FIVE KEY MOMENTS
1. It was the second quarter of a game UCLA trailed only 7-0, and starting quarterback Cory Paus was healthy and on the sideline. It was only for two plays, but it spoke for the entire game: the Bruins stagnant a week after finding rejuvenation in the victory over Oregon and pulling Paus in favor of Scott McEwan so Paus could take a moment to settle down and get the offense on track. He didn’t, and they didn’t.
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2. California’s offense was also struggling, and the UCLA defense was on the verge of turning the Bears back even after they got the ball on the Bruin 41. It was third and 25 on the 33 when backup tailback Saleem Muhammad got the ball on a draw up the middle. He burst through a big hole, faked out safety Joey Strycula at about the 20 and went in for the insurance score that made it 14-0 early in the fourth quarter.
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3. Live by the trick play, die by the trick play. The Bruins trailed, 7-0, and had a rare chance to score when Coach Bob Toledo went to the gadgetry in the third quarter. He sent Drew Bennett in to play quarterback and moved Paus to receiver. On the first play, the Bruins were penalized for a false start. On the second, Bennett gained three yards on an option run. On the third--on his first pass in three weeks--Bennett looked over the middle for Danny Farmer, but the pass was intercepted by safety Damian Marzett at the two.
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4. Cal had a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown called back moments earlier because of a penalty, putting the ball at the UCLA 28. But, after a running play for a short gain, Kyle Boller and Joseph Echema made the missed opportunity a moot point by connecting on a 27-yard scoring pass. It came with 6:12 to play in the first quarter and turned out to be the winning points.
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5. On fourth and goal at the Cal six late in the fourth quarter, Paus, under pressure again, scrambled for a three-yard gain. The ball went to the Bears with 58 seconds left. The Bruins had been shut out for the first time in 60 games.
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