When the Bruins needed something to happen, a spark when things
seemed bleak, junior tailback Maurice Drew provided it. When there
was a void, Drew filled it.
He did it as a receiver, a punt returner and a running back. The
junior did it all, and he needed every finger on his right hand to
add them up.
Accounting for five of UCLA’s seven touchdowns in the
victory over California, a humble Drew attributed his 299
all-purpose yards and five touchdowns to the support of his
teammates.
“It wasn’t me. These guys are telling me that
I’m going to score,” said Drew, who had one of his five
touchdowns come on an 81-yard punt return midway through the third
quarter, which tied a Pac-10 and school record for most punt
returns for a touchdown in a season with Stanford’s Glyn
Milburn (1992) with three.
“When someone tells you that, you’re like,
“˜Are you crazy?’ Everyone’s blocking their guy
and making a play, leaving me one-on-one with the punter. I’m
not going to let one guy take me down. I refuse to let that
happen.”
No. 21 was everywhere. In addition to having three rushing
touchdowns, it was Drew’s ability to go the distance on punt
returns that really ignited the Bruins over the Bears.
Against the 16th-ranked punt return yardage defense in Cal,
which gives up an average of 4.55 returning yards on each return,
Drew racked up an average of 54 yards on his three punt
returns.
He also recorded a 69-yard punt return in the second quarter,
making Drew the nation’s No. 1 punt returner at 33.8 yards
per attempt.
“It was a gutsy performance,” UCLA coach Karl
Dorrell said. “Whenever we needed a play made, he stepped up
and made the play.”
Down by five in the fourth period with just 1:35 remaining,
Drew’s versatility shined. The standout from De La Salle High
School was slotted right and caught a 28-yard touchdown pass, his
longest reception of the season, giving the Bruins a lead they
would not relinquish.
“I”˜m not going to say one guy beat us, but
everything they got basically came from him,” Cal freshman
wide receiver DeSean Jackson said.
“It’s just one of those things where you have an
unbelievable talent on the other side of the ball.”
After the game, UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable and running
back coach Eric Bieniemy were both unaware of Drew’s five
touchdowns, which matched his performance against Washington last
season as a career-high.
“Did he really? Jeez,” Cable said.
“We were in (the locker room) watching and they said he
scored five touchdowns and I was like, “Well, OK, he had
(counting on his fingers) ““ five.’ I didn’t even
know,” Bieniemy said.
“The kid showed a lot of heart and character. He played
with a tremendous pride and I’m just proud he had a day he
can remember on a very special, unique evening.”
The blocking from the offensive line, special team players and
sophomore fullback Michael Pitre seemed to convey the mutual
respect the other players share for Drew,
“We know that when Mo gets the ball in the hands, all we
have to do is just take care of our man and block him,” said
sophomore linebacker Fred Holmes, who sprung Drew free for a
69-yard punt return. “He’ll do the rest. He’s got
such a great God-given talent. He has just great
awareness.”
Drew’s breakout performance came on the heels of two
lackluster performances against Washington and Oklahoma. But that
never fazed him during the game.
What did come to Drew’s mind, however, was the mournful
passing of family and friends the team has been forced to endure.
Drew himself has had to deal with the sudden death of his
grandfather Maurice Jones, who suffered a heart attack at the
Bruins’ game against Rice on Sept. 11.
“These guys out here are telling me they’re playing
for (my grandfather) too,” Drew said. “You have 105
guys rallying around you in your time of need.
“It’s with everyone. Chris Johnson (whose father
died recently), Kyle Morgan (whose brother passed away earlier in
the season), everybody, we’re all rallying around with each
other. We’re all sticking together as a team. We’re all
thinking about each other.”