Josh Rosen and Bruins patiently wait, then strike quickly

There was little that UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen could do. Colorado wouldn’t give the ball back.

The Bruins ran one play in 19 minutes during the second and third quarters during their 35-31 victory Saturday in the Rose Bowl.

“We were just watching the game and rooting for the defense,� Rosen said.

Yet, when needed, Rosen was up to the task.

He completed consecutive passes for 64 yards to set up a two-yard touchdown run by Soso Jamabo that gave the Bruins a 35-31 lead with eight minutes left.

The drive took 27 seconds.

All that waiting around had little effect.

“The rhythm of each drive doesn’t carry over from drive to drive, that’s momentum,� Rosen said. “Obviously, with three and outs, you’re not going to get in a rhythm.�

But, he said, “no matter how many times you touch the ball, the goal doesn’t change. There is urgency every time you have the ball.�

Rosen didn’t even stress his fumble, which was returned 33 yards for a touchdown by Samson Kafovalu in the fourth quarter.

“Josh never blinked,� offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said.

Rosen threw for 262 yards and one touchdown.

Numbers game

The injuries piled up for UCLA, which was already down a man before the game.

Guard Alex Redmond was suspended for “personal reasons,� Coach Jim Mora said.

The Bruins lost offensive linemen Kolton Miller and Caleb Benenoch to leg injuries during the game, though Miller hobbled onto the field for the final series.

Running back Paul Perkins, who suffered a knee injury last week, left late in Saturday’s game. Receiver Devin Fuller went out because of an ankle injury.

“That was the offense, those were the easy ones,� Mora said.

The defense was more beat up. Cornerbacks Marcus Rios and Johnny Johnson were in and out of the game, as was linebacker Jayon Brown.

Linebacker Kenny Young left in the first half after taking a hit to the head. Linebacker Josh Woods, playing in his first game, suffered a hamstring injury.

“To overcome the things we had to overcome today was staggering,� Mora said. But, he said, “We kept playing and kept playing and kept playing, and made stops when we had to make stops.�

Perkins rolls

Perkins had 118 yards rushing, his 10th career 100-yard game. It left him with 3,020 yards in his career, putting him eighth on UCLA’s all-time list.

Perkins scored two touchdowns, on an 82-yard run and a 21-yard pass reception. It gave him 27 career touchdowns.

Defensive moments

Brown finished with a career-high 18 tackles, despite being in and out of the game because of a leg problem. Aaron Wallace had a key sack late in the fourth quarter, giving him a team-leading five this season.

Spruced up

Colorado’s Nelson Spruce, who played at Westlake Village Westlake High, had 11 receptions. It gave him 267 in his career, surpassing the Pac-12 Conference record of 259 held by Arizona’s Mike Thomas (2005-08).

Follow Chris Foster on Twitter @cfosterlatimes