Ale in Wrong Place at Right Time : Hancock Bowl: Linebacker, named the game’s MVP, says he was out of position when he intercepted pass.

After being voted most valuable player of the John Hancock Bowl, UCLA linebacker Arnold Ale cradled the bronze trophy like a doctor holding a newborn baby.

Ale intercepted one pass and batted down two others as the Bruins defeated Illinois, 6-3, Tuesday before 42,281 fans at the Sun Bowl.

Quarterback Jason Verduzco led the Illini from their 20 to the Bruin seven on their second series of the game and faced a third-and-goal situation. Then, Ale ended the drive when he stepped in front of wide receiver Elbert Turner at the goal line to intercept the pass and return it 43 yards.

Ale acknowledged that he was out of position on the play, having become confused by a new pass defense the Bruins installed for the game.

“We were in man-to-man coverage, and I got lost,” Ale said. “I was supposed to be covering a back, and there was no back. I didn’t know where my man was, so what I did was just drop back in coverage and read the quarterback’s eyes.

“I don’t think he saw me, because I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. It was a mistake. It was a busted play.”

Verduzco said he shouldn’t have thrown the pass.

“I made a bad read,” Verduzco said. “There was no one covering (fullback) Kameno Bell, and if I’d have thrown it to him, he probably would have (scored).”

Ale also got lost in coverage when he tipped a pass on Illinois’ next possession to force a punt. Michael Williams blocked the punt, which rolled out of bounds at the Illini 24, setting up Louis Perez’s 32-yard field goal.

Ale blocked another pass on Illinois’ opening series of the second half.

UCLA’s defense confounded Verduzco, who passed for 2,825 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The Bruins intercepted three passes (for the second time this season) and sacked Verduzco once.

UCLA, which has held its last two bowl opponents to a total of six points, shut down the Illini offense, which averaged 23.7 points a game this season. Illinois, which averaged 397.8 yards a game in total offense, gained 308 yards against UCLA.

“This has got to be the best (the Bruin defense) has played all year,” Ale said. “We really bailed out the offense this time.

“At the beginning of the year, (the defense) got no respect after the way we played last season. So (we) committed ourselves to playing hard, and the coaches really did a good job.”

A 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior, Ale repeatedly blitzed Verduzco as the Bruins pressured the Illini quarterback to hurry his throws.

“I told the coaches I felt like I could get to him,” Ale said. “But he’s really quick.”

Although Ale never was able to sack Verduzco, the pressure meant Verduzco rarely had enough time to read the Bruin pass coverage.

Verduzco, who passed for an average of 256 yards a game this season, shouldered the blame, saying he played his worst game, after completing only 17 of 38 passes for 189 yards.

“Today was just one of those days where I couldn’t hit the side of a barn,” Verduzco said. “My passes weren’t on the money like they should have been. I don’t think the wind (gusting to 20 m.p.h.) had anything to do with it. It was just me. I have no excuses.”

Trailing by three points in the final quarter, Verduzco drove Illinois from its 20 to the UCLA 29, however Bruin linebacker Stacy Argo tipped a pass and caught it for the interception to end the drive with 8:41 left. The Bruin offense maintained possession for 8:09 before turning it over on downs at the Illini six with 32 seconds remaining.

Although Argo dislocated his right ring finger on the second play of the game, he had no trouble catching the ball he had tipped. “I didn’t think I’d catch it at all, but it came down in my hands,” Argo said.

Argo just missed another interception with 19 seconds left when the ball slipped out of his hands.

Cornerback Carlton Gray also intercepted a pass, when Verduzco overthrew Turner in the third quarter.

“As soon as it left Verduzco’s hands, I could tell it was high,” Gray said. “It was just a matter of me being able to make the catch and hoping that the receiver couldn’t get his hands on the ball.

“Our defense may have been underrated, but it didn’t matter what the press thought. As long as we knew we could play, that was all that mattered.”