Live updates: UCLA routs Arizona, 56-30, in Pac-12 opener

Well, that wasn’t much of a Pac-12 Conference South Division showdown.

Arizona painted its raucous home stadium red on Saturday, showing up in red uniforms and red helmets to play before a mostly red-clad crowd.

But what happened during the game left Wildcats Coach Rich Rodriguez seeing red.

UCLA ran for six touchdowns and freshman quarterback Josh Rosen bounced back from a poor showing last week as the Bruins routed Arizona, 56-30.

UCLA, ranked No. 9 in the nation, improved its record to 4-0 overall, 1-0 in Pac-12 play. Arizona, ranked No. 16, fell to 3-1, 0-1.

The Wildcats just couldn’t tackle the Bruins, especially in the first half.

UCLA has now won 12 consecutive games away from the Rose Bowl, and Bruins Coach Jim Mora improved his personal record against Rodriguez to 4-0.

Arizona was hurt by poor tackling, errant snaps from center and an inability to pass after starting quarterback Anu Solomon left the game in the first half.

Solomon was stuck in the side of the head by a knee and never returned.

His replacement, Jerrard Randall, scored on a 39-yard touchdown run on his first play of the game, but it was one of few highlights for the Wildcats.

For UCLA, Rosen completed 19 of 28 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.

Jordan Payton made seven receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown as Rosen spread his completions among eight receivers.

Paul Perkins ran for three touchdowns and finished with 85 yards in 24 carries. UCLA’s leading rusher was freshman reserve Soso Jamabo, who carried nine times for 96 yards and a touchdown.

Nick Wilson ran 24 times for 136 yards for Arizona, and Randall carried 16 times for 128 yards. However, three Arizona quarterbacks combined to complete only 10 of 28 passes for 115 yards.

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UCLA 56, Arizona 30 -- 1:12 left in the fourth quarter

Even Arizona’s substitutes are running on UCLA, which has given up 353 yards rushing tonight.

Jared Baker scored for the Wildcats on a two-yard run. He had 42 yards in five carries on the drive.

UCLA 56, Arizona 23 -- 3:37 left in the fourth quarter

Soso Jamabo, a freshman from Texas, has just scored UCLA’s sixth rushing touchdown of the game, from 10 yards out.

The Bruins covered 88 yards in 11 plays and now have 500 yards in offense.

Jamabo is UCLA’s leading rusher with 96 yards in nine carries.

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Arizona Coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t taking it easy on backup quarterback Jerrard Randall, who got a scolding on the sideline after he misfired on a fourth-and-11 pass from the UCLA 12.

Arizona took the ball from its own 48 as far as the UCLA 11 with a first down before a false start penalty helped stall the march.

Anu Solomon, Arizona’s starting quarterback, hasn’t played since taking a knee to the side of the head in the first half.

Randall is a good runner, but not much of a passer.

He has rushed for for 128 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries, but has completed just four of 16 passes for 45 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

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UCLA leads Arizona, 49-23, at the start of the fourth quarter in Tucson.

Paul Perkins has run for three touchdowns and Josh Rosen has passed for two and run for another.

Rosen has passed for 266 yards, and UCLA has outgained Arizona, 403-359.

Arizona has 262 yards rushing, including 122 in 22 carries by tailback Nick Wilson and 100 yards in 12 carries by reserve quarterback Jerrard Randall.

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UCLA 49, Arizona 23 -- 3:39 left in the third quarter

Josh Rosen has been handing the ball off all game on zone reads, and the Arizona defense never has reacted in a way that they thought he might keep it and run.

He just kept it and ran, scoring on an eight-yard run.

Rosen’s keeper capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive. The big gain came on a 39-yard pass from Rosen to Jordan Payton.

Rosen has completed 16 of 23 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Payton has seven catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.

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UCLA 42, Arizona 23 -- 5:54 left in the third quarter

Oh, those little things -- the simple stuff -- can kill you.

For Arizona, it’s been the snap from center.

In the first half, bad snaps caused a turnover and, at another point, killed a drive.

This time, Arizona had the ball at the UCLA, with a first down, when Wildcats quarterback Jerrard Randall mishandled a snap that resulted in a nine-yard loss.

