PASADENA — Once again, when people started to write the Bruins off, they stepped up and played their best football of the year.
Last time this happened was in week four against Arizona. UCLA had just lost star linebacker Myles Jack to a season-ending knee injury, and many pundits predicted the Bruins would fall off after that big loss. UCLA answered those doubters by turning in a resounding 56-30 win.
On Thursday, the Bruins entered their game against No. 20 Cal in a similar situation. They had just lost two straight games and were unranked for the first time all year. The stands were barely half full at game time, and the hype for a national title was all but gone.
Some analysts said their season was at a crossroads; others questioned whether UCLA even had a chance to win the Pac-12 South Division.
Yet with their chances being written off, the Bruins played one of their best halves of the season. At halftime, UCLA leads Cal 26-10.
The Bruins’ strong performance started with freshman quarterback Josh Rosen, who led the team to scores on each of its first three drives. Rosen’s first touchdown pass of the game was in the perfect location, lofting just over the Cal defender’s hands to the right edge of the endzone. That’s where junior Y receiver Thomas Duarte was, and he caught the ball in stride.
Aside from Rosen, redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins played some of his best football of the season. He broke 12 tackles en route to 73 rushing yards, but checked out of the game midway through the second quarter with a leg injury and hasn’t returned since. In Perkins’ place, freshman halfback Soso Jamabo has stepped in and rushed for 28 yards on six carries.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bruins are having a strong comeback performance after allowing 56 points last week against Stanford. UCLA has limited Cal standout quarterback Jared Goff to 135 yards passing in the first half; Goff averages 328.3 yards per game on the season.
More importantly, UCLA has shored up its problems with stopping the run. In the first half, the Bears had just 35 yards on 12 carries.
And to cap off the half, another player proved the doubters wrong by nailing a 60-yard field goal at the second quarter buzzer. That player was senior kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, who had been questioned on his long-distance kicking ability before this year.
Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.