SEATTLE “”mdash; They say the most dangerous team is one that has nothing to lose.
That was certainly the case for UCLA heading into Saturday’s matchup on a cold night in Seattle.
Staring down a winless Washington squad (0-10, 0-7 Pac-10), the Bruins can now take a sigh of relief after knocking off the Huskies 27-7 and keeping any hope for a bowl game alive.
UCLA (4-6, 3-4) posted its best defensive performance of the season to go along with an adequate game by the offense, disappointing the Husky faithful hoping to spoil coach Rick Neuheisel’s return to Washington.
“I was scared to death (of Washington) to be honest with you,” defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. “I’m just proud of our guys. Our guys stepped up.”
Saturday’s contest began as a sloppy performance by both teams, with four combined turnovers in the first half. Junior quarterback Kevin Craft threw two interceptions on consecutive possessions, though both passes were tipped, as Washington hung up a short-field touchdown to tie the game halfway through the first quarter.
But the Bruin defense forced a fumble and stuffed a Husky fourth-down attempt in the second quarter, capitalizing on the turnovers to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.
Helped out by 10 more second-half points, the Bruin defense did the rest, thoroughly shutting down an anemic Husky attack.
Accentuated by back-to-back highlight reel hits by junior linebacker Reggie Carter and junior cornerback Alterraun Verner, UCLA showed flashes of physicality that’s been absent late in games.
Verner’s hit, probably his hardest of the season, forced a Husky punt by knocking the ball loose from a Husky receiver and drew a loud reaction from the crowd.
“I haven’t had too many opportunities just to bring it,” Verner said. “My eyes just got big when I saw the ball in the air and said “˜I won’t pick it, so I might as well hit him.'”
“We sent a message that we were going to finish this game off.”
After struggling to do just that in recent weeks, the Bruins toughened up in the second half, only allowing 135 yards of total offense on the game and 59 after halftime. In the final two quarters, UCLA ate more than 22 minutes off the clock and allowed only one third-down conversion. When senior running back Khalil Bell leapt over the pile early in the fourth quarter, capping a 92-yard drive and the Bruins’ longest of the year, the game was decided.
The offense was able to efficiently run the ball for one of the few times this season. It allowed the typically over-worked defense to stay off the field longer and the offense to present a two-fold attack, instead of relying solely on the passing game.
“Guys are tired of taking it on the chin week after week and just getting shut down,” senior running back Kahlil Bell said. “We talked about it all week. We were going to establish the run.”
“Vince Lombardi said “˜Football is first and foremost a running game and it always will be.’ That’s what we want to try to do, and it was good to finally get that chemistry and that cohesiveness going up front today,” said Bell.
Washington’s rush defense is the weakest link of a weak defense and looked mismatched against an offensive line that has struggled all season to create a rushing attack. The Washington front seven now ranks 116 in the country in stopping the run and why the Bruins were able to run the ball was not complicated.
“We just moved people today,” senior center Micah Reed said, who replaced an injured Jake Dean at center. The offensive tempo was set early with freshman running back Derrick Coleman leading the Bruins to a touchdown on their first drive of the game. It was the first time all season UCLA scored on the first possession.
“We’ve been struggling all years in terms of getting things going, and the first drive, we scored,” Reed said. “That’s a very big step for us.”
The Bruins ended the day with 157 rushing yards, more than doubling their season average of 77 before Saturday’s game. It was a positive sign for an offense that has failed to match the strong play of the defense and special teams week after week.
“That’s what team is all about,” Walker said. “You got three phases and when all three phases play well together, you’re going to win. It’s good to see that we played as a team tonight and that the kids can really appreciate what we’ve been preaching all year.”
The Bruins now face an uphill battle to make it back to a bowl game, needing victories on the road against Arizona State and then at home against No. 6 USC. But for now, the Bruins can breathe easy heading into the bye week and soak in what was a much-needed win for the program.
“To me, the most important thing is that these kids feel good about themselves because these are good kids,” Walker said. “They work their butts off. They deserve to feel good about themselves.”
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