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PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Brett Hundley
passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 13 UCLA honored late
receiver Nick Pasquale during its 59-13 victory over New Mexico State on
Saturday night.
Jordon James rushed for a career-best
164 yards and two scores as UCLA (3-0) routed the undermanned Aggies
(0-4) in its first home game since Pasquale was hit by a car and killed
two weeks ago.
The Bruins ran their first offensive
play with 10 men on the field in the walk-on sophomore's honor, and the
Rose Bowl crowd waved blue towels and wore T-shirts emblazoned with his
No. 36.
Steven Manfro, Devin Fuller and Shaq
Evans caught scoring passes from Hundley for the Bruins, who blew out
the Aggies even while committing three turnovers inside the New Mexico
State 5.
The Aggies have lost 15 straight games.
Manfro also rushed for a score as UCLA
took a 45-0 lead through three quarters, giving the Bruins 83 unanswered
points after scoring the final 38 in last week's comeback victory at
Nebraska. Malcolm Jones rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns for
UCLA, which has scored 50 points in consecutive home games for the first
time since 1973.
Freshman King Davis III passed for 48
yards in his first start for New Mexico State, which got $550,000 to
visit Pasadena as a 42-point underdog for the schools' first meeting.
Brandon Betancourt rushed for a late touchdown in his first start for
the Aggies.
Andrew McDonald, who lost his starting
job to Davis this week, took over in the third quarter and threw a
33-yard TD pass to Adam Shapiro in the fourth quarter to avoid the
shutout.
With last week's win at Nebraska and
this blowout, the Bruins embraced coach Jim Mora's desire for his team
to play in a way that would honor Pasquale. The entire UCLA roster
arrived at the Rose Bowl wearing the same No. 36 T-shirts that were sold
to fans, with all proceeds going to the Nick Pasquale Foundation.
Pasquale's parents and brother joined
Mora and athletic director Dan Guerrero for an on-field ceremony after
the first quarter. They stood next to Pasquale's name and No. 36,
painted on the Rose Bowl turf near the spot where Pasquale lined up for
his first play with the Bruins in last month's win over Nevada.
Both teams stood at attention on the
sideline for a pregame moment of silence. After Manfro returned the
opening kickoff to the New Mexico State 16, the Bruins removed Evans
from their huddle and ran their first offensive play with just 10 men in
Pasquale's honor.
But James fumbled at the New Mexico
State 5 on the Bruins' second play, and Hundley threw an interception at
the Aggies 1 on UCLA's second drive. Hundley wasn't exceptionally
sharp, going 23 of 35 while playing just three quarters, but the
sophomore often plays his best against the Bruins' toughest opponents.
The Bruins finally started the rout
when James scored from 4 yards out late in the first quarter. Manfro
added another score early in the second, turning a short reception into a
20-yard TD with a slick move.
After Ishmael Adams returned an
interception 52 yards to end New Mexico State's first good drive, Manfro
scored on a 12-yard run. Star Bruins linebacker Anthony Barr then got
credit for his first sack of the season when he simply took the ball out
of Davis' cocked hand late in the second quarter.
Fuller was wide open when he caught a
21-yard TD pass over the middle with 39 seconds left in the second
quarter, and UCLA's Cassius Marsh blocked a field-goal attempt to end
the first half with a 31-0 lead.
New Mexico State's Anthony Edwards was
ejected in the third quarter with a targeting penalty for a head hit on
Evans. Moments later, Hundley threw his second interception at the goal
line.
But UCLA kept rolling, with James
carrying the ball three times for 55 yards and a touchdown in just 32
seconds late in the third quarter, putting the Bruins ahead 45-0.
