Without quarterback Brett Hundley, the UCLA offense leaned on another Chandler High product: running back Paul Perkins.
Fresh off career highs in last weekend’s win against Memphis, the redshirt sophomore churned out a career-high 126 yards on 24 carries Saturday in UCLA’s 20-17 victory over Texas — the first triple-digit game of his career.
Perkins, who grew up with Hundley in Arizona, had cleared the 90-yard mark in three of his last 12 games. He also broke out a career-long 58-yard run at AT&T Stadium, one that helped set up backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel’s three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Nate Iese.
“I was just having fun out there,” Perkins said. “The line was doing a great job. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
The running game as a whole looked vastly improved, as senior Jordon James ran for 69 yards on eight carries. James lost a fumble with 4:17 left in the game, but his performance was an 180-degree turn from his early struggles this season. The former starter ran for just five yards on his first seven touches this season.
As a team, UCLA averaged 4.6 yards per carry, with linebacker Myles Jack and defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes chipping in part-time duty. That easily dwarfed the Bruins’ numbers against Virginia (2.97) and Memphis (3.51).
“We kept sticking with the run game because we were getting so many yards,” Neuheisel said. “I know it doesn’t look big, and it’s not a big explosive play, but four or five yards in the run game is churning it up. It’s kind of like a body shot when you’re a boxer. … It just kind of takes their wind out.”
Added head coach Jim Mora: “It gives you juice. It’s what football is meant to be. You know? Hard-nosed, smash-mouth football.”
Perkins also factored heavily into UCLA’s altered attack. Neuheisel rarely threw downfield until his game-winning 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton, instead looking toward his tailback. Perkins turned five catches into a game-high 69 yards.
“They just wanted to get your boy the ball,” Perkins said, smiling. “Yeah, I was just happy to be a part of it, help my boy Jerry out.”