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He Is Now Ramsey the Second

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TIMES STAFF WRITERS

When Cade McNown connected with Jim McElroy on a 58-yard play for UCLA’s final touchdown in a 35-17 victory over California on Saturday, it was a pass for the ages.

It gave McNown 6,193 passing yards for his 2 1/2-season career, 25 more than previous UCLA record-holder Tom Ramsey.

McNown finished the game with 6,261 yards, and his two touchdown passes gave him 35 for his career and moved him past Wayne Cook and into third place on the school’s all-time list.

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Ramsey leads with 50 touchdown passes.

McNown, who has thrown 16 touchdown passes and only four interceptions in eight games, already is UCLA’s career total-offense leader with 6,548 yards.

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UCLA’s turnover margin, best in the nation coming into Saturday at 2.57, will suffer after the Bruins fumbled the ball away three times while making only one interception.

UCLA has 31 take-aways and 15 turnovers in eight games.

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One of the fumbles was by tailback Skip Hicks, who lost the ball in the third quarter on the Bruin 28. Three plays later, Cal’s Marcus Fields was in the end zone and the UCLA lead was cut to 21-10.

When the Bruins came back out on offense, Hicks wasn’t with them. Instead, Jermaine Lewis, nominally the third-string tailback, was running the football.

Hicks later returned and ran the ball five times in a row, for 44 yards, while the Bruins milked the clock. He finished with 113 yards in 23 carries.

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UCLA roverback Wasswa Serwanga handed out congratulations for Hicks’ fumble, which might seem strange until you realize that getting the kudo was Kato Serwanga, a Cal cornerback.

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“My little brother ripped the ball out like this,” said Wasswa, motioning with his hands. “My little brother can make plays.”

His little brother is actually a twin, younger by 15 minutes.

Wasswa Serwanga also had UCLA’s only turnover, intercepting a fourth-quarter pass by Justin Vedder.

“It means he can’t talk much,” Wasswa said of Kato, who also was burned on one of McElroy’s touchdown catches and had three tackles. His older brother had five.

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When Chris Sailer missed a 42-yard field-goal try in the fourth quarter, it ended one streak and started another.

Sailer had kicked 15 field goals in a row since missing his first attempt of the season, at Washington State.

He followed the fourth-quarter miss with another from 42 yards later in the period.

NEXT FOR UCLA

WHO: Stanford

WHERE: Stanford Stadium

WHEN: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: Channel 9

RADIO: AM 1150

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