Long after the scoreboard had confirmed a USC victory, the UCLA
marching band walked over to the Bruins’ locker room and
played one final set.
The tribute was a thank you to a team that fought valiantly for
60 straight minutes.
A thank you to a team that played with more heart than the past
five teams before them.
A thank you for restoring faith in UCLA football.
And while the Bruins will say there is no such thing as a moral
victory, especially for a game in which they just simply
didn’t have enough to overcome archrival and No. 1 ranked USC
Saturday at the Rose Bowl, losing 29-24, the football team
demonstrated the kind of determination that made the game one of
the most exciting in the past six years, all Bruin losses.
“I’m proud of our football team,” UCLA coach
Karl Dorrell said. “This team, the character and the
direction with what we’re doing in our program and the
caliber of kids that’s building this thing to what it should
be, is very, very bright. I’m disappointed about (Saturday)
but I’m very excited about what we’re going to do in
our years to come.”
Though UCLA’s offense struggled at times, especially its
rushing attack, which netted only 17 yards, the Bruins gave their
crosstown rivals more than many expected ““ a tremendous
defensive effort and explosive plays on offense and special
teams.
And despite a game which USC dominated statistically, UCLA was
still within one touchdown in the final minute of play.
After linebacker Spencer Havner recovered a fumble, quarterback
Drew Olson and the Bruins had the ball with 53 seconds remaining
down by five points, giving them just enough time for one final
drive. But the Bruins’ hopes for an upset were finally put to
rest after Olson forced a pass down the middle of the field that
was intercepted by Trojan safety Jason Leach.
With the victory, USC (12-0, 8-0 Pac-10) retained its perfect
season and earned itself a trip to the Orange Bowl to compete for
the national championship. On the other end, the Bruins (6-5, 4-4)
are off to the Las Vegas Bowl, where they will take a renewed sense
of confidence.
“Whenever you can go out there and do that to a No. 1
team, and we’re not even ranked, that’s a plus,”
junior defensive end Kyle Morgan said.
“We could’ve just come in and got run out of
town.”
In the opening quarter, many of the 88,442 in attendance thought
another trouncing was underway. On just the second play of the
game, Trojan star running back Reggie Bush got loose and charged
down the field for a 65-yard touchdown, giving USC a 7-0 lead
without more than a minute having gone off the clock. But contrary
to past years, UCLA didn’t wilt after the initial Trojan
onslaught.
Faced with a fourth and two late in the first quarter and having
yet to pick up a first down, Dorrell rolled the dice and called for
a fake punt in Bruin territory. The gamble worked, as Wesley Walker
took the redirected snap for 11 yards and a first down, giving UCLA
some much-needed momentum.
Early in the second quarter, receiver Craig Bragg would put the
Bruins on the scoreboard after returning a punt 96 yards for a
touchdown, the longest in school history.
“It was an excellent play,” Dorrell said. “He
made people miss, he found a crease, he made a nice decision in
cutting through the defense.”
But as halftime neared, controversy ensued. UCLA appeared to
force Bush into fumbling, and a waiting Havner picked it up and had
nothing but open field ahead of him, saying he would have taken it
to the endzone to tie the game at 17-17. But instead, the play was
blown dead and it was ruled that Bush’s forward progress had
stopped. The Trojans went on to convert one of their five field
goals of the day to end the half ahead 20-10.
“There weren’t good calls today, and I don’t
want to get in trouble, but in a game like this, and those types of
things that happen, that shouldn’t happen in a game like
this,” Dorrell said. “Not like this. It’s
unfortunate.”
But despite the apparent missed call and a lackluster showing on
offense, the Bruins relied on their defense to keep them in the
game. While they had trouble containing Bush, the defense honed in
on Trojan quarterback Matt Leinart, who did not throw a touchdown
pass for the first time in 25 career games.
In the third quarter, UCLA inched closer when senior running
back Manuel White went up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown to
bring the Bruins within six points at 23-17.
“I wish it could have come with a win, because we played
our hearts out,” White said of the touchdown.
But by the end of the game, even though the Bruins outplayed USC
in the second half, even with another touchdown by Marcedes Lewis
that put the game within reach, the Bruins simply just
couldn’t get over that hurdle.
“If we were to start the game off strong and prevent those
two touchdowns … it just hurts,” senior cornerback Matt
Clark said.
“We were right there, and that’s what’s
hurting so much. We were so close to doing that, and I think we
really could have beat this team.”
Still, the players, the coaches, and the fans never gave up hope
until the final seconds ticked away.
And that’s why the band was still there after the game to
thank their Bruins.