For the first month of the season, whenever UCLA’s offense stalled, it could at least turn to a reliable ground game to lift it out of the doldrums.
It happened in Week 2 at UNLV, when the offense put together just one first-half touchdown and carried a 17-0 lead into halftime. Running back Paul Perkins ended up rushing for 151 yards, including a 56-yard run in the second half to ice the game.
The script carried over to Week 3 against BYU. As freshman quarterback Josh Rosen threw three interceptions, Perkins shouldered the load, racking up a career-high 219 rushing yards while his backup, Nate Starks, added 81 yards on the ground, including the go-ahead score with 3:19 remaining.