When UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt launched himself at an out-of-bounds Marcus Mariota like a heat-seeking missile Saturday, the Oregon quarterback had some quick words for the officials.

But probably not the ones you — or Zumwalt — expected.

Mariota, it seems, beseeched the officials to, of all things, back off and not throw a flag.

Whether the words had any influence we’ll perhaps never know, but in an era when players beg for officials to pull the hankie and go into histrionics when a penalty isn’t called, how refreshing is it that the Saint Louis School graduate even thought to voice them in the heat of the moment?

At a time when scrambling for a competitive edge knows few limits and is passed off as "gamesmanship," it is pretty cool when somebody is willing to say, in effect, "Hey, forget the flag and just let us play."

Or, at least the vanquished Bruins said they thought so.

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE on Monday, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr could have lauded Mariota’s 10-for-10 second-half passing that helped tell the tale in the Ducks’ 42-14 victory. He could have marveled at how Mariota extended the Pac-12 record to 292 consecutive passes without an interception.

Instead, after the particularly heated game among nationally ranked foes, Barr said in a video on BruinsNation.com, "I think he (Mariota) is a real tough guy. I think people don’t give him enough credit for his toughness and his competitiveness. There were a couple plays where he actually got hit, maybe late — I think the one Jordan (Zumwalt) hit him on the sidelines — and he’s actually telling the ref, ‘Don’t throw the flag. That was clean.’ "

Barr added, "That’s cool to hear from quarterbacks. Usually they’re the ones complaining the most, asking for that, those penalties. I respect him for that."

Mariota also let his actions speak loudly, several times rapping acknowledgement of the Bruins defenders’ efforts on their helmets after plays.

They are the kind of small things that add up to saying a lot about the Heisman Trophy contender on a couple of levels. First of all, they speak to the type of relentless competitor he is for the second-ranked Ducks.

And, they also underline the kind of focus and maturity you want from a leader, a quarterback especially, when emotions are strong and a lot is on the line. 

INSTEAD OF GETTING caught up and carried away in an escalating confrontation, the sophomore kept the big picture — winning the game and staying in the national title hunt — in focus.

The determined way he went about it no doubt also helped to set the tone for the rest of the Ducks.

"I just try to keep my head and my guys did an awesome job keeping their heads," Mariota told GoDucks.com afterward. "They (the Bruins) did come after us a couple times, and for our guys to hold their character really says a lot about this team."

In that, there would be no wondering who they looked to as their leader.

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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.