UCLA upsets Cal!!!

Finally, I have a college football game I actually want to write about!!! It's about time!

Two weeks ago, the California Golden Bears were looking like they might become the #1 ranked college football team in the nation. A stunning loss to unranked Oregon State last Saturday night dropped them from #2 to #10 in the national rankings. In the meantime, the UCLA Bruins spent last weekend licking their wounds and healing after an embarrassing 20-6 loss to previously winless Notre Dame the weekend before.

This afternoon, the Bruins took Cal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena... and from the outset, it was clear that they Bruins were going to make a game of things. The game was a see-saw battle throughout. The Golden Bears took a 7-0 lead in the first on a 21 yard pass from Nate Longshore to Craig Stevens with 6:48 to play. A 32-yard field goal on the first play of the the second quarter by UCLA's Kai Forbath made it a 7-3 game. On UCLA's next possession Kahlil Bell broke a 64 yard run down to the Golden Bear 2 yard line. On the very next play Patrick Cowan passed to Logan Paulsen for a touchdown to give the Bruins at short-lived 10-7 lead with 11:14 to play. A long kickoff return and a Bruin penalty gave Cal the ball just inside UCLA territory, and they scored five plays later as Longshore hit DeSean Jackson for a 39-yard score to make it a 14-10 Cal lead just a minute and 55 seconds later. Forbath hit another 28-yard field goal for the Bruins late in the second quarter. The Bears would take a 14-13 lead into halftime.

The Bruins came out strong in the second half, driving the ball the length of the field in 10 plays. The 80 yard drive cuminated with a Bruin score on a trick play. Wide receiver Brandon Breazell got the ball on a reverse, then pulled up and threw a 29-yard pass to Dominique Johnson in the end zone to give UCLA a 20-14 lead. The Golden Bears came back with 2:15 to go in the quarter as Longshore hit Jackson again on a two-yard scoring toss to make it a 21-20 Cal advantage.

Cal took that one point lead into the fourth quarter... neither team could do anything with the ball over the first three possessions. With 8:37 to go, the Bruins took over at their own 48 yard line and meticulously drove the ball down the field 42 yards in 10 plays, none of which went for more than nine yards. The Bruins took five minutes and 22 seconds off the clock with that drive and that proved crucial. Forbath hit on his third field-goal of the game from 27 yards to give UCLA a 23-21 lead with only 3:15 to go in the game.

Cal's next possession was a crucial one, and it looked after the kickoff as though the Bruins were going to let this one get away as the ensuing kickoff was returned all the way down to the UCLA 35 yard line. The Golden Bears picked up five yards on two ensuing running plays to bring up a third down and five from the UCLA 30. Longshore went to the air and was intercepted by Alterraun Verner who would take the ball 76 yards to the end zone with 1:33 remaining, giving the Bruins a 30-21 lead. Longshore would desperately try to drive the Golden Bears on their next possession, but he would be intercepted again, ending Cal's chances. The Bruins are now 5-2 on the season and 4-0 in conference play. They will go on the road to take on the Washington State Cougars next Satruday night at 6:30 pm.

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