Football: Stanford crushes UCLA

In a manner befitting a contender for the Pac-10 title, the No. 25 Stanford football team pummeled UCLA on Saturday night, scoring at will in a 35-0 blowout.

On the offensive side of the ball, Stanford was led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck and sophomore running back Stepfan Taylor. Luck went 11-24 for a relatively low 151 yards passing, but threw for two touchdowns. He was also the team’s second-best rusher, taking seven carries for 63 yards.

Taylor led the rushing attack, carrying the ball 20 times for 81 yards.

While Stanford’s offense was expected to carry it to victory, it was the team’s defensive performance that shone. The unit held the Bruins to just 233 total offensive yards, including a mere 81 passing yards, en route to notching an impressive shutout.

The defense played so well against the pass that UCLA starting quarterback Kevin Prince was pulled from the game in the third quarter, replaced by his backup, Richard Brehaut.

Despite assurances from the Stanford coaching staff, the game did not see the return of three injured stars, wide receiver Chris Owusu, linebacker Shayne Skov or running back Jeremy Stewart.