Stanford Dominates UCLA Once Again

This is the Stanford team that the country, and certainly UCLA, is used to seeing. The Cardinal dominated the Bruins 31-10 at the Rose Bowl on Friday afternoon to deny UCLA the Pac-12 South title. The loss will send Arizona to the Pac-12 Championship at Levi’s Stadium next Friday.

Stanford controlled the ball offensively with more than 15 minutes more in time of possession and four touchdown scoring drives of 75-plus yards to completely deflate the UCLA defense. Kevin Hogan attacked the Bruins vertically including a back-breaking 37-yard touchdown strike to Devon Cajuste to put the Cardinal up 21-10 just before the half.

Stanford came into the game with the worst offense in the Pac-12 and missing star receiver Ty Montgomery, so of course, Hogan would have his best performance of the season, going 16-for-19 for 234 yards and two touchdown tosses. Hogan has had an up-and-down season, but has saved his best performances for the end of the year.

For Jim Mora and the Bruins, it’s another missed opportunity and another drubbing at the hands of the Cardinal. Mora is now 0-4 against Stanford in his tenure, with this loss costing UCLA a rematch against Oregon in the Pac-12 title game.

UCLA might own Los Angeles and USC, but the Bruins haven’t been able to match the physicality of Cardinal. The Cardinal battered star quarterback Brett Hundley, who was playing his final game for the Bruins. Hundley finished a modest 17-for-32 for a modest 146 yards and one touchdown. He was knocked out with a right-hand injury midway through the fourth quarter and did not return.

As for UCLA, a team that was a trendy pick for the College Football Playoff, they could never quite live up to those lofty expectations. A young, talented team will now be searching for a replacement for Hundley, who will declare early for the NFL Draft.

It’s the same story, different chapter for a UCLA team who came up short once again when everything mattered most.

Patrick Leiva is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and add him to your network on Google.