Bruins Pull Away to a 44-7 Victory

It wasn’t, perhaps, a major milestone, but UCLA Coach Terry Donahue is grateful for it.

His Bruins have won two consecutive games for the first time since midway through the 1989 season after beating outclassed Oregon State, 44-7, Saturday night before 25,734.

UCLA led, 16-7, at halftime and dominated the second half.

By winning, the Bruins improved their overall record to 4-2, 2-1 in the Pacific 10. The Beavers are 0-6 and 0-3. Moreover, Oregon State lost its 11th consecutive game, dating to last season.

Tailback Shawn Wills gained 137 yards in 16 carries but had to leave the game in the third quarter because of a knee injury. It was a career high for the senior running back. He had previously gained 120 yards in a 1989 Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas.

Kevin Williams contributed 134 yards in 16 carries as the Bruins overpowered Oregon State on the ground.

UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox also was productive, completing 16 of 24 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

And split end Sean LaChapelle caught two touchdown passes. It was the fourth game this season he has caught two or more scoring passes.

“It was difficult to explain our first half,” Donahue said. “We had 300 yards (343) but only 16 points. In the second half we got some things adjusted, and we played very well defensively and we kept rolling offensively.”

Wills said his knee injury wasn’t serious and that he was held out of the fourth quarter as a precautionary measure.

UCLA had 579 total yards to only 216 for Oregon State. Mark Olford, Oregon State’s freshman quarterback, did not complete any of his four passes.

The Beavers had zero passing yards, tying a UCLA opponents record set four times previously.

For most of the first half, the Bruins contained Oregon State’s wishbone attack.

However, quarterback Olford, 5 feet 8 and 163 pounds, directed a 72-yard scoring drive in the second quarter to cut UCLA’s lead to 13-7.

Olford, who has 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash, got the drive going with a 32-yard sprint around end.

The drive was sustained by personal foul penalties against UCLA’s Mike Chalenski and Carl Greenwood.

Olford got the touchdown on a nine-yard run.

Earlier, UCLA had taken a 6-0 lead on Kaleaph Carter’s one-yard run. It was set up by Williams’ 57-yard run, longest of his career. Perez missed the extra point.

Later in the first quarter, the Bruins moved 65 yards to a touchdown, with the score coming in a strange fashion.

Wills broke loose on a 41-yard run, but fumbled when tackled at the Oregon State three-yard line. The ball rolled into the end zone, where it was recovered by wide receiver Bryan Adams for a touchdown.

The Bruins’ only other score in the first half came on Perez’s 35-yard field goal.

Williams had 120 yards in 10 carries in the first half, Wills 102 in 10 carries.

Even though, Oregon State has an injury-depleted secondary, Maddox couldn’t always take advantage of it.

He completed 10 of 16 passes for 119 yards in the first half but didn’t have a scoring pass.

UCLA dominated the first-half statistics with 17 first downs to Oregon State’s seven. UCLA also had 343 total yards to the Beavers’ 117.

Any doubt about UCLA’s command of the game was dispelled in the third quarter.

The Bruins drove 55 and 57 yards to touchdowns to improve their advantage to 30-7.

Oregon State was ineffective on offense, failing to make a first down on three series in the quarter.

The Bruins got a scare early in the third quarter when Maddox was shaken up while scrambling. He came out of the game and replaced by Jim Bonds.

However, Maddox was only on the sideline for one play, returning to direct the touchdown drive.

Maddox also made a key play on the advance, scrambling for nine yards on third down and eight from the Oregon State 33-yard line.

Four plays later, Maddox teamed with LaChapelle on a 10-yard scoring pass, the split end beating free safety Zechariah Davis in the corner of the end zone.

UCLA was on the move again on its next possession.

Maddox threw a 13-yard pass to Wills that carried to the Oregon State 33-yard line. Then, after a running play lost one yard, Wills broke loose for a 21-yard gain to the Beaver 13.

Williams then got a first down on a one-yard dive on fourth down from the Oregon State four.

Maddox got the touchdown on a four-yard keeper around right end.

The Bruins added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.