PASADENA, Calif. — Just when it seemed UCLA had forgotten what it’s like to win, the Bruins found an opponent they could dominate in Washington State.
Kevin Craft threw two touchdown passes to Ryan Moya, Kahlil Bell ran for a pair of 1-yard scores and UCLA won 28-3 Saturday night, ending a three-game losing streak with its first victory over the Cougars in the Rose Bowl since 1998.
The Bruins (2-3, 1-1 Pac-10) won at home for the first time since their season-opening upset of Tennessee in Rick Neuheisel’s coaching debut at his alma mater.
“It’s been a month since we had a taste of victory so it’s exciting to share that in the locker room,” said Neuheisel, who improved to 6-0 against WSU in his career.
Craft was 23-of-36 for 225 yards and did not throw an interception before leaving with 5 minutes remaining. Moya caught six passes — one off his career high — for 57 yards, while Terrence Austin had seven catches for 77 yards.
“Ryan’s become a weapon for us. He’s a good pass catcher, he’s a good route runner,” Neuheisel said. “He’s got a good feel for zones and they’ve got a nice little rapport.”
The Bruins took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Craft hit Moya for a 15-yard TD on UCLA’s first possession. The Cougars were then forced to punt before Craft handed off to Bell, who plunged 1 yard for his third touchdown of the season.
“By no means are we satisfied by this one win. Guys are still hungry,” Craft said. “We took one step forward.”
Bell injured his left ankle in the season opener and missed losses to BYU and Arizona before scoring twice in last week’s loss to Fresno State. The Cougars beat UCLA 27-7 last season in Pullman, Wash., where Bell sustained a season-ending knee injury.
“This win is a confidence booster,” said Bell, who aggravated his ankle but returned to the game.
Washington State (1-5, 0-3) narrowly avoided its first shutout since 1984 with Nico Grasu’s 47-yard field goal — the longest of his career — in the third quarter.
The Cougars, who had won three straight at the Rose Bowl, have been outscored 157-20 in three conference games.
“I thought the game was evenly matched, we just didn’t take advantage of our breaks,” first-year coach Paul Wulff said. “We struggled with our third downs all night. We were moving good enough to score points, but we seemed to shoot ourselves in the foot. We just could not seem to make the plays.”
The Cougars managed just 11 first downs and 177 yards of total offense, and had eight penalties for 69 yards. They were 2-of-14 on third-down conversions.
“They were just too quick for us,” WSU defensive lineman Michael Graise said. “Our main problem is we make little mistakes and other people turn them into big plays. Once we get that taken care of we’ll be OK.”
Alterraun Verner’s interception of Marshall Lobbestael at the WSU 27 set up Craft’s third TD at 6:40 of the third. Craft found Moya alone in the right corner of the end zone for a 12-yard score, extending UCLA’s lead to 21-3.
“I’m relieved when I can get a big pick and give our offense a short field,” Verner said. “They were opportunistic.”
Bell scored again early in the fourth with his second 1-yard plunge that made it 27-3. He had 21 carries for 43 yards.
UCLA’s defense allowed a season-low 177 net yards, and just 26 net yards rushing, the fewest since allowing minus-13 yards against Arizona two years ago.
The Bruins didn’t turn the ball over for the first time in nearly a year.
“We were hungry and cohesive,” Moya said. “We came out fast and aggressive and we’ll build on this win.”
Lobbestael was 15-of-31 for 151 yards and one interception in the redshirt freshman’s second start. Dwight Tardy was the Cougars’ leading rusher with 17 carries for 50 yards, while Brandon Gibson was their top receiver with six catches for 62 yards.
“I just did not execute properly,” Lobbestael said. “A lack of execution on first and second made it hard on us. It seemed like it was third and long all night. We can’t keep doing this.”
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