UCLA vs. Stanford: Game Grades, Analysis for Bruins and Cardinal

Attention, Stanford. Break out the axes, because the Cardinal just took UCLA to the woodshed. It's a poor analogy for a university who's mascot is a tree, yes, but true all the same. Following all the hype surrounding a ranked-versus-ranked conference clash, No. 15 Stanford destroyed UCLA 56-35 on its home field in Palo Alto, California, dominating the 18th-ranked Bruins in every facet of the game.

Up next, UCLA (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) will pull double-duty on Thursday night games as it hosts No. 23 Cal next week, aiming to recover from the brutal beating at Stanford Stadium in the friendly confines of the Rose Bowl. Stanford (5-1, 4-0 Pac-12), on the other hand, will set its sights on North division opponent Washington, as the Huskies visit the Cardinal hoping to hand the latter its first conference loss. 

Stanford Cardinal

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	B+	B-
Rush Offense	A+	A+
Pass Defense	B	B-
Rush Defense	A-	A
Special Teams	A	B
Coaching	A-	A+

Pass Offense: After senior quarterback Kevin Hogan worked the first half for 90 yards on 7-of-10 passing with two scores, Stanford only reverted to the air attack five more times in the matchup, completing just one of them (though it was spectacular). On the day, Hogan finished with 131 yards through the air with three touchdowns, providing the necessary threat factor to allow the Cardinal ground game room to work its magic. 

Rush Offense: Following a stellar first half for running back Christian McCaffrey, which included 14 carries for 118 yards and two strong-willed scores, the sophomore produced an even more impressive second. During the extra 11 carries, one of which went 70 yards for a touchdown, McCaffrey broke the school record for single-game rushing yards, piling up 243 on the day to go along with his four total scores. 

Pass Defense: Once UCLA began to seriously trail, the Bruins almost immediately put all their hopes on the shoulders of true freshman quarterback Josh Rosen. Therefore, his inflated numbers portray a better day for the young signal-caller than reality. The Cardinal pass defense may have given up three scores and 325 yards, but two crucial interceptions, one of which served as a pick-six, helped Stanford put the game away early. 

Rush Defense: Despite the Bruins abandoning the rush attack for the quicker air raid late during the first half, running back Paul Perkins still accumulated 104 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Overall, the Stanford offense served as the best antidote for a powerful UCLA ground game, as the ball control forced the Bruins to the skies. Overall, however, Stanford's rush protection played admirably despite the opposition's lack of attempts. 

Special Teams: The Cardinal special teams provided a back-breaking effect on UCLA throughout, punting deep when necessary while creating solid field position for Hogan's offense on returns. The notable "big-play" came early during the first half, as McCaffrey returned a kickoff 96 yards to the Bruin six-yard line, setting up the eventual score. 

Coaching: Considering the dominant performance throughout the game, David Shaw and his staff deserve most, if not all the credit for the victory. The Cardinal were well prepared and mentally efficient, turning the ball over once and rarely finding themselves on the wrong end of a penalty flag. 

UCLA Bruins

	First Half	Second Half
Pass Offense	B+	A-
Rush Offense	B-	C+
Pass Defense	C	B-
Rush Defense	D	D-
Special Teams	C+	C
Coaching	C	D+

Pass Offense: The massive numbers for Josh Rosen, which include a stellar 22-for-42 for 325 yards and three scores with two interceptions, should come with a disclaimer. Sure, the true freshman quarterback performed above his abilities, but a necessity to depend on the air raid after falling behind coupled with an unstoppable Stanford ground game ballooned Rosen's stats well beyond their actual impact. 

Rush Offense: Unfortunately for running back Paul Perkins, the Cardinal's ability to control the game clock while still scoring at will limited his carries to just 14 on the day. With respect, though, he converted those 14 carries into 104 yards and one score, but UCLA needed quick touchdowns without burning clock to even have a chance at the unlikely comeback. That formula results in fewer touches for the running backs. 

Pass Defense: Hogan only threw for 131 yards on 15 attempts during the game, but during those, he racked up three scores while serving as a powerful enough threat to take pressure on the Stanford rush attack. The UCLA defense did procure a rare Hogan interception, but the turnover came too late to make a significant difference as Stanford continued to run clock and find success on the ground. 

Rush Defense: There's not much to say here, apart from the fact that UCLA defense desperately missed injured linebacker Myles Jack. Even with Jack's presence, though, it's unlikely the defense would have stood a chance at slowing down the Cardinal ground-and-pound system. Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey alone embarrassed the Bruin ground protection, as he burned them on multiple occasions en route to a career game and four scores. 

Special Teams: The first-half kickoff blunder is the easily denoted failure, but truly the punt team served as the shortcoming by a much larger margin as Stanford continually found itself with excellent field position following short punts. UCLA's return game, on the the other hand, watched as the Cardinal kicker booted well-placed coffin corners, forcing Rosen to suffer with tough starts throughout the game. 

Coaching: While Jim Mora usually stands out as a head coach who creates positive atmospheres for his teams, this embarrassing loss exposes him and his staff's failure to mentally prepare the Bruins for Stanford. The 21-point drubbing may serve as an outlier for Mora, but UCLA needs more focus heading into the latter half of its season, injuries or not.