UCLA football: Keeping things grounded works for Bruins

Two words described how UCLA played Saturday night.

“Bear Bryant . . .” Coach Jim Mora said, noting that his team ran the ball 59 times.

If the Bruins were indeed channeling the former Alabama coach, they should keep that connection open. The 17-7 victory over Arizona in the Rose Bowl was not only a tribute to another era; it kept their Pac-12 South Division title hopes alive.

UCLA relied on defense to keep hope alive. And the defense relied on the offense for a little down time. It wasn’t a high-octane approach, but it was a highly intelligent one.

“Sometimes you just control the football and play field position, especially with the way our defense was playing,” offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said.

A defense that got a little in-game rest had an awakening against one of the nation’s most potent offenses.

Arizona was averaging 541.9 yards per game. The Wildcats were limited to 255 Saturday. They were averaging 40.6 points and were held to one touchdown.

“That’s how you counter a fast-paced offense, your defense holds them to three-and-out and your offense keeps them off the field,” quarterback Brett Hundley said.

The Wildcats’ only score came on their first possession, a drive sustained by two Myles Jack penalties on third downs.

“How we handled them shows the type of defense we have had this whole year,” Jack said. “We finally put it together.”

UCLA had been gashed for 233 yards rushing or more in three of its previous four games. Arizona came into the game averaging 194 yards rushing, but was held to 80 Saturday.

“Although they are a team that spreads you out, they love to run the football,” Mora said. “If they are able to run, then you got a lot of either-or-situations. When you eliminate one phase consistently, you maybe create a little predictability.”

Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon completed only 18 of 48 passes for 175 yards.

“This is definitely going to help us grow,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “We knew what we had, but there is nothing like a little bit of success to gain some confidence.”

The back story to the defensive effort was the offense. The Bruins, who normally want to run-and-gun, played keep-away, holding the ball for 38 minutes 9 seconds, which kept the Arizona offense cooling it heels.

Said Hundley: “When your defense is playing lights out, being able to keep possession, keep drives going, helps them out.”

UCLA defensive players said they never had a crisis of confidence this season. But there have been rough games in which the Bruins gave up large chunks of yards.

“It’s all about trust,” linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “When you see their quarterback taking the ball away from you, you have to stay in your gap and do your job.”

It’s something the Bruins have not done consistently this season. Saturday, they did.

“That was the No. 6 offense in the nation and we shut them down,” Jack said.

Game management

A more safe-and-sane offense was directed by Hundley, who had 189 yards passing and 131 rushing. The Bruins rushed for 272 yards, five on a touchdown run by Paul Perkins.

Hundley didn’t dazzle, though he did toss a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton in the third quarter for a 17-7 lead. But he did what was necessary.

“He managed the game and got us into the end zone,” Mazzone said. “What else do you want?”

Quick hits

UCLA had 11 penalties for 118 yards, the second consecutive week the Bruins were over 100 yards. The offense had five holding calls. “I don’t know what else to tell you about penalties, other than we just have to own it,” Mora said. . . . Receiver Thomas Duarte sat out, but Mora said he could have played in an emergency. Duarte has missed two games with a hamstring injury.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes