You knew it was going to be a strange day when Trojans clad in
Carson Palmer jerseys started doing the 8-clap.
The 50 or so Trojans hoping for a Rose Bowl berth outnumbered
the UCLA student section at the nationally televised
UCLA-Washington State game at the Rose Bowl.
Yet it seemed appropriate because everyone was watching as the
Bruins (7-5, 4-4) put up a fight before falling 48-27 to No. 7
Washington State (10-2, 7-1).
As several teams waited for their futures to be determined, it
was the Bruins’ own prospects left in the air when the game
ended. The win will send the Cougars back to the Rose Bowl Jan. 1,
but whether UCLA head coach Bob Toledo will return for next season
is less certain.
“The decision is made by someone other than me,”
Toledo said. “I’m sure we (Athletic Director Dan
Guerrero and Toledo) will sit down sometime this week.”
It seems odd that Toledo could be fired when the Bruins finished
the season in fourth place in the Pac-10, bound for the Las Vegas
Bowl after losing their senior quarterback in mid-season, after
pre-season polls predicted they would finish sixth. But rumblings
around Westwood and in the media suggest that his job is in
jeopardy after poor finishes for the fourth season in a row.
“I think the big thing is we have a young football
team,” Toledo said.
That youth showed against the more experienced Cougars, led by
quarterback Jason Gesser, who finished 15-of-24 for 247 yards, with
two touchdowns and two interceptions despite playing on a sprained
ankle.
On the second offensive play of the game, Gesser lateraled to
Colin Henderson, who launched the ball to a wide-open Mike Bush for
a 66-yard touchdown to put WSU on the board first. Bruin sophomore
free safety Ben Emanuel responded with an interception of
Gesser’s pass on third-and-10 from the Cougar 30 and returned
it for a touchdown to tie the game at seven with 12:00 left in the
first quarter.
The UCLA offense had its own tricks with a pitch to senior wide
receiver Jon Dubravac who passed to sophomore tailback Manuel White
for a 55-yard touchdown to give UCLA its only lead of the day at
14-7, and the momentum seemed to swing toward the Bruins.
However, after being taken out on one play, Gesser led the
Cougars on a 10-play, 94-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard
touchdown pass to Devard Darling to tie the game at 14 at the end
of the first quarter.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” senior corner Ricky
Manning said, “Washington State was meant to go to the Rose
Bowl. They deserve this win.”
From there on, things got ugly for UCLA with a fumbled kickoff
return, a blocked punt and two interceptions.
Jermaine Green appeared to put the game out of reach at 31-14
with an 80-yard touchdown run on third-and-10 with 48 seconds left
in the half, but after a miscommunication between Cougar coaches
and the kicker led to an onside kick instead of a kickoff, the
Bruins capitalized with a 39-yard touchdown reception by freshman
receiver Junior Taylor from freshman quarterback Drew Olson.
It seemed that every time UCLA was out of the game, they found a
way to hang on. Down 41-27, Emanuel intercepted Gesser in the end
zone, keeping hope alive. But on the very next play, Erik Coleman
intercepted Drew Olson and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown
with 10:20 left to seal the game.
“As the game goes on, it kind of affects you,”
Emmanuel said. “You want to keep playing hard and think
positive but you’re looking at the clock and time is running
out.”
It may have already.