CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Brett Hundley was all smiles, mostly because of his defense.
Seventh-ranked UCLA scored three defensive touchdowns in the second quarter Saturday and Hundley led them on a critical second-half scoring drive as the Bruins escaped Virginia 28-20 in the opener for both teams.
“Sometimes a game like this might be good to get our team understanding that every game we have to come with it,” the quarterback said. “We have to understand what we train for and we have to do it. … We have a lot of stuff to work on.”
Hundley, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, was harassed all day by Virginia’s pressure defense, which sacked him five times, and made the biggest play of the day for UCLA with his feet. It came on a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter when safety Quin Blanding met him around the 3 yard-line, and Hundley overpowered him.
“Great players made plays when they need to be made,” Bruins coach Jim Mora Jr. said.