to account for the full field.

Peter Yoon of ESPN Los Angeles files this report on hope in Westwood that the offense will produce explosive results.

"It’s a more exciting, big-play offense," quarterback Brett Hundley said. "The Pistol was a great offense, too, but this spread is probably going to be more entertaining to watch. It's fast tempo, fast action, big plays and you’re just making things happen."

Mazzone used it quite effectively at Arizona State. In his first year in Tempe, the Sun Devils ranked No. 15 in the nation in passing offense at 286.42 yards per game and were No. 28 in scoring at 32.25 points per game.

The issue for the Bruins will still be execution and whether they can really manage to produce on a consistent basis, with an uncertain offensive line up front and a new quarterback in Brett Hundley. The Bruins have a lot to expect from each of these guys in a short period of time, especially when trying to install a new scheme in one year.

Talk about UCLA football with Bruins fans by hitting up Bruins Nation. Check out the SB Nation college football hub for more NCAA football coverage this week.

UCLA Vs. Rice Odds: Bruins Favored By 16 Points In Opener

As the UCLA Bruins gets ready to kickoff their 2012 season, the Rice Owls are looking to rain the Jim Mora Jr.'s season-opening parade at Owl Stadium this Thursday. And even though they'll be away from the comfy confines of the Rose Bowl, the Bruins remain big favorites to take their first game of 2012.

According to the folks over at Oddsshark.com, UCLA is favored by a spread of -16 over the Owls, while the over-under is 110. Most of the online betting sites are sticking with these numbers, though a few like 5 Dimes, Top Bet and Bet Online have pushed the spread to -16.5.

Kick off for this game is set for 4:30 p.m. PT with coverage on the Pac-12 Network.

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UCLA Football: Bruins Prepare For Humidity Against Rice

The UCLA Bruins get set for their trip to Houston tomorrow as they take on the Rice Owls to open the season on Thursday night. One of the things they'll have to learn firsthand is the muggy conditions the Bruins will have to deal with when they get off the plane on Wednesday afternoon.

UCLA has spent a lot of their fall camp at San Bernardino, perhaps to acclimate the team to extreme weather conditions like the ones they'll probably experience in their road trip to Rice. However, while Houston should be hot, it will also be humid, conditions that San Bernardino can't replicate. Jim Mora admits as much in his latest press conference. There will be a learning curve for the players to deal with the uncomfortable weather conditions.

It's supposed to be 95 degrees Thursday in Houston with 57 percent humidity and a 50 percent chance of rain with a forecast calling for scattered thunderstorms. As you know UCLA spent two weeks in San Bernardino where temperatures reached triple digits for almost the entire stay. "You can prepare for the heat but the humidity is a different story," Mora said. "That humidity is a different animal. But once again it's like we talked about the rain, we can't control the environment so we're not going to worry about it. We'll plan for it and prepare for it but we're not going to worry about it. It's just a matter of hydrating and not waiting too long to hydrate."

Can the Bruins overcome weather to face a team that's less talented but decent enough at home? Can UCLA overcome their road troubles? A lot will be answered in just under 48 hours.

Talk about UCLA football with Bruins fans by hitting up Bruins Nation. Check out the SB Nation college football hub for more coverage of NCAA football action.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Bruins Defensive Depth Chart

UCLA released it's probable depth chart for Saturday's game versus Rice. The Bruins defense is coming in with a new look, moving to a three-lineman, four-linebacker scheme under new head coach Jim Mora. Mora isn't concerned with how the Bruins defense performed last season because he wasn't there to coach it. Hopefully the coach's adjustments have made the defensive corps less of a liability for UCLA.

The Defensive Line is headed up by true senior defensive end Datone Jones and true junior Cassius Marsh on the left and right sides, respectively. True junior Seali'i Epenesa will be at nose tackle and starting for the first time. Left Outside Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt played in 13 of 14 games last season with four starts and to his right is Anthony Bar. Right Inside linebacker Eric Kendricks is one of two redshirt sophomores on the defense. On his left side is redshirt senior Damien Holmes, a returning 14-game starter.

For the Secondary, true senior cornerback Sheldon Price was tied for 17th in the Pac-12 in passes defensed (0.67/g) last season. Right Cornerback Aaron Hester started 12 of 14 games last season for the Bruins. In 2011, Strong safety, redshirt senior Andrew Abbott was tied for fourth in the Pac-12 in interceptions with 0.31 per game. Rounding out the defense is free safety, redshirt sophomore Tevin McDonald. McDonald represented UCLA in Yahoo! Sports first team list for Freshman All-Americans.

If you can't get enough of the UCLA Bruins, swing by Bruins Nation and SB Nation Los Angeles.

UCLA Football: Preparing For The Many Firsts Of The Jim Mora Era

There are going to be a lot of 'firsts' this weekend for the UCLA Bruins. This is the first game of the 2012-2013 football season as they take the field against the Rice Owls in Houston, Texas. In season openers, the Bruins are 60-28-5 all time. Against Rice, UCLA is 4-0 with their last win coming in 2006. Most importantly, it's the first game of the 'Jim Mora Era' at UCLA. Mora comes to UCLA with both NFL and college head coaching experience. He has Bruins fans hoping he can turn the team around to keep up with their rivals down the road.

Mora's first pick at starting quarterback is redshirt freshman Brett Hundley. This will be Hundley's first college game of his career. He won the starting job over redshirt senior Kevin Prince and true senior Richard Brehaut. Both Prince and Brehaut shared the quarterbacking duties for UCLA last season.

For Monday's practice, Mora brought in officials to help simulate game-day situations. The time was used to clean up any gray areas for the starters and their substitutions. Mora is confident that this work helped to pull together the final pieces as his team continues to prepare for Rice.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Bruins Offensive Depth Chart

The UCLA Bruins have released their depth chart in preparation for their matchup with Rice (PDF available here). As was announced earlier in fall camp, Brett Hundley is the starting quarterback, winning the job over seniors Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut. Considering Prince and Brehaut have significant experience, it's a telling sign that head coach Jim Mora seems to have complete confidence in the redshirt freshman to lead UCLA into the next era of Bruin football.

Johnathan Franklin gets the start at tailback for the Bruins, with Jordon James his primary backup. David Allen takes over at fullback. Darius Bell appaers to be the starter at the Y receiver, with Joseph Fauria (a starter from last year) backing him up. Steven Manfro becomes the F receiver, and Jerry Johnson takes over at the X. The most experienced receiver appears to be Shaq Evans.


Along the offensive line, you have Xavier Su'a-Filo taking over at a position of need at left tackle. Then there's three seniors in Greg Capella at left guard, Jeff Baca at right guard, and Brett Downey at senior. Meanwhile, Jake Brendel is a bit of a question mark at center.

You can view the full UCLA depth chart by clicking and downloading the PDF here.

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UCLA Football Season Preview: New Coach, New Quarterback, New Direction?

UCLA opens its season on the road against Rice on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. PDT, on CBS Sports Network.

UCLA Vs. Rice: Game Time, TV Schedule, Odds, Preview And More

The UCLA Bruins open the 2012 football season on the road, heading to Houston to face the Rice Owls.