EUGENE, Ore. “”mdash; The UCLA football team did not try an onside kick in any of its first four games. The Bruins had not been in the right situation, coach Rick Neuheisel said, until Saturday when they faced Oregon.
UCLA kicker Kai Forbath tried two onside kicks in the second half, once in the third quarter when the Bruins gambled, and again in the final minutes, as UCLA mounted a desperate comeback. Both kicks flew and bounced within reach of UCLA players.
But even on a night when UCLA (2-4, 1-2 Pac-10) showed its mettle and battled in the cold, raucous atmosphere of Autzen Stadium, bad bounces and critical mistakes set the Bruins back. Oregon (5-2, 3-1 Pac-10) gained possession after a penalty on the first onside kick, recovered the second, and ultimately claimed a 31-24 victory in front of 58,728 roaring fans.
“You can’t ask for more opportunities,” Neuheisel said. “It just didn’t happen.”
Poor tackling and an inability to contain Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli crippled the UCLA defense.
Masoli completed only five passes but did more than enough damage won the ground. He finished with 24 carries, 170 yards and one touchdown. UCLA defenders said he was easily the fastest quarterback the Bruins have faced this season.
“I knew he was a playmaker,” safety Rahim Moore said. “I knew if we didn’t stop him we were going to have a problem.”
Masoli seemed to crush UCLA in the most important circumstances. At the very end of the first half, as UCLA trailed 7-0, Masoli raced 28 yards on third-and-10.
On the very next play Masoli found wide receiver Chris Harper for a 24-yard touchdown.
UCLA had managed to keep things close for most of the first half. The Bruins forced four Oregon punts and blocked a field goal try. But that score ““ which came with just 22 seconds remaining in the half ““ gave Oregon a 14-0 lead.
Moore had solid coverage on Harper but didn’t turn in time to find the ball.
“If I would have made a play on the ball they wouldn’t have been up by seven points, we would still be in the game,” Moore said. “Pretty much I put it on myself, for not making a play.”
A very different UCLA team came out in the second half.
The Bruin defense stopped Oregon quickly on its first possession of the second half, and then the UCLA offense finally found some rhythm.
As Oregon dropped into a more conservative coverage scheme, UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft was able to find openings. He hit Dominique Johnson for 24 yards to setup the team’s first score, a 1-yard run by freshman tailback Derrick Coleman.
Neuheisel called for an onside kick immediately following that touchdown. UCLA’s John Hale recovered but the Bruins were called offsides. The penalty gave Oregon possession of the ball and excellent field position.
The Ducks scored on a LeGarrette Blount touchdown run just four plays later.
After the game Neuheisel said the first onside kick was an aggressive call and a “calculated risk.”
Even after that blow, the Bruins climbed back with a nine-play, 87-yard touchdown drive to pull back within seven points. The Bruin defense stopped Oregon on the next possession to keep the score at 21-14.
But the momentum swung back to Oregon just two plays later, when a Craft pass bounced off Terrence Austin and into the arms of Oregon’s Jairus Byrd.
Austin received a vicious hit to his head on the play. He was carted off the field minutes later. UCLA officials said he suffered a concussion, but was still able to travel home with his team Saturday night.
“That hurts,” Craft said. “Especially when you throw a pass, and it’s a high ball and a guy’s trying to make a play for you. You feel really bad. I’m hoping that Terrence is doing good.”
Still, the Bruins kept fighting. Forbath hit a 28-yard field goal to push the score to 24-17.
Most of Masoli’s big runs started from the shotgun formation, where he would fake to an Oregon tailback and then wait to find a hole in the Bruins’ line.
A handoff to Blount, in that very same formation, won the game for the Ducks. Blount took the handoff from Masoli, broke two UCLA tackles, and raced 69 yards to push the score to 31-17 with just 2:22 remaining.
UCLA answered with another touchdown, this time on Craft’s pass to tight end Jeff Miller. The Bruins only option at that point was to try another onside kick, with just 55 seconds left.
“We were playing as hard as we can play,” Neuheisel said. “That doesn’t mean we were error-free or that we didn’t make any mistakes, but we played hard.”
Forbath’s second onside kick looked perfect; It sailed high, toward the right side of the field. Ryan Moya leaped and tipped it, but in a scrum for the ball Oregon came away with possession and, seconds later, a hard-earned victory.