SEATTLE -- Washington coach Chris Petersen recalls his first and only meeting with the late Don James, the legendary figure at the University of Washington who coached there for 18 seasons, winning four Rose Bowls and one national championship.

Petersen's first trip to Husky Stadium in 2007 resulted in a loss, but allowed him to meet James on the field before the game.

"I really remember this thinking, 'I'm gonna get together with this guy one day and exchange notes.' That obviously never happened," Petersen said.

Petersen knows how James liked to play, dedicating Washington's 44-23 win over UCLA on Saturday to James a day after his statue was unveiled at the northwest gate of Husky Stadium.

"If it was 40 degrees and raining he would have been extremely proud, running the ball and playing defense. I'm proud of our guys, we did an awesome job," Petersen said.

The weather was great, though the Huskies obliged by the James blueprint anyways. A fast, ferocious defense held a potent and pass-happy UCLA offense to only 170 passing yards and a stout offensive line helped gouge UCLA for 333 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. had the privilege of playing for James in the early 80s, but any joy of nostalgia from this trip to his alma mater was wiped away by UCLA quickly losing control on defense.

The Bruins hung on for the better part of the first half before Washington racked up the rushing yards and scored 27 points to take a commanding 37-9 lead into the fourth quarter.

"Tough one obviously, wanted to come up here and get a win. We started off OK," Mora said. "I don't know what it looked like from the stands or on TV and I don't really care because I know these guys and I know what they're made of ... It was a disappointing and tough loss for all of us."

Josh Rosen left the game with an undisclosed injury in the third quarter and spent the remainder of the game in the locker room. The junior was potentially on his way toward cracking Washington's defense, tossing the first touchdown pass the Huskies have conceded in Pac-12 play this season. He found Jordan Wilson on a bullet of a pass early in the second quarter to bring UCLA to within 10-9.

"We felt it was best to keep him out and I respect that. And I trust them and think it was the right decision," Mora said. "So we'll reevaluate, they'll examine him after the game, they'll examine him tomorrow, and they'll see where he's at and then we'll make a decision as to how we'll move on."

Myles Gaskin ran for 169 of Washington's 333 rushing with a touchdown. Lavon Coleman added 94 and three touchdowns, while Salvon Ahmed ran for 40.

"Around here, we aren't selfish," Coleman said. "If I see someone running good then I'm going to use that as motivation to get myself running good. We feed off that competition."

Gaskin was tasked with workhorse status early for a Washington offense which only totaled 91 rushing yards two weeks ago in a loss at Arizona State. He had 94 yards by halftime and spread the love around in the second half when his teammates were the ones busting big runs.

Ahmed went zooming from left to right on a reverse in the third quarter, going for 31 yards into UCLA territory. Coleman ran down the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown dash down the right sideline to give Washington a sizeable 27-9 lead.

"Lavon is like my big brother and Salvon is like my little brother," Gaskin said. "I have nothing but faith in that guy (Ahmed) and I love to see him touch the rock. He's still young and fitting in a little bit but he knows how to run, he can catch the ball, he's fast, and he can read blocks well."

Devon Modster replaced Rosen in the third quarter, throwing for 77 yards and orchestrating an 11-play, 81-yard touchdown drive to bring UCLA to within 37-16.

"I definitely didn't start the way I wanted to, but yeah I felt more comfortable as the game went on," Modster said.

Both Browning and Rosen posted career lows in passing yards with 98 and 93 respectively.

Washington came into this game with a depleted secondary, missing the services of talented corners Jordan Miller and Byron Murphy, both lost for the season. UCLA came in missing exceptional linebacker Josh Woods and defensive end Breland Brandt.

NOTES: The Huskies' 12 pass attempts were their fewest since Nov. 14, 1981 when they attempted 10 against USC in a 13-3 win. ... Washington's 333 rushing yards marked the fourth 300-yard rushing effort since Chris Petersen's arrival in 2014. ... Bruins DT Osa Odighizuwa's scoop and score in the fourth quarter marked the first fumble recovery and the first touchdown for the redshirt freshman. ... Redshirt freshman Devon Modster threw for a career-high 77 yards as an emergency substitute for Josh Rosen, including his first career touchdown pass.