Junior receiver Taylor Embree dives for a catch while being defended by Cal sophomore safety Josh Hill.
BERKELEY “”mdash; Cal’s domination of UCLA started with the opening coin toss. The Golden Bears won the pre-game flip and elected to receive. They promptly made good on their choice by easily marching downfield, scoring a touchdown and firing the opening salvo in a 35-7 dismantling of the Bruins at Memorial Stadium.
Suddenly, UCLA and its pistol offense faced an early deficit that would soon snowball. Forced to play from behind right from the get-go, UCLA (3-3, 1-2 Pac-10) was unable to pound the ball on the ground like it had done in its three consecutive wins.
Instead, it was Cal (3-2, 1-1) that dominated the contest with its rushing assault. Junior Shane Vereen carried the ball 25 times for 151 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns that helped the Bears build a 28-0 lead. UCLA had trouble wrapping up Vereen all day, conjuring up images of its season-opening loss to Kansas State and its star running back Daniel Thomas.
Outside of Josh Smith’s kickoff returns, the Bruins had trouble moving the ball consistently. Their lone touchdown came on the opening drive of the second half, set up by Smith’s return into Cal territory. Quarterback Kevin Prince eventually connected with Christian Ramirez for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Finally able to generate some measure of momentum, UCLA got the ball back in its own territory before Prince was intercepted by Cal’s Darian Hagen.
Prince was pressured most of the afternoon and was sacked four times. He finished the game 13-of-31 passing for 99 yards, before being relieved by Richard Brehaut with just over five minutes to go. After three consecutive huge games, UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin gained 54 yards on just 13 carries as the Bruins tried to play catch-up most of the game.
The Golden Bears electrified the crowd in the fourth quarter when Cal wide receiver Marvin Jones took a reverse and burst through the UCLA defense for a 48-yard touchdown run.