Bears Fall To Bruins On Late Field Goal

Friday, November 24

Pasadena, CA

7:30 PM

California

5-7 , 2-7

UCLA

6-6 , 4-5

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
California	3	6	8	10	27
UCLA	7	10	7	6	30

Notes

Patrick Laird surpassed 150 yards rushing for the third straight game vs. UCLA, finishing with 178 yards.

Photo by: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos

11/24/2017 11:33 PM | Football

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By: Cal Athletics

PASADENA – Cal battled back from a pair of double-digit deficits and tied the score in the closing minutes, but JJ Molson kicked a 37-yard field goal with four seconds left as the Bruins prevailed, 30-27, Friday night at the Rose Bowl.

The Golden Bears piled up 458 yards of offense behind 178 yards on the ground from Patrick Laird and 242 yards through the air by Ross Bowers. However, Cal was able to cross the goal line just twice in seven trips to the red zone and fell to 5-7 overall and 2-7 in the Pac-12.

Down 17-6 in the second quarter, Cal tied the game at 17-all in the third quarter and after falling behind by 10 points tied the score again at 27-27 with 2:22 left in the fourth on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Bowers to Jordan Veasy. But after the Bears' final score, UCLA drove 55 yards in 10 plays to the Cal 20-yard line to set up Molson's game winner.

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen completed 13-of-18 passes for 202 yards and a pair of scores in the first half, but he came out of the locker room in street clothes. Devon Modster entered in his place and, after a couple of three-and-outs to start the third quarter, finished 14-of-18 for 191 yards.

Cal was able to move the ball consistently throughout the game, but the Bears were forced to settle for three Matt Anderson field goals in the first half. Cal got on the board first late in the first quarter by taking advantage of a UCLA fumble deep in Bruin territory. Anderson's 32-yard field goal was the 57th of his career and moved him past Doug Brien into Cal's all-time lead with his 57th career field goal.

The Bruins, though, answered just over two minutes later when Rosen hit Theo Howard from 14 yards out to complete a seven-play, 75-yard drive and give UCLA a 7-3 lead. Cal responded by driving 46 yards on 10 plays, reaching the UCLA 17, and Anderson came through again with a 34-yard field goal to close the deficit to 7-6.

After converting on a fourth-and-1 situation after a roughing the kicker penalty on the Bears, UCLA drove back inside the Cal 10, and Molson kicked a 27-yard field goal for a 10-6 advantage. The Bruins then scored on their third straight possession, going 50 yards in three plays and finishing off the drive with a 17-yard TD pass from Rosen to Jordan Lasley, who finished with game highs of 12 receptions for 227 yards with one touchdown.

Anderson drilled his third field goal of the first half, this one from 37 yards out, with 1:20 left in the second quarter, and Cal trailed, 17-9, at the break.

The Bears finally reached the end zone on their second drive of the third quarter with Laird doing much of the work with three rushes for 55 yards on a six-play, 58-yard drive. Runs of 29 and seven yards started the drive to get Cal into UCLA territory. Then on fourth-and-2 from the Bruin 21-yard line, Laird burst through the line for a 19-yard gain hurdling over his final defender. On first-and-goal, Ross Bowers faked a handoff to Laird and scooted untouched for the score. Bowers then connected with Laird in the flat for a two-point conversion to tie the score at 17.

UCLA answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped on a one-yard run by Brandon Stephens that put UCLA up, 24-17.

Two drives later the Bears got back to the UCLA 19-yard line but Bowers was sacked on a fourth-and-3 from to end the drive. UCLA came back immediately with a 41-yard pass from Modster to Lasley to start the next Bruins' drive but Cal's defense stiffened and held UCLA to a 26-yard field goal.

The Bears drove 87 yards down to the UCLA two-yard line but settled for a 20-yard Anderson field goal to close the margin to 27-20 with 8:35 left, setting up their drive to tie the game at 27. Starting from their own 23, Bowers connected with Kanawai Noa, Laird and Jordan Duncan to move into UCLA territory. From the Bruin 6, Bowers lofted a pass to Veasy on the left side of the end zone and Anderson's extra point tied the score.