Marcus Mariota (8) hurt UCLA with his arm and legs in Oregon's big win. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
PASADENA, Calif. — Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the Oregon Ducks dominated UCLA 42-30 Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
The impressive road win, coming a week after the Ducks were upset at home by Arizona, kept Oregon in the Pac-12 championship race as well as in the discussion to participate in the national championship playoff.
Meanwhile, Mariota reaffirmed his Heisman Trophy candidacy as the junior led his team to touchdowns on five of six possessions from the midway through the first quarter to midway through the third.
Mariota completed 17 of 27 passes for 210 yards and ran seven times for 75 yards.
Mariota staked Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) to a 21-10 lead at halftime even though UCLA (4-2, 1-2) outgained the Ducks 262 yards to 224.
After the Bruins’ opening second-half drive stalled, Mariota directed his team on a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with the quarterback running three yards, fumbling the ball, calming scooping up the ball and running another 20 yards untouched into the end zone.
If Oregon’s 28-10 lead didn’t finish the Bruins, its next score did. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley’s pass was intercepted by Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who returned the ball to the Bruins’ 10. Two plays later, running back Royce Freeman scored from four yards out and Oregon took a 35-10.
Hundley had begun the year as a Heisman candidate himself and he did his best to match Mariota. He completed 26 of 37 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns while also running 22 times for 89 yards and a score.
But Hundley committed two key turnovers that turned directly into Oregon points.
Hundley’s fumble set up Oregon’s first score. Outside linebacker Tony Washington’s sack forced a fumble that was recovered by the Ducks’ Tua Talia at the UCLA 13. On the next play, Mariota kept the ball, swept around the right corner and dove toward the front corner of the end zone, stretching the ball just across the goal line. A two-point conversion run by Taylor Alie gave Oregon an 8-0 lead with 4:47 left in the quarter.
UCLA seemed poised to answer Oregon’s touchdown, but on third-and-goal from the Oregon 4-yard line, Hundley’s pass to a wide-open Devin Fuller at the 2 was short. Fuller had to go to his knees to make the catch, and UCLA had to settle for a field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn to make the score 8-3.
Oregon came back to score two straight touchdowns. The first came when Mariota, on a third-and-10 from the UCLA 21, lofted a pass that Thomas Tyner ran under and carried into the end zone behind a slew of blockers. The extra point gave Oregon a 15-3 lead.
That grew to 21-3 when Mariota zipped a 31-yard completion to Pharaoh Brown streaking down the sideline.
UCLA answered with a touchdown as Hundley’s zigzagging, 16-yard run cut the deficit to 21-10.
After Oregon’s lead grew to 42-10 early in the fourth quarter, Hundley led the Bruins to three late touchdowns to make the score look more respectable.
NOTES: Oregon has beaten UCLA six straight times. … UCLA RB Paul Perkins rushed for 187 yards on 21 carries, his third 100-yard game of the season.
