UCLA
Stanford
UCLA Holds Off Cardinal, 37-35
November 04, 2000 | Football
Nov. 4, 2000
Post-Game Audio
LOS ANGELES -- Cory Paus passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns, and DeShaun Foster ran for 159 yards and scored twice as UCLA held off Stanford 37-35 on Saturday.
Paus, who competed 16 of 27 passes with two interceptions, threw a 41-yard scoring pass to Freddie Mitchell with 6:58 remaining to give the Bruins a 37-28 lead and, as it turned out, enough points for the win.
Paus also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Foster in the second period and a 22-yarder to Mike Seidman in the third quarter.
Foster, who carried 33 times, also scored on a 14-yard run in the first quarter. He rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since the season's second game.
By winning, the Bruins (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) become bowl eligible, while the defending conference champion Cardinal (3-6, 2-4), who committed four turnovers, will go from the Rose Bowl game 10 months ago to no bowl because the most they can win is five games.
After the Paus-to-Mitchell scoring pass, Stanford drew within two points on a 12-yard run by Kerry Carter with 4:11 left, capping an 80-yard, 12-play drive.
UCLA then ran out all but the final 31 seconds of time, thanks mainly to a 56-yard pass from Paus to Mitchell on a second-and-16 play, putting the ball at the Stanford 12. Mitchell caught seven passes for 185 yards.
Sam Benner recovered a fumble by Foster at the Cardinal 9-yard line, but Stanford's Chris Lewis then threw four incompletions.
Stanford quarterback Randy Fasani, bothered by a sore left knee, didn't play in the second half after completing 10 of 15 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Lewis, a redshirt freshman, completed 13-of-31 for 204 yards and two TDs.
The Bruins extended a six-point halftime lead to 27-14 midway through the third quarter on Paus' pass to Seidman. Lewis threw a 76-yard pass to Luke Powell less than two minutes later, but Chris Griffith's 23-yard field goal with 4:30 to play in the third period gave UCLA a 30-21 lead.
The Cardinal drew within two points on a 19-yard pass from Lewis to Ryan Wells with 12:37 left, but Carter fumbled after gaining 23 yards two minutes later, with Rodney Leisle recovering at the Bruins' 25.
Stanford scored first on a 4-yard pass from Fasani to DeRonnie Pitts, finishing an 80-yard drive following the opening kickoff.
All nine UCLA opponents have scored first, but the Bruins weren't behind very long.
Foster scored his first touchdown, with Matt Leonard blocking Griffith's conversion to leave the Bruins trailing 7-6. Then, senior Jason Zdenek returned his first career interception 56 yards for a TD to put UCLA on top 13-7.
Stanford senior Byron Glaspie scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run, but the Bruins went ahead 20-14 on the Paus-to-Foster scoring pass with 6:17 left before halftime.
Paus threw two interceptions - one from the Stanford 10-yard line - and Fasani one in the final two minutes of the second quarter, but neither team could take advantage of the opportunities presented by three of the five turnovers committed in the first half.
The game was played before a homecoming crowd of 64,039 at the Rose Bowl.
By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer
