LaMichael James ran for 115 yards on just 13 carries, including two touchdowns, in the first half, leading the Oregon Ducks to a 35-17 halftime lead over the UCLA Bruins in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
James in the second quarter passed former USC Trojans tailback Marcus Allen for third place on the all-time Pac-12 rushing list. Allen had 4,810 rushing yards with the Trojans, while James is at 4,819 yards at halftime. James also caught a pass for 14 more yards.
On their opening drive of the second quarter, the Bruins used a little trickery to pull closer. They were able to move the ball effectively for the first time on the night, running for 24 yards and getting helped by a pair of five-yard penalties from Oregon to keep the chains moving. Then on 1st-and-10 from the Oregon 37-yard line, UCLA ran a flea flicker to perfection, with Kevin Prince hitting a wide open Nelson Rosario over the middle and Rosario taking it untocuhed to the end zone for the Bruins' first offensive touchdown of the night.
That pulled the Bruins to within 21-14. But the problem has been an inability to stop the explosive Oregon offense. In the first half, the Ducks have had five scoring drives, and all have been lightning fast:
| Oregon Fist Half Scoring Drives | ||||
| Quarter | Plays | Yards | Time | Result |
| 1st | 4 | 39 | 1:14 | TD |
| 1st | 5 | 58 | 1:26 | TD |
| 1st | 8 | 52 | 2:09 | TD |
| 2nd | 10 | 73 | 3:55 | TD |
| 2nd | 4 | 32 | 1:10 | TD |
Oregon outgained UCLA in the first half, 318 yards to 151. Ducks' quarterback Darron Thomas was no slouch himself, completing 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and running for another score. UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince completed seven of 13 passes for 95 yards in the first half, and ran for 19 yards on 12 carries.
Oregon will receive the ball to open the third quarter.
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