SEATTLE—It simply wasn’t fair. Taking the hand-off from quarterback Brett Hundley, UCLA two-way star Myles Jack bounced outside, swatting and spinning away from Washington defenders before tight-roping the sideline en route to a 28-yard touchdown.
Jack’s score, which gave the 18th-ranked Bruins (8-2, 5-2 PAC-12) a 28-10 second-quarter lead, set the tone for the remainder of the 44-30 road victory, confirming that which fans and scouts alike have echoed since Jack first captured national attention as a freshmen in 2013.
The linebacker-turned-running back is truly in a league of his own. It wasn’t the vicious stiff-arm, the video game spin-move, or even the sideline balancing act. It was how effortless the 19-year-old sophomore made it all look.
A highly-touted recruit from nearby Bellevue High School, Jack spurned his home-town Huskies in favor of taking his talents to Westwood.
Making himself even less popular in the state of Washington, Jack has now scored a total of five touchdowns in two career games against Washington; every carry earning a chorus of boos from the hometown crowd.
The victory also showcased the talents of Hundley, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more in eclipsing Cade McNown as UCLA’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns.
Hundley threw for 29-36 and 302 yards on the day, victimizing a young Washington secondary that was without top NFL prospect Marcus Peters, who was dismissed from the program last week.
The Bruins totaled 406 yards on offense, further benefitting from the first quarter departure of national sack-leader Hau’oli Kikaha, who left the game with a shoulder injury.
Boasting a perfect 6-0 record away from the Rose Bowl, the road win kept UCLA only one game behind PAC-12 South leading Arizona State (8-1, 5-1).
Now, the Bruins will focus their attention on a tough home matchup with cross-town rival USC (6-3, 5-2), a game with immense conference implications for both teams.
