Oregon State’s defense restricts UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin

Johnathan Franklin ran into a Beaver dam Saturday.

“He was a Heisman candidate,” said Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer. “I don’t know if he is anymore.”

Well, the UCLA running back’s chances of making it to New York and leaving with some hardware certainly took a hit after the No. 19 Bruins lost to Oregon State, 27-20, at the Rose Bowl.

Franklin entered the game as the nation’s leading rusher (180.3 yards per game), but he managed just 45 yards on 12 carries against the Beavers. And all of those yards were hard-fought.

“They were really physical,” said Franklin, who had runs of 11 and 13 yards but nothing much beyond that.

Oregon State’s defensive game plan was to bottle up Franklin and put the ball in the hands of UCLA redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley.

“We know he’s a young quarterback,” said Oregon State defensive back Rashaad Reynolds, “and we know that their whole offense starts with Johnathan Franklin.”

The plan worked.

With Franklin saddled, the Bruins were thrown off balance, forcing Hundley to throw it 42 times for 372 yards, the highest totals of his young collegiate career.

Meanwhile, UCLA’s powerful rushing attack — the one that previously ranked fifth among 120 major college teams (311.3 yards per game) — finished with just 72 net yards.

It marked the second consecutive game that Oregon State earned an upset win and shut down a running back who was in the Heisman conversation.

In its season opening 10-7 win against No. 13 Wisconsin on Sept. 8, the Beavers smothered star Badgers running back Montee Ball, holding the 2011 Heisman finalist to 61 yards on 15 carries.

Oregon State also snapped Ball’s streak of 21 consecutive games with a touchdown.

But Wisconsin and UCLA are night and day with regards to their running game.

The Badgers are old-school Big Ten Conference, preferring to pound it up the middle with a fullback and/or a pulling guard plowing a clear path for a tailback.

UCLA, on the other hand, likes to spread it out and mix in zone-read option plays to misdirect defenders.

The differing styles didn’t matter to Oregon State, though.

“I don’t know what their scheme was,” Franklin said, “but they did a great job.”

The Beavers attacked both teams by loading the box, stacking the defensive line and having its defenders stay to their assignments.

“They did everything that we saw on film,” said UCLA offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo.

Reynolds said that Oregon State’s defensive performances in the first two games prove that “we’re fast, physical and versatile.”

And Franklin, the second leading rusher in UCLA history, wasn’t shy about giving the Beavers credit.

“They have some great coaches, some great linebackers, some great defensive linemen,” Franklin said. “They’re a great team.”

baxter.holmes@latimes.com

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