Then came a 10-yard holding penalty, a run for three yards and an incomplete pass.

Casey Skowron, who’d had a tough night with a missed short field goal and a missed point-after, drilled a 44-yard field goal so Arizona didn’t come away completely empty.

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Another defensive holding call wipes out another would-have-been a turnover for UCLA.

This time it was holding on Jaleel Wadood that killed a pick by Marcus Rios.

Why Arizona is throwing is baffling anyway. UCLA can’t stop the Wildcats when they run. They are averaging more than six yards per carry.

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Another three-and-out for the UCLA offense, with quarterback Josh Rosen once again under a heavy rush.

And another short punt.

Arizona takes over at its own 49.

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UCLA 42, Arizona 20 -- 11:05 left in third quarter

Arizona hasn’t given up. The Wildcats took advantage of a rare stand by the defense to get good field position and then score.

Backup quarterback Jerrard Randall made a great move to avoid a blitzing linebacker, then connected with David Richards for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Casey Skowron, who missed a chip-shot field-goal try at the end of the first half, missed the extra point kick.

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Did the Arizona defense think this game started at 7:15? It just showed up.

UCLA took the ball at its own 16 to start the second half and went backward.

Josh Rosen was sacked for a six-yard loss, Paul Perkins was stuffed for a four-yard loss, then stuffed again for a one-yard gain.

After a short punt, Arizona has the ball at the UCLA 44.

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Some halftime stats as UCLA leads Arizona, 42-14:

Josh Rosen, obviously unsettled and his confidence broken after his struggles last week against Brigham Young, has somehow managed to complete 13 of 17 passes -- to eight different receivers -- for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

Yes, someday, he might mature into a nice quarterback.

Paul Perkins has three rushing touchdowns, and 56 yards in 16 carries.

Arizona has run for 212 yards, and averaged 6.8 yards per carry, yet, because of two turnovers and many, many whiffed tackles, isn’t even in the game. Nick Wilson has 112 yards in 16 carries for the Wildcats.

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UCLA 42, Arizona 14 -- halftime

Interesting (read: strange) call by Arizona Coach Rich Rodriguez at the end of the first half.

With UCLA’s offense looking unstoppable against a helpless Arizona defense, the coach chose to attempt a field goal instead of going for a touchdown, or first down, near the goal line.

Arizona was fourth-and-seven from the UCLA 12 with about 17 seconds left, but then let the clock run to four seconds and tried the kick.

Which was wide right.

Karma.

Yes, fourth-and-seven is no gimmee, but a field goal would have been good for nothing in this situation.

OK, so a touchdown probably wouldn’t have helped much either the way this game is going for Arizona.

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As terrific of a half as Paul Perkins has had for UCLA, Nick Wilson is really impressive for Arizona.

He has rushed for 110 yards in 15 carries.

Why Arizona runs Wilson like it does, then consistently turns suddenly in another direction, is baffling.

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UCLA 42, Arizona 14 -- 3:08 left in the second quarter

How many points will UCLA score tonight?

I actually know the answer:

As many as it wants.

Arizona’s defense is totally overmatched by a Bruins unit that struggled so last week against Brigham Young.

Paul Perkins just scored his third touchdown of the first half, this one on a one-yard run.

UCLA moved 64 yards on its scoring drive -- 59 of the yards coming on a pass from Josh Rosen to Jordan Payton, after the freshman quarterback patiently bidded his time after he avoided a rush.

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The game just got better for Ishmael Adams.

Burned on an Arizona touchdown pass earlier, and then hit with a penalty that wiped out a Jaleel Wadood interception, he just came up with a turnover of his own.

Adams made a nice catch of a horribly thrown pass by Arizona backup Jarred Randall to give UCLA trhe ball at the Bruins 36.

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UCLA 35, Arizona 14 -- 6:41 left in the second quarter

The Arizona secondary wants no part of UCLA’s running backs and wide receivers.

There are missed tackles on just about every play, and it’s very clear they will avoid at any cost one-on-one contact with Paul Perkins or Nate Starks.

A three-yard run by Starks just capped a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive.

A nice 22-yard pickup on a pass from Josh Rosen to Darren Andrews on a third-and-14 play kept the march going.

