TEMPE, Ariz. ““ The blood on coach Jim Mora’s shirt was not his ““ it was his kicker’s.
Ka’imi Fairbairn, a true freshman, hit a 33-yard field goal to give UCLA (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) a 45-43 victory over Arizona State (5-3, 3-2) and was immediately dogpiled by his teammates, sustaining a bloody nose.
Following the jubilation, Fairbairn hugged Mora, leaving a small red stain on his coach’s right shoulder.
Mora wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“His teammates love him, they care about him, they know what he’s made of, they watch him work every day,” Mora said. “When you’re a young guy like Ka’imi is and your team is counting on you to put it through to win it on the road in a huge game and you do it ““ that’s a heck of a deal. You grow from that.”
Fairbairn’s game-winning field goal was undeniably a huge step for the young kicker, as he has had a rough start to his short career.
Despite his struggles, there was never any doubt from his teammates.
“I don’t think there was a kid on that sideline that didn’t believe that Ka’imi was going to put it through,” Mora said. “For his age and his experience, he’s just got a lot of internal confidence.”
While the win tied UCLA atop the standings in the Pac-12 South and made them bowl-eligible, the victory did not come without its mistakes.
Before the game, redshirt senior punter and team captain Jeff Locke accidentally chose to kick off the ball after winning the coin toss instead of deferring to the second half, which gave Arizona State the opportunity to receive the ball at both the beginning of the game and at the start of the second half.
“I didn’t know the difference,” Locke said. “You would think if you’re kicking off the first half, you’re going to take the ball the second half. I guess the way they do the procedures, you can mess that up.”
Locke’s gaffe allowed the Sun Devils one extra possession, which they turned into a field goal on their first drive of the second half.
Despite giving up three points on the mental error, no mistake was greater than redshirt freshman receiver Steven Manfro’s muffed punt in the first quarter which was followed by a Sun Devil touchdown.
It was his fourth fumbled punt on the season, all of which have led to touchdowns for the other team on the ensuing possession. It was also Manfro’s third consecutive game with a muffed punt.
“I didn’t really get behind the punt like I should have,” Manfro said. “My teammates are all supportive, though, and I’m going to do whatever I can to get out there and correct my mistakes.”
While those errors, along with three personal fouls, hurt the Bruins throughout the course of the game, UCLA was able to get big plays when they needed them.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Hundley threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns, with three of them coming from beyond the 15-yard line.
On the defensive side of the ball, UCLA was able to compile four sacks and eight tackles for loss on the day.
Senior safety Dalton Hilliard had the biggest defensive play of the game on an interception late in the second quarter, which led to a touchdown from redshirt senior running back Johnathan Franklin. Franklin ended the night with 164 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
The Bruins will now head home to play the Arizona Wildcats next weekend, focused on extending their winning streak even if it means they get a little blood on their shirts.