Bruins Score Huge Win Over Big Red, 36-30

I must admit – I was worried when roughly 25,000 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ fan base filled the entire north end zone section of the Rose Bowl (and most of the south end zone seats as well), rocking the place with wickedly loud chants of “Go Big Red!” before their game with the UCLA Bruins on Saturday.

September 8, 2012; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Johnathan Franklin (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

A blind person may have thought that he was in Lincoln, NE, that “Go Big Red!” chant was so prevalent; I knew that if the 16th ranked Huskers did anything big against the Bruins early on, Jim Mora’s team would be in trouble.

That was why it must have been so pleasing for Bruin Nation to see that huge Nebraska  contingent as quiet as church mice at the end of what turned out to be something akin to a heavyweight title fight, the Bruins using a safety by defensive end Datone Jones when he rocked Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez in the end zone, an interception by corner back Andrew Abbott, and a touchdown catch by Johnathan Franklin in the fourth quarter to knock out the Cornhuskers in a 36-30 thriller before a larger than expected crowd of 71, 530 at the Rose Bowl.

The win vaulted UCLA to a top 25 ranking for the first time since 2007; the Bruins now standing at number 22 in the AP poll and 23rd in the coaches poll.

Someone must have forgotten to tell UCLA that Nebraska was supposed to beat the Bruins rather comfortably, because although they were behind 14-7 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a five-yard run by Ameer Abdullah and a demoralizing (at the time) 92-yard TD run by Martinez, UCLA was not only hanging in there with a top-20 team, they were playing with such a fierce intensity that was incredible to watch as they more than showed that they were willing to go toe-to-toe with the big, bad Cornhuskers.

Which was clearly evident in the second 15 minutes as the Bruins scored 17 points against the vaunted “Black Shirt” defense, including two touchdown throws from Brett Hundley to tight end Joseph Fauria and running back Steven Manfro on the way to a four-touchdown night.

Although he did miss on a few passes, it’s safe to say that Hundley performed brilliantly as he threw for 305 yards on 21 of 33 passing as part of the Bruins’ 653 yards of total offense, outgaining Big Red as they totaled 439.

It’s one thing to do well against a team like Rice, but for Hundley to perform the way he did against a ranked opponent who’s also a traditional football power is something else altogether; if Hundley’s performance didn’t solidify him as the man behind center once and for all, then I have no idea what will.

Franklin particularly played beautifully at running back, breaking off big gains left and right on his way to getting 217 yards – his second straight game over the 200-yard mark – on 26 carries to go along with his 59 receiving yards and his clinching touchdown catch.

Every good football team needs a go-to guy to make things happen, to be a catalyst, and after two stellar games the senior has more or less become that guy.

Considering that the Black Shirts had only two runs of 30 or more yards made against them last year and that Franklin had two in Saturday’s game – of 36 and 54 yards – I’d say he’s become UCLA’s go-to man.

At least for now.

After the two teams were tied at 24 at halftime and at 27 going into the 4th quarter, the Bruins used the massive energy that their fans were giving to motivate them. That especially applied to the defense as after giving up 184 yards on the ground in the first half, they proceeded to step up BIG time and slam the door on Nebraska’s offense, using the safety, the pick, and Franklin’s TD to stun Big Red and eventually send the 25,000 red-clad Husker faithful home disappointed, if not flat-out unhappy.

Dalton Hilliard’s recovery of an onside kick after the Huskers kicked a 41-yard field goal, and yet another long first down run by Franklin after that, was the final nail in the coffin for Nebraska and completed the Bruin upset.

It was a huge triumph for a program that sorely needed it, but “There are things we need to clean up…” Mora said afterward.

You think? UCLA racked up a whopping 126 yards in penalties, commiting four of them, including two 15-yarders on Nebraskas’ last drive, in the 4th quarter alone, while kicker Ka’imi Fairburn missed two field goals.

At least the freshman didn’t have any kicks blocked like he did against Rice, but if the Bruins are going to continue to move forward, they will need more consistency from their kicker, else punter Jeff Locke may be forced to do triple duty and add field goals and extra points to his punting and kickoff chores.

Bruin Nation is undoubtedly ecstatic about this win, but I’m sure they also understand that they can’t rest on this laurel. “We’ll enjoy this for 24 hours and then go back to work,” stated Mora.