PASADENA, Calif. – In North Carolina Central University’s first confrontation with a nationally-ranked FBS opponent, UCLA wasted no time demonstrating its No. 24 ranking.
The Bruins scored a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage on their way to a 59-7 victory inside the historic Rose Bowl on Saturday.
UCLA (3-0) connected on a 67-yard pass for a 7-0 lead just 18 seconds into the contest. The Bruins went on to score 35 points in the opening 15 minutes, the most first-quarter points ever surrendered by the Eagles. The host added 10 more points in the second stanza for a 45-0 cushion entering the locker room.
NCCU (2-1) engineered a 14-play, 56-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, capped by a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Chris Mosley, to break up the shutout.
Senior quarterback Davius Richard started the game, completing five passes for 28 yards and rushing for 11 yards before being replaced by Walker Harris in the second quarter. Harris threw for 114 yards on 12-of-18 passing.
Three NCCU receivers collected four receptions each. Quentin McCall topped the group with 39 yards, followed by Devin Smith with 28 yards and Joaquin Davis with 24 yards. On the ground, Latrell Collier posted 48 yards on 14 carries
As a team, NCCU tallied 232 yards of total offense compared to UCLA’s 614 total yards.
The Eagles’ defense was led by Kole Jones and Jaden Taylor, with eight tackles each, while Jayden Flaker added seven takedowns and an interception.
Courtesy: North Carolina Central Athletics
