It was a drizzly and drippy day: a fitting day for a hangover. With the weather cold and the sky overcast, the night’s game seemed perfectly suited for another dismal loss for the once-ranked Bruins.
But on an unusual Pasadena day, beneath an opaque sky, the UCLA football team managed to create its own silver lining.
In front of over 70,000 fans at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, UCLA (3-1, 2-1 Pac-10) defeated Washington (2-2, 0-1) 44-31, avoiding what could have been a crippling loss after the Bruins’ 44-6 defeat at the hands of Utah last week.
And the Bruins managed the win in fairly dominant fashion.
In almost every facet of the game, the Bruins were superior to the Huskies. On offense, the Bruins were able to get everything they wanted from the porous Washington defense.
In the fourth quarter, with the game still in doubt and starting quarterback Pat Cowan out with a knee sprain, the Bruins were forced to run the ball almost exclusively because of a seeming lack of faith in walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
Even though the Huskies had to recognize that the Bruins would be forced to run, they still could do nothing to stop it, as the UCLA offensive line continued to open huge holes for running backs Chris Markey and Kahlil Bell to sprint through untouched. The Bruins ran on 18 of 19 plays after Bethel-Thompson took over and still managed to run for over 150 yards in the fourth quarter.
On defense, the Bruins were not flawless but they clearly forced the Huskies and their quarterback Jake Locker into uncomfortable situations.
Except for serious issues with penalties, it was a tremendous rebound performance for a team that seemed to quit in the latter stages of the game against Utah.
“I really felt (that we were more focused) today at the game," senior linebacker Christian Taylor said. “You could see it in guys’ eyes that they were ready to play.”
But the main story of the game had little to do with the game itself.
With this kind of effort against Washington, a much better team than Utah, why were the Bruins unable to perform to anywhere near this capability against the Utes?
Should Pat Cowan always have been the starter, based on his play-making ability and apparent leadership qualities?
And perhaps most importantly, what is the true quality of this team?
Are the Bruins the team that was once ranked No. 11 in the nation or are they the team that laid an egg against Utah?
So on a cloudy night with its own ray of light, and despite even a good performance and a win, still the Salt Lake City hangover came.
And whatever the weather, it could be a long time before it wears off.