UCLA Barely Upright After Overtime Win

The UCLA defense wasn’t only out of gas. The Bruins were so exhausted, so physically and emotionally drained after their grueling 23-20 overtime victory over California on a steamy, 93-degree Saturday in the Rose Bowl, that even their resident comedian, defensive end Dave Ball, was out of analogies.

“I felt like I was running the Los Angeles Marathon, in the desert, with a huge man in front of me,” Ball said after Cal kicker Tyler Fredrickson’s 50-yard field goal attempt clanged off the left upright to end the game. “It was like a furnace, a sauna. I was tired. It was painful just to go out there.... We were running on fumes, basically.”

UCLA staggered across the finish line despite hitting heartbreak hill in the final 2 minutes 10 seconds, when the Bears drove 68 yards in eight plays, quarterback Aaron Rodgers hitting Burl Toler with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left and Adimchinobe Echemandu with a two-point conversion pass to tie the score, 20-20.

But that same Bruin defense that was burned in the last two minutes of regulation, a unit that included two players -- linebacker Brandon Chillar and tackle Ryan Boschetti -- who needed bags of intravenous fluid at halftime, came up with a huge play in overtime to help UCLA improve to 5-2 overall and remain atop the Pacific 10 Conference standings with a 3-0 mark.

After Justin Medlock’s 41-yard field goal gave UCLA a 23-20 lead in overtime, the Bears faced a third and nine from the 24-yard line when Rodgers, the Cal sophomore who completed 28 of 41 passes for 322 yards, threw a quick inside screen to Echemandu.

UCLA linebackers Spencer Havner -- who blocked two field-goal attempts, one that was returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Chillar in the fourth quarter -- and Justin London blitzed on the play.

Echemandu found himself surrounded by Boschetti and London in the backfield and broke for the right sideline. The Bruins pursued, Echemandu cut back toward the middle and was smothered by London for a nine-yard loss.

That pushed the Bears back to the 33 and Fredrickson back just far enough for his field-goal attempt, which had plenty of distance, to hit the upright, marking the third time this season the Bruins won a game in which the opponent missed a potential tying field goal in the final minutes.

“I couldn’t even watch,” said UCLA receiver Craig Bragg, who caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Drew Olson to give the Bruins a 14-3 lead in the third quarter. “I had my eyes closed. I just heard the ping when it hit the goal post. We pulled it out.... It took all we had.”

There was an even bigger sigh of relief in the trenches. Cal had a decided edge in the possession battle, 35:43-24:17, meaning the Bruin defense was on the field for long periods of time.

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell, who in the first six games substituted freely on the defensive line, pulling all four starters at the same time like a hockey line change, kept those starters in for most of the afternoon.

And though the Bruins sacked Rodgers five times, three of them for a loss of 17 yards by Dave Ball, UCLA expended just as much energy chasing the elusive Rodgers.

“Oh my God, this has to be the last one,” defensive end Mat Ball said, when asked what he was thinking in overtime. “I don’t know if I could have gone any longer. This was the most exhausting game I’ve ever played in.”

UCLA would have avoided overtime had it not botched an extra-point attempt early in the fourth quarter and called a questionable play midway through the fourth.

A comfortable 14-3 Bruin lead turned to 14-12 in the third when Fredrickson made a 39-yard field goal with 8:28 left and Rodgers scored on a three-yard run with 6:19 left, a touchdown that was set up by Olson’s fumble after being sacked by defensive end Monte Parson. But Rodgers overthrew Geoff McArthur on the two-point conversion try, and the Bears trailed by two.

Cal drove from its 20 to the UCLA 24 early in the fourth, and Fredrickson lined up for a 41-yard field goal that would have put the Bears ahead. But Havner blocked it and Chillar, finding the ball amid a scrum of players, scooped it up and raced 65 yards for a touchdown and a 20-12 lead.

Chillar had an odd sensation on the play, watching himself score the first touchdown of his UCLA career in live action on the large video board above the north end zone of the Rose Bowl.

“Everyone was jumping for the ball, tipping it with their hands, and I knew it would hit the ground somewhere,” Chillar said. “I saw it and took off running. I could actually see myself on the big screen. It was cool. It helped me, because I could see no one was behind me.”

Bruin jubilation quickly turned to concern on the extra point when holder Chris Kluwe bobbled a low snap, tried to run around the right side and was tackled short of the end zone, the first time UCLA missed a conversion this season.

The Bears went three-and-out and punted on their next possession, and UCLA drove from its 32 to the Cal 29. But instead of running on third and nine to put Medlock in good field-goal position, UCLA tried to pass. Olson was sacked by Joe Maningo for a 10-yard loss, and instead of a field-goal try, the Bruins punted into the end zone.

The Bears remained within eight, and when Cal tied it in the final moments, it appeared the Bears might enjoy a repeat of their stunning 34-31 triple-overtime victory over USC on Sept. 27.

But Fredrickson’s kick in overtime hit the upright so hard it shook the entire goal post, and a Bruin team that was shaken by Cal’s last-second touchdown was back on solid ground.

“Well, we keep finding a way to win,” Dorrell said. “We had a little luck on our side.”

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Stop Signs

Comparing last season’s UCLA defense to this year’s:

*--* 2002 13 games Category 2003 7 games 25.1 Pts. Per game 20.4 3.5 Yards Per Rush 2.8 129.5 Rushing PG 99.1 13.7 Yards Per Catch 10.7 228.2 Passing PG 265.1 357.8 Total Yards PG 364.3 17 Interceptions 14 14.7 Int. Return Avg. 20.4 37-278 Sacks-Yards 23-180 6 Defensive TDs 4 5 Int. Returns TDs 2 1 Blocked Punt TDs 0 0 Blocked FG TDs 1 0 Fumble Return TDs 1

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Mike DiGiovanna’s keys to the game, and how the Bruins measured up:

Win the turnover battle: A Drew Olson fumble led to an easy Cal touchdown, giving the Bears the edge in the turnover battle, but the Bruins blocked two field goals, one that resulted in a touchdown.

Run the ball: Freshman Maurice Drew had his best game, rushing for 55 yards, and Tyler Ebell had 54 yards, but the Bruins, because of six Cal sacks, netted only 55 yards on the ground.

Pressure the quarterback: UCLA sacked Aaron Rodgers five times and put constant pressure on the Cal quarterback, who completed 28 of 41 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown but would have had an even bigger day if not for some solid work by the Bruin line and their blitzing linebackers.