Pac-12 Football Week 1: Game-by-Game Highlights

September 5, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) looks to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

No. 13 UCLA   34

Virginia            16

True freshman QB Josh Rosen threw 28 passes and made 35 of them for 351 yards and three touchdowns through three-quarters.  Rosen is the first true freshman to start for UCLA, ever. His performance put UCLA in the discussions over Arizona State for Pac-12 South stars and earned him FBS Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Certainly he was the most highly anticipated freshman to play in the country today, and this was only his first game. He came in physically and mentally ready to play and showed everyone why he earned a five-star rating in playing at John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif.

Fun fact, his home town is listed as Manhattan Beach, Calif. where his Head Coach Jim Mora and USC head coach Steve Sarkisian also live.

Rosen made one big mistake with nine and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter, he missed a snap from center which flew past him which resulted in a 19-yard loss. Back to the sideline for a talking to, in came his back-up QB Jerry Neuheisel (red-shirt junior) who was able to tack on an extra touchdown.

UCLA’s defense looked intimidating, Virginia could not seem to get any offense going until late in the game when UCLA’s second string came in. A bit of late Sunday bad news for UCLA’s defense, LB Eddie Vanderdoes tore his ACL and is out for the season, big loss.

UCLA becomes the most talked about team in the discussion about which team is going to lead the Pac-12 South.  Let’s see how it goes.

Next: No. 8 USC vs. Arkansas State