UCLA is still undefeated in the Pacific-10 Conference.
One sophomore, Matt Moore, is in at quarterback while another, Drew Olson, is out of the starting role. That didn’t matter to the Bruins (6-2 overall, 4-0 Pac-10 ) on Saturday.
Taking advantage of an injury to Arizona State starting quarterback Andrew Walter, UCLA featured a tailback who ran for 176 yards in a 20-13 win against the Sun Devils.
True freshman Maurice Drew ‘s 18 carries for 176 yards included an 83-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was the longest run by a true freshman in UCLA history.
“(Walter’s injury) didn’t change our game plan, but it changed theirs,” Bruin head coach Karl Dorrell said Saturday. “It was unfortunate for Arizona State to lose their starting quarterback.”
Regardless, UCLA picked up a fourth Pac-10 win, tying its conference win total from the 2002 season.
“I was impressed that we generated some running game on offense, and that was probably the first time this season we were able to do some things positively on that side of the ball,” Dorrell said.
Moore, in his first start since the season opener, went 14 of 28 for 190 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Olson returned to backup quarterback after starting six games, while Moore was out with in injured left tibia.
“(Moore) is rusty,” Dorrell said. “That was part of the process, whenever you miss a lot of time and you assume the role of being a starter again. … It was good seeing him back in there.”
The Bruins have won five straight games, but three of their remaining four contests are on the road.
“The more you progress through the season, the tougher these games are becoming,” Dorrell said.
Arizona State (4-4, 1-3 ) is slumping after the Sun Devils were picked to finish second in the conference in the preseason media poll. They sit toward the bottom of the Pac-10 standings.
“That’s tough when you lose a game like that,” Sun Devil head coach Dirk Koetter said Monday. “We played hard for four quarters, but we didn’t execute well enough on offense or defense to get the win.”

Trojans overpower Dawgs
USC stormed into Husky Stadium and left few survivors.
The Trojans (7-1, 3-1) scored 20 points in the first half and allowed Washington 14, but a 23-point second half squelched any chance of a Husky (4-4, 2-2) comeback. USC picked up the 43-23 win.
“This is a win we will always cherish because it has been a while since SC played well here,” Trojans head coach Pete Carroll said Saturday. “It was something that we wanted to accomplish.”
The Trojans’ 43 points are the most scored by a Washington opponent at Husky Stadium since 1989.

Cougars bungle Beavs
Wild times led to a Cougar victory Saturday in Pullman, Wash.
Washington State (7-1, 4-0) took a 14-0 lead 10 minutes into the first quarter, but the Beavers put together six consecutive scores — two touchdowns, four field goals and one safety — to take a 25-14 lead.
Their scoring string was broken by a Cougar safety, but Oregon State (5-3, 2-2) added a field goal and went ahead 28-16 in the third quarter.
On the other side of the field, Washington State scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, capturing the lead for the final time, 36-28.
“It shows great character for this team to hang in there, stay in there and keep battling,” Cougar head coach Bill Doba said Saturday.
The Beavers added a safety as time ran out for a 36-30 final score.
“We needed a couple more plays to get another shot,” Oregon State head coach Mike Riley said Saturday. “It was a game of big plays and momentum changes.”

Injuries hinder Huskies
The hit parade rolled along in Seattle on Saturday. Washington was already without the services of leading-rusher Rich Alexis, who suffered a deep-thigh bruise on Oct. 18 against Oregon State. Adding to their pain was a first-quarter injury to No. 2 receiver Charles Frederick.
“(Frederick’s) injury changed a lot of factors in the game,” Washington head coach Keith Gibertson said Saturday. “(Without him) you have to go out there and play three freshmen and Reggie Williams, where out of one receiving group, Reggie is the only veteran guy.”
Frederick’s injury has yet to be completely determined as of Monday. Original reports said he sustained a shoulder injury, but Gilbertson said Monday that Frederick’s injury also includes the clavicle.

Golden Bears run amok
UCLA’s Drew wasn’t the only Pac-10 player to have a big rushing day.
California’s Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for a career-high 201 yards, leading his team’s 327-yard rushing attack.
The Golden Bears (4-5, 2-2) sought revenge of last season’s 52-41 loss to Arizona and found it on the ground. The 327 yards is Cal’s highest rushing total since 1992.
“To run the ball as much as we did today does not happen very often,” California head coach Jeff Tedford said Saturday. “We were just having success today.”
Echemandu is the Pac-10’s second-leading rusher following Saturday with an average of 97.9 yards per game.
“He’s shown flashes of breaking tackles,” Arizona head coach Mike Hankwitz said. “He sure did that to us today.”