Spencer Havner has got the hops to dunk a basketball or block a
field goal.
And while the redshirt sophomore enjoys taking the ball to the
hoop in pickup games at the Wooden Center, those dunks can’t
be nearly as gratifying as Havner’s game-altering
fourth-quarter block in UCLA’s overtime victory against Cal
at the Rose Bowl Saturday.
The block came early in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard field
goal attempt by Cal senior place kicker Tyler Fredrickson. Havner
batted the ball to the ground with his hand and it was picked up by
senior linebacker Brandon Chillar, who ran it back 65 yards for a
touchdown to give the Bruins a 20-12 lead with 13:01 remaining in
the fourth quarter.
“It was the turning point of the game,” special
teams coach Brian Schneider said. “Taking three points away
from them and getting us a touchdown is huge.”
Havner had two blocks on the day, the first bouncing off his
chest late in the second quarter to preserve a tenuous 7-3 UCLA
lead going into the locker room.
In the past, the 6-foot, 3-inch, 232-pound Chillar was the
leaper on field goal blocks and blocked one at Colorado. However,
Havner got the job this week in order to give opposing offenses a
different look.
“We switched this week because it was too easy to scout
us,” Chillar said. “In the last game, at Arizona, I was
getting my legs chopped out from under me.”
The 6-foot, 4-inch Havner, who features a 36-inch vertical leap,
said he had been badgering Schneider for the opportunity to be the
leaper and felt comfortable with the job because he had done it
last season.
“Spencer always wants to get a shot,” Schneider
said. “We will continue to give different looks and those
guys will continue to make plays.”
While the Bruins may make it look easy, the choreography of
blocking a kick is anything but simple. Just how hard is to block a
kick?
“It is very difficult,” Schneider said. “It
starts with the front four push and they have to redefine the line
of scrimmage. And also you need to have these guys (Havner and
Chillar) who are great jumpers.”
Fredrickson made just two field goals on six attempts, and in
overtime clanked a 51-yard attempt off the left goalpost that
handed UCLA the victory.
Havner’s two blocks may have had a real effect on the
trajectory Fredrickson chose to give that final kick. However,
Fredrickson denied that this was the case.
“I pride myself on kicking exactly the same way every
time,” Fredrickson said. “Some went in and some
didn’t. I wish I could have done better.”
Cal head coach Jeff Tedford felt more could have been done to
keep the ball out of Havner’s reach.
“We have to get the ball up ““ plain and
simple,” he said.
Chillar’s score on the field goal block was the first UCLA
field goal return since 1961. Havner’s two blocks are
believed to be a Bruin single-game record.
Looks like all of Havner’s time on the basketball court
paid off on that fourth quarter block. Just call it an alley-oop
““ Havner to Chillar for the slam-dunk finish.