BERKELEY ““ After UCLA quarterback Cory Paus fractured his
ankle, he squirmed on the Memorial Stadium turf, screaming and
swearing in excruciating pain.
After backup Drew Olson sprained his shoulder, freshman John
Sciarra came in to try to win the game in the fourth quarter even
though he had never thrown a collegiate pass.
The injury pandemic was unbearable.
The Cal Bears grabbed UCLA’s graceless triumvirate and
shook it silly on Saturday until the Bruins bowed out and were left
a broken bunch after a 17-12 loss.
“We lost more than the game,” UCLA head coach Bob
Toledo said. “I feel bad about losing, but I feel worse for
those kids who are hurting.”
The first time Sciarra ever dropped back to pass, he was sacked
and lost a fumble deep in UCLA territory. Toledo had actually
called for a run on the play. Cal tailback Joe Igber capitalized on
the miscommunication by scoring on a 4-yard run with 12:08 left in
the game to give the Bears a 17-10 lead.
“It was weird not having the red jersey on,” said
Sciarra, who went 1-of-7 for 10 yards and an interception. “I
just had some bad mishaps. I wish I could have done
more.”
The defense, which only gave up 173 yards, and special teams
kept UCLA in the game.
Marcus Reese blocked a punt that the Bruins recovered at the Cal
3-yard line. But on third-and-goal, Sciarra’s pass went
through the hands of wide receiver Tab Perry, who was all alone in
the end zone.
“I feel like the loss is on my shoulders,” Perry
said. “I just didn’t make the play.”
Chris Griffith then continued his kicking woes, getting his
21-yard field goal attempt blocked.
UCLA (4-3, 1-2 Pac-10) had another opportunity to tie the game
when Matt Ware blocked a punt and gave the ball to the Bruins at
the Cal 20-yard line. On fourth down, however, Sciarra was sacked
and fumbled once again to seal the win for Cal (5-3, 2-2).
“To be backed up like that so far in our territory and to
keep them out of the end zone every time is awesome defense,”
Cal head coach Jeff Tedford said. “It’s the best
defense I’ve ever seen.”
The Cal pass rush was awesome, recording a season-high seven
sacks. It was so effective that although UCLA tailback Tyler Ebell
rushed for 102 yards on 28 carries, the Bruins only gained 29 net
yards on the ground and 226 yards in overall offense.
Paus was sacked five times and left for a series in the first
quarter after suffering a stinger. He lost a fumble in the second
quarter to set up Cal’s first touchdown. Three minutes into
the second half, he went down for good.
Two Cal defenders crunched Paus after he released a pass that
went to Craig Bragg for a 28-yard completion. Paus was carted off
the field and taken to a local hospital where X-rays determined
that his ankle was broken.
“My initial reaction was that at least I completed my last
pass in college,” said the fifth-year senior, who was on
crutches after the game.
UCLA sports information director Marc Dellins confirmed on
Sunday that Paus has played his last game as a Bruin and will have
surgery this week.
Two plays after Paus yelled for his team to score, tailback
Tyler Ebell went in for an 11-yard touchdown run to tie the score
at 10.
With three minutes left in the taxing third quarter, however,
Olson was injured himself.
“I feel sick to my stomach,” Olson said. “Cory
went down, and then I go down. What the hell?”
Emotions were high after the loss.
“We lost a game we shouldn’t have lost,”
senior cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. said. “You get pissed
off. There’s a point when you have to say enough is enough,
and we’ve passed that point. We’ve got to put this
behind us and show some character.”
After Cal’s Jonathan Makonnen took a safety to kill off
the final five seconds of the contest, fans rushed the field. The
Bruins, meanwhile, limped to the locker room and fittingly went
back south.