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UCLA 28, Arizona 14 -- 10:34 left in the second quarter

Wow, talk about immediate impact.

Jerrard Randall comes in at quarterback for Arizona after Anu Solomon is knocked out of the game, and on the very first play, he takes off on a 39-yard touchdown run.

Simply faked a hand off and took off.

Randall, a transfer from Louisiana State, is FAST.

Solomon is being taken to the Arizona locker rooml.

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Anu Solomon has been knocked out of the game after being struck in the head by Kenny Young’s knee after a scramble.

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Yet another Arizona turnover is wiped away by yet another mistake by Ishmael Adams.

Jaleel Wadood had intercepted an Anu Solomon pass, but Adams was called for a holding penalty, giving Arizona an automatic first down.

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UCLA 28, Arizona 7 -- 12:20 left in the second quarter

Whoever did the tape job on Jordan Payton’s ankle did a fine job.

His five-yard scoring reception has given UCLA a three-touchdown lead.

The Bruins offense is enjoying playing on a short field. Two strong returns by Devin Fuller and two turnovers by Arizona have given UCLA great field position.

Freshman Soso Jamabo gained 17 yards on two nice runs after the turnover.

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Deon Hollins comes up with his second loose ball recovery to give UCLA the ball at the Arizona 30.

The ball was knocked out of the hands of Anu Solomon when he faked a handoff to Nick Wilson.

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UCLA 21, Arizona 7 -- 14:36 left in the second quarter

So, Arizona opened this game by driving 75 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown.

And it’s been all UCLA ever since.

Paul Perkins’ scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from a yard out, to complete a 50-yard, seven-play scoring drive.

That’s the second scoring drive set up by a nice return by Devin Fuller.

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Through one quarter, UCLA has outgained Arizona, 143-107, running 19 plays to the Wildcats’ 23.

Josh Rosen has completed seven of eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Anu Solomon has completed four of nine passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.

UCLA leads, 14-7, and is driving again.

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Third-and-four and Josh Rosen does what he’s already done so many times this season: connects with Paul Perkins on a swing pass, leading him perfectly so he is headed down field as he catches the ball.

Nice.

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UCLA starts from midfield after a 29-yard punt return by Devin Fuller -- his second nice return of the game.

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Cayman Bundage just helped kill an Arizona drive with yet another bad snap.

That’s his second bad snap. The first led to a UCLA touchdown.

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Bruins fans won’t like that Josh Rosen overthrew an open receiver on a third-down pass, but you gotta love his reaction.

He smiled.

Not a happy smile, but an expression that says, “Wow, that was bad. Next time, I’m hitting that one.”

After a punt, Arizona takes over at its own 11.

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On third-and-four, Josh Rosen connects with Jordan Payton for a first down, but UCLA’s leading receiver on the season comes up limping.

UCLA training staff is taping up his right ankle on the sideline.

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UCLA gets the ball back after Arizona tries a deep pass -- which is way overthrown -- on a third-and-one.

It’s the first fail on third down after Arizona converted its first four.

After a punt, UCLA takes over at its own 15.

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UCLA 14, Arizona 7 -- 8:31 left in first quarter

UCLA’s offense has run six plays and scored 14 points.

After the turnover, Paul Perkins scored on a nifty 16-yard run on the next play.

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Arizona is four-for-four on third down in the early going.

Another nice run by Anu Solomon on third-and-eight.

But wait, on the next play, the snap sails over Solomon’s head and UCLA’s Deon Hollins recovers for the Bruins at the Arizona 16.

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UCLA 7, Arizona 7 -- 9:59 left in the first quarter

A great catch by Thomas Duarte has evened things up in Tucson.

Duarte came off the line, ran up the middle of the field, and no one covered him.

Josh Rosen’s throw was a little high but Duarte went up and pulled it in, then barely made it into the end zone to complete a 35-yard play.

UCLA countered Arizona’s 10-play drive by scoring in five.

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Josh Rosen runs for 10 yards on third-and-nine.

Bruins are in good shape after 46-yard kickoff return by Devin Fuller.

After the third-down conversion, UCLA is at the Arizona 30.

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Arizona 7, UCLA 0 -- 12:20 left in first quarter

Well, that was quick. And sharp looking.

