UCLA Bruins Squeeze by Cal, Now Head to Colorado

Still reeling from their demoralizing loss to the Oregon Ducks the week before, the UCLA Bruins arrived in Berkeley knowing that their season would effectively be over if they lost to the Cal Bears. Of course, with the Bruins having lost seven straight games in Berkeley–their last win there coming in 1998 (coincidentally, my first year as an undergraduate student at UCLA)–victory was no sure thing.

Oct 18, 2014; Berkeley, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Paul Perkins (24) runs with the ball after making a catch for a 49-yard touchdown against the California Golden Bears in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The game started out well enough, with the Bruins taking a 7-0 lead on a Brett Hundley 16-yard pass to Paul Perkins. They carried a 7-0 lead into the second quarter, and seemed to be playing with a purpose after two straight losses.

Unfortunately, as has been a staple of the Jim Mora era in Westwood, the Bruins lost their focus in the second quarter, and they didn’t recapture the lead until a Jordon James 11-yard run gave the Bruins a 17-14 edge with just under three minutes remaining before halftime.

After the Bears got a quick first down on their next possession, they went three and out, and were forced to punt, but managed to pin the Bruins down at their own five-yard line with less than a minute and 20 seconds to go in the first half.

After UCLA got a first down at their own 16-yard line and took a timeout with 48 seconds to go, no one expected them to try to do too much before halftime, especially with Hundley’s penchant for throwing interceptions inside the Bruins’ own red-zone. However, three quick pass completions got the Bruins to the Cal 49-yard line with 24 seconds to go, and then this happened:

With a 24-14 lead at the half, and seemingly all of the momentum, the Bruins appeared poised to run away with an easy victory in the second half. But, alas, the team lost focus again, and the Bears took a 28-27 lead with about two and a half minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Bruins stormed back again to take a 33-28 lead at the end of the third quarter on a Brett Hundley touchdown run, but Cal scored on a 23-yard pass from Jared Goff to Kenny Lawler with just under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

With UCLA trailing 34-33 (Cal failed to convert the two-point conversion), Hundley led the Bruins down the field in three minutes for a successful Ka’imi Fairbairn 26-yard field goal attempt. With UCLA now leading 36-34, Jared Goff marched the Bears down to the UCLA 36-yard line from their own 23, and that’s when much-maligned, but inspirational, Marcus Rios, did this:

The interception was upheld after review, and just like that, the game was over. Hundley ended up going 31-of-42 for 330 yards and two touchdown passes, and he rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries and another touchdown. Paul Perkins rushed for 86 yards on 15 carries, and had 4 receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Now that the Bruins managed to escape Berkeley with a win, they head to Colorado to face the Buffaloes, with Arizona looming next Saturday. The Buffaloes are in last place in the Pac-12 South with a 2-5 record. They give up nearly 40 points a game, but they’re led on offense by stand-out quarterback Sefo Liufau and Pac-12 leader in receiving yards, Nelson Spruce. The Bruins beat Colorado 45-23 last year at the Rose Bowl, and 42-14 two seasons ago in Colorado. With a number of big match-ups ahead, this is one game in which the Bruins can’t afford to lose focus.