Adarius Pickett gives UCLA a gift of an interception on his birthday

UCLA defensive back Adarius Pickett came into more playing time this week and made the most of it on his birthday.

Pickett handled part of the duties up for grabs after Ishmael Adams, the Bruins nickel back, was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

In the third quarter of UCLA’s 34-16 victory over Virginia, Pickett came across the field to intercept a pass, which led to a UCLA touchdown.

“I wasn’t going for the ball, I was going for the man,” Pickett said.”The ball just showed up. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present for myself.”

Pickett has seen a lot of changes in his role in two seasons. He came to UCLA as a defensive back but was moved to running back during training camp in 2014. He was moved back to the secondary during the season.

“It has been a long journey,” Pickett said. “I’m just glad I got the opportunity.”

Perk up

Virginia’s defensive game plan appeared to be geared toward taking away any threat from UCLA running back Paul Perkins, the Pac-12’s leading rusher in 2014.

It worked … to a point.

Perkins started slow but finished with 59 yards in 14 carries. He ground out 23 yards in a third-quarter touchdown drive that put the Cavaliers in a 24-9 hole.

UCLA finished with 152 yards rushing, a good chunk of which was provide by two freshmen.

Soso Jamabo had 79 yards in nine carries, which included a 39-yard run, and Bolu Olorunfunmi had 30 yards in five carries.

“I think everyone got to see what we saw in those young guys,” Coach Jim Mora said.

No sack time

Virginia sacked UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley five times in the season opener a year ago. The Cavaliers had one sack Saturday, for which quarterback Josh Rosen took the blame.

Rosen wasn’t hurried during the game.

“I think the primary credit goes to the offensive line,” Mora said. “Josh, for a young guy, has a pretty good pocket presence. He stays between the tackles so your offensive linemen know where the quarterback is going to be. I like where we’re headed with [the line]. They are calm and don’t get rattled.”

Quick hits

UCLA running back Nathan Starks did not suit up for the game. Starks practiced all week and did not appear to be injured. ... Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made field goals of 26 and 21 yards. He has made 31 consecutive from 35 yards and closer. Fairbairn also missed a 50-yard attempt. He is 11 of 21 on kicks of 40 or more yards during his career. … Safety Randall Goforth left the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. … Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes had eight tackles to lead the Bruins. He had two for losses. Deon Hollins had the Bruins’ only sack.

chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter: @cfosterlatimes