UCLA Runs, but Not Away

It’s a good thing that UCLA played Rice on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, because the way the Bruins sleepwalked through the game, they probably would not still be undefeated if their opponent had been stronger.

Quarterback Ben Olson made some quality plays but was inconsistent and UCLA’s defense was solid but not dominant in a 26-16 victory over undermanned Rice, which played without injured starting quarterback Chase Clement.

As the Bruins improved to 2-0, Chris Markey rushed for a career-high 208 yards, kicker Justin Medlock made four field goals, including a 51-yarder, and Olson completed two touchdown passes.

Sophomore Kahlil Bell added 102 yards in 19 carries for the Bruins, who had 277 net yards rushing.

“You have to respect what they did on defense,” said Olson, who completed 13 of 19 passes for only 124 yards with one intercepted. “They were bringing a ton of guys on every play and we shot ourselves in the foot.... We made some mental mistakes and you can’t do that.”

Rice, which has lost 18 of its last 19 games, including a 63-21 loss to UCLA last year, dropped to 0-2 but gave the Bruins all they could handle.

The Owls sacked Olson four times and forced UCLA into three fumbles.

“We got the job done and that’s the bottom line,” said Markey, who topped his previous best of 161 yards against Northwestern in last year’s Sun Bowl. “Obviously, we’re disappointed that we were not able to score once we got into the red zone. That was something we were known for last year, yet tonight, we struggled.”

Without Clement, who passed for two touchdowns last week, Rice turned to his backup John Shepherd and wide receiver Joel Armstrong, who played quarterback the previous two seasons. The Owls did not complete a pass in the first quarter.

Markey almost single-handedly set up Medlock’s second field goal when he followed a lead block by fullback Michael Pitre on a 43-yard run. Medlock made a 37-yarder to give UCLA a 6-0 lead.

The Bruins, who outgained Rice, 101-8, in the first quarter, took a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter when Olson completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Junior Taylor.

Taylor beat Rice cornerback Ja’Corey Shepherd at the line of scrimmage and then caught a nice pass from Olson in the left corner of the end zone. It was Taylor’s first touchdown catch of the season from Olson, who likes to spread his passes around.

“You want to understand your receivers and what they are going to do versus certain coverages,” Olson said before the game. “That comes from playing with each other. Now that I’ve had a chance to work out with them consistently the last couple of weeks has helped out a lot.”

But after Taylor’s touchdown catch, UCLA could not maintain its edge. From missed blocks and reads to incomplete passes, the Bruins did their best to keep Rice in the game and it almost cost them.

“Rice is a very inspired football team,” UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said. “Coach [Todd] Graham deserves some credit with how hard they are playing and their attitude.”

Graham was happy with the Owls’ effort.

“One of the things I told the kids is that we’ve got a heck of a football team,” he said. “This team is dangerous. We’re going to win a lot of games.”

A turning point could have come in the second quarter when UCLA gave Rice a golden opportunity.

With the Bruins still leading, 13-0, Marcus Everett lost a fumbled punt at UCLA’s two-yard line, but instead of taking advantage of the situation, the Owls went backward.

They lost 19 yards in three plays and then missed a field goal. It was that type of night for Rice, which has not played in a bowl game since 1961.

In the second half, Rice played better and actually made the game interesting. Mike Luist made a field goal to cut UCLA’s lead to 13-3 and then after Medlock kicked his 51-yarder, the Owls scored their first touchdown when Jarrett Dillard caught a 16-yard pass from Armstrong.

With their lead trimmed to 16-10, the Bruins had to sweat things out the rest of the game. Markey again made the big play when he broke free for 36 yards to set up Medlock’s final field goal, from 34 yards, to give UCLA a 19-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

UCLA gained some breathing room a few minutes later when Olson completed an 18-yard touchdown to Brandon Breazell to stretch the lead to 26-10. Rice finished the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown run by Quinton Smith.

The Bruins, who have a bye next week, do not play again until they open Pacific 10 Conference play at Washington on Sept. 23. For Markey, although he would like to keep his roll going as soon as possible, the rest might not be all that bad.

“I guess it’s good that we get a week off,” Markey said. “Of course, I want to play every week, but this gives us a chance to rest.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com