2 UCLA guard Dylan Andrews made the winning shot against UC Riverside last week. The Bruins travel to the east coast to face Villanova University on Saturday at 4 p.m.
UCLA came into this game on a high horse after defeating crosstown rival USC last week but were brought back to earth losing their final Pac-12 game, 33-7, to Cal. UCLA (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) played one of their worst games of the year at home against Cal (6-6, 4-5 Pac-12). This loss mirrored their performance a couple weeks ago against Arizona State.
It all started during the first drive when starting quarterback Ethan Garbers went down with an injury to his throwing arm. Garbers was replaced by Dante Moore. The Bruins were driving down the field for a potential score, but Moore threw an interception that killed the drive.
"Ethan is a really, really good football player and a tremendous competitor. I thought on the first drive we moved the ball really well, and then when Garbs went down," said Bruin coach Chip Kelly. "We have got to move on. That's football. You cannot make an excuse because we lost a player. It's just the way the game goes sometimes, and you have to have next-man-up mentality."
Moore and the offense struggled throughout the game. The running game could only muster up 81 yards while Moore finished 23 of 38 for 276 yards with a touchdown and turned the ball over three times (two interceptions & one fumble). He was also sacked six times.
The Bruins actually led the game in the second quarter after star defensive end Laiatu Latu intercepted a pass and returned it to Cal's eight-yard line. Three plays later Moore threw his only touchdown when he found senior wide receiver Logan Lola for a five-yard score putting UCLA up, 7-6. Loya was one of the positives for UCLA on offense as he finished with nine catches for 88 yards and the touchdown. Thats all the success the Bruins would see the rest of the game.
Cal would go on to score 27 unanswered points surprising the Rose Bowl crowd with the convincing victory. The loss will increase speculation about Chip Kelly's future despite last week's victory over USC. Kelly is 34-34 in six seasons in Westwood.
"I don't worry about that. I don't worry about the dynamic. I know that this team has gone 24-13 in the last two years, and they competed every single day. I am proud of every single kid in that locker room, and I think they represent this school the right way," said Kelly.
The Bruins now await to see where and who they will matchup with for their final bowl game representing the Pac-12.
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