Page One

UCLA runs over Cal as Paus passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns  

PASADENA – California wasn’t about to let DeShaun Foster run wild, as Washington did a week earlier. 

Instead, it was Cory Paus who did the Golden Bears in. 

Paus passed for a season-high 273 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters Saturday night as No. 4 UCLA overcame a sluggish start to beat winless California 56-17. 

Foster, who entered the game as the leading rusher in the country with a 162.6-yard average, gained 117 yards on 24 carries and caught two passes for 61 yards. 

Held to 38 yards on 12 carries in the first half, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior scored on runs of 1 and 6 yards and a 34-yard pass from Paus. 

Foster ran for a school-record 301 yards on 31 carries and scored four touchdowns in UCLA’s 35-13 victory over Washington. 

“You saw the way they were playing defense – nine guys in the box,” Paus said. “We’re still going to run the ball. I’m just glad we were able to do some things we wanted to do.” 

Paus, who opened the game with an incompletion before connecting on his next 11 passes, finished 13-of-16 without being intercepted. He has attempted 189 straight passes, including 122 this season, without an interception. 

“Close to being perfect,” Paus said. “I would have liked being perfect. I’ll take it, for sure.” 

Paus also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Smith and a 4-yarder to Ed Ieremia-Stansbury – both in the third period. The Bruins have outscored their six opponents 72-0 in the third quarter. 

“I think he performed real well,” UCLA coach Bob Toledo said of Paus, a fourth-year junior. “They were packing the paint. For the most part, he made them pay for what they were trying to do. And they paid, dearly.” 

The defeat was the ninth straight for Cal – a school record. The Bears (0-6, 0-4) are off to the worst start in the program’s 119-year history. 

Cal has faced one of the country’s most difficult schedules; its opponents have a cumulative 33-2 record. 

The Bears played without quarterback Kyle Boller, sidelined with a back injury. Boller, a junior who has made 24 career starts, led his team to wins over UCLA in each of the last two seasons. 

Eric Holtfreter, making his first career start as Boller’s replacement, completed 11 of 29 passes for 102 yards and one touchdown before being relieved early in the fourth quarter. 

The Bruins put the game away by scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter and another on the first play of the final period – on Foster’s last carry of the game. 

One of the third-quarter touchdowns was a 16-yard blocked punt return by Devon Reese. Marcus Reese, no relation, got the block – the second straight game he has blocked a punt that resulted in a touchdown. 

Akil Harris’ 48-yard touchdown run with 4:22 left put UCLA ahead 56-10. Cal’s Terrell Williams scored on a 4-yard run with one second remaining. 

Joe Igber, who rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries, gained 39 yards on the game’s second play, helping the Bears get into position for Mark Jensen’s 39-yard field goal. 

The Bruins moved 55 yards on four plays the third time they had the ball, scoring when Craig Bragg ran 42 yards on a double reverse. 

The Bears responded by driving 80 yards on 15 plays, with Holtfreter throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Charon Arnold. 

The drive was aided by two offside penalties against UCLA, the first while Cal was punting. 

The Bruins moved 76 and 80 yards on their next two possessions to take a 21-10 halftime lead, with Foster scoring both touchdowns. 

The Bruins got a break on the Paus-to-Foster TD pass; Paus was hit by John Klotsche as he threw, and the ball fluttered to Foster, who was alone about 10 yards downfield and nowhere near the intended receiver. 

The game was played before a homecoming crowd of 65,366 at the Rose Bowl.