Pasadena, CA (Sports Network) - Johnathan Franklin scored three times to help UCLA down 23rd-ranked Houston, 31-13, in a non-conference tilt at the Rose Bowl.
Franklin finished the game with 26 carries for 158 yards while Kevin Prince went 9-for-17 with 99 yards and a pick along with 10 carries for 60 yards and a score for the Bruins (1-2), who got dominated by Stanford last week, 35-0.
Terrance Broadway went 5-for-8 with 84 yards and a score while James Cleveland had six catches for 144 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars (2-1), who opened up their season with wins over Texas State and Texas-El Paso.
Houston took the initial lead in the game when Matt Hogan's 29-yard field goal with 7:42 left in the opening quarter gave the team a 3-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, though, the Bruins went on top when Franklin punched the ball into the end zone from 11 yards out for a 7-3 advantage.
In the second, Prince's two-yard run capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive that staked UCLA to a 14-3 lead.
After holding the Cougars on their ensuing possession, UCLA went down the field in seven plays and Franklin's second touchdown of the game came from a yard out with 7:40 to play in the first half for a 21-3 lead.
On the opening drive of the second half, UCLA moved the ball 36 yards over 10 plays and capped it on a 42-yard field goal from Kai Forbath for a 24-3 lead.
Franklin's third score of the game came from 12 yards out with under six minutes to play in the third for a 31-3 lead.
Less than four minutes into the four quarter, the Cougars made it a 31-10 game as Broadway and Cleveland got together on a 10-yard score and, five minutes later, Hogan booted a 31-yard field goal to make it a 31-13 game.
UCLA controlled the clock battle 32:27...This was the first meeting between these two programs since 1998. UCLA leads the series, 3-2.