Arizona went 75 yards in 10 plays on its opening drive, with quarterback Anu Solomon hitting Nate Phillips in stride for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

And a welcome back to UCLA cornerback Ishmael Adams, who got beat on the play.

Adams is in his first game this season after coming off a suspension.

UCLA suspended Adams from football activities after his arrest for allegedly using force to take a cellphone from an Uber driver.

He was reinstated earlier this week.

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Arizona two-for-two early on third-down plays.

Solomon hits Caleb Jones with a pass for a first down.

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Three runs by Nick Wilson gives Arizona a first down.

One run by quarterback Anu Solomon gets another first down, with Solomon flattening Randall Goforth with a forearm at the end of the run.

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Arizona starts from its own 25.

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UCLA won the coin toss and chose to defer.

Arizona will open with the ball.

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UCLA has already won a pre-game battle.

Arizona had posted a sign just outside the UCLA locker room warning of extgreme heat.

UCLA took it down.

Arizona put it back up.

UCLA covered it.

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Jim Mora, not Will Ferrell, led UCLA onto the field.

Interesting choice.

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Scooby Wright, Arizona’s star linebacker, looks like he’s ready to play.

This will be his first game back after he sustained a minor knee injury in the Wildcats’ season opener against Texas San Antonio.

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It is just a few minutes before kickoff and the stadium in Tucson is very, very, ve-ry, VERY, VE-RY red.

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Interesting game today in Ann Arbor, Mich., if you’re a UCLA football fan.

That Brigham Young team the Bruins squeaked by at the Rose Bowl last week?

It was routed, 31-0, by Michigan and first-year coach Jim Harbaugh.

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OK, so after lauding Coach Mora for his focus on football, we’ll get into some of the blah, blah, blah.

It’s hot this evening in Tucson. Very hot.

Around the time No. 9 UCLA and No. 16 Arizona tee it up -- should be about 20 minutes from now -- the air temperature is expected to be about 97 degrees. Hotter on the field.

So, will those laid-back surfer dudes from Southern California wilt?

Of course not.

UCLA had training camp in San Bernardino for heavens sake. Tucson probably feels like an ocean breeze.

But then there’s another kind of heat -- one coming from seats packed by fans of the Wildcats. Arizona’s “Zona Zoo” has a reputation for hostility across the Pac-12 Conference.

Arizona fans were getting ready early Saturday, and it was clear they had zeroed in on a particular target: Josh Rosen, UCLA’s quarterback.

Oh, fine, pick on the freshman.

During ESPN’s GameDay broadcast, fans were panning Rosen’s youth.

“Josh Rosen orders from the kid’s menu” one sign read.

“Josh Rosen wears his socks to bed” read another. (Is that weird or somethingn?)

Jim Mora, UCLA’s coach, wasn’t worried about how Rosen would handle the crowd.

“What will help him is, on most plays, he will have 10 guys around him who have played at Arizona,” Mora said. “They have been in hostile environments and know how to handle it.

“He has offensive line in front of him that is very, very confident and has played very, very well. Josh has the right personality to handle anything. That doesn’t mean it’s going be perfect, and it’s not going to be, but it won’t affect him a bit.”

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Jim Mora is an old-school coach who doesn’t get caught up in the blah, blah, blah of every-week ... day ... minute college football hype.

So you can talk about the UCLA revenge factor after the Bruins soundly defeated Arizona last season only to watch the Wildcats play in the Pac-12 Conference title game. And you can talk about the heat in Tucson today. And rabid crowd.

You could even give his team the ready-made excuse that it will be playing against a high-octane offense with three starters missing on defense because of injuries.

Just a lot of blah, blah, blah.

Here’s what the UCLA coach told Chris Foster this week the game would come down to:

“It comes down to typical things -- running the football, stopping the run, protecting the quarterback, pressuring the quarterback, protect the football, try to take football.”

Forced to, he did address the injury -- UCLA has lost tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, cornerback Fabian Moreau and linebacker Myles Jack in the last three weeks -- situation this way:

“We’re working hard in developing a mindset of mental toughness, discipline, poise, maturity. I’ve seen that this week. I’m encouraged by that.”