Myles Jack, a true freshman from Bellevue High School who spurned Washington and a number of other national suitors to sign with UCLA, moonlighted from his normal position as a linebacker to rampage for four TDs as the 13th-ranked Bruins stormed to a 27-7 lead and held off the Huskies 41-31 at the Rose Bowl Friday night.
Playing without starting quarterback Keith Price in the second half (injured shoulder), Washington saw its two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 6-4. The Huskies have lost eight consecutive games to the Bruins in Los Angeles since 1995.
The Huskies played from behind the entire game after uncharacteristically fumbling away the ball twice in their first five offensive snaps, which resulted in a quick 14-0 UCLA lead. The Huskies cut the lead to 14-7, but couldn’t stop Jack, who scored three first-half touchdowns as UCLA took a 27-7 lead.
In the third quarter, Washington cut the lead to 27-24, but UCLA went up 34-24 as Jack scored his fourth TD. Jack, who opted for UCLA because it recruited him as a linebacker, finished with 60 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Washington, which has not won a Pac-12 road game this season, self-destructed with four turnovers (two lost fumbles, two interceptions) and 11 penalties for 113 yards.
Although Price’s backup, Cyler Miles, threw two touchdown passes in the second half after Price departed, he also tossed two late interceptions. Price, who threw for 181 yards and a TD, suffered the right shoulder injury on his last passing play of the first half when he was clobbered after releasing the ball that was incomplete. X-rays were negative, and there was no word Friday night on the severity.
WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, a true freshman, turned in the best game for the Huskies, catching eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown with a long gain of 44 yards. He entered the contest with three career catches for 20 yards.
Bishop Sankey was averaging 145 rushing yards, but could manage only 91 on 27 carries as UCLA forced Washington, playing catch up, into throwing 40 times.
The two fumbles doomed Washington. The Huskies entered with just five fumbles lost in nine games, The first by tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins after a pass reception, the second by the sure-handed Sankey. UCLA converted two short-field TDs after Washington had allowed just 10 points on turnovers all season.
The costly nature of the miscues was reflected in the fact that Washington had more total yards than UCLA (432-406).
Jack put the Bruins ahead 7-0 on an eight-yard run after Seferian-Jenkins, following a catch for what appeared to be a first down, had the ball knocked away on Washington’s first offensive series, at the UW 36-yard line. A 15-yard pass interference penalty on Sean Parker extended the UCLA drive.
UCLA took a 14-0 lead when Sankey had the ball knocked loose. A 31-yard run by Malcolm Jones and a 15-yard pass interference penalty on UW’s Greg Ducre led to Brett Hundley’s two-yard TD pass to Cassius Marsh, normally a defensive end.
Washington answered with a 95-yard TD drive, the big play a 50-yard Price completion to Marvin Hall to the UCLA two-yard line. Sankey’s 14th rushing touchdown cut UCLA’s lead to 14-7.
Jack scored his second TD on a one-yard run moments later to give UCLA a 20-7 lead (missed PAT), WR Devon Fuller’s 22-yard halfback pass to RB Roosevelt Davis the key play in the drive.
Jack scored again, his third TD in 14 college carries, at 12:05 of the second, giving UCLA a 27-7 lead. Two more gaffes by the Huskies, a pass interference call on Marcus Peters and a facemask penalty on Ducre, abetted the drive.
An apparent 38-yard TD pass from Price to Stringfellow was wiped out by a penalty on Dexter Charles, a sophomore left guard, deemed guilty of hands to the rusher’s face. But Hau’oli Kikaha recovered a UCLA fumble at the Bruins 14-yard line, setting up a two-yard TD pass from Price to Jaydon Mickens.
Price hit Stringfellow for 44 yards on Washington’s next drive, which ended with Travis Coons drilling a 34-yard field goal to cut UCLA’s lead to 27-17 at halftime.
On the second-half kickoff, the Huskies recovered a fumble on the return and capitalized when Miles threw a one-yard TD to Seferian-Jenkins, cutting UCLA’s lead to 27-24. It was the first TD pass of Miles’ career and the 19th for Seferian-Jenkins.
But UCLA went on a sustained march, 11 plays in 64 yards, Jack scoring a fourth time, this from two yards out for a 34-24 lead. He became the first Bruin since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2004 to score four TDs in a game. Jones-Drew also scored his four TDs against Washington.
With 9:55 to play, Washington tried to convert a fourth-and-two at their their own 40, but Miles overthrew Stringfellow. On the next play, the Bruins made the Huskies pay, Hundley throwing a 40-yard TD catch-and-run run to Devin Lucien for a 41-24 lead.
Washington sliced that margin with 8:01 to play when Miles threw a 14-yard TD to Stringfellow.
Miles, receiving his first extended playing time, completed 15 of 22 for 149 yards and two scores.
NEXT: The Huskies play at Oregon State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2. Washington plays its final regular-season home game Nov. 29 against Washington State at Husky Stadium.