Bruins’ victory is a real pick-me-up

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Brandon Breazell put this one in writing.

The moment that turned UCLA’s struggles into a 40-14 victory over Oregon State on Saturday had been prophesied 24 hours earlier, when receivers coach Eric Scott asked his players to write an essay about the game.

Breazell’s response was to the point: “I told him I was the baddest [guy] he was ever going to coach. All I needed was the ball and I was going to make plays.�

Breazell backed his words by catching a short pass, slipping a tackle and sprinting for a 69-yard touchdown to give the Bruins a 19-14 lead with 9 minutes 12 seconds left in the game.

The Bruins had been waiting to exhale all through a drizzly afternoon and evening at Reser Stadium, and Breazell performed the Heimlich maneuver.

His dash started a four-touchdown, fourth-quarter blitz -- which included Breazell’s snagging a 30-yard touchdown pass -- that made the Beavers’ 14-0 first-quarter lead a moot point.

The follow-up had defensive end Bruce Davis blowing kisses to Oregon State fans all the way to the locker room afterward.

“Oh man, this is the most hostile territory that I’ve been in, but to hear 45,000 people just shut up, instantly, is the most amazing feeling,� Davis said.

With it all sins were forgiven:

Running back Kahlil Bell losing fumbles on the Bruins’ first two plays.

Ben Olson having a pass intercepted in the third quarter with UCLA on the Oregon State 16-yard line.

The Bruins’ offensive sluggishness all through the first half.

All were forgive-and-forget moments when Breazell followed his own instructions.

“You could feel it all change,� Breazell said. “Everyone there got quiet and our bench was yelling in my face. You could feel it.�

Finally.

The Bruins (4-1, 3-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference) wasted little time setting up a rough evening. The game started with repetitive stress. Bell fumbled. The defense held. Bell coughed up the ball again. Al Afalava returned the fumble 33 yards to give the Beavers (2-3, 0-2) a 7-0 lead.

“We called the two most simple plays and ended up with turnovers,� offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said. “It’s almost like we were meant to play from behind and have to win a tough game.�

The Bruins did, not so much with flash and dash but with brute determination.

The defense, the jewel of last season, had meandered through the first four games. Saturday, it held Oregon State to 248 yards and forced three turnovers.

Trey Brown’s interception snuffed out a Beavers drive at the UCLA 15 in the first quarter. Reggie Carter separated Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield from the ball and Christian Taylor recovered at the five to set up a Bell touchdown run that cut the lead to 14-12.

“We really talked about redeveloping this defense,� coordinator DeWayne Walker said. “There was talk about all the starters we had coming back. The first four weeks didn’t look right. We challenged some guys, put the heat on guys, and they responded.�

Oregon State was a perfect test case. Canfield had five passes intercepted in a 44-32 loss to Arizona State last week and the Beavers seemed intent on easing him through this game. Oregon State relied on running back Yvenson Bernard, who rushed for a game-high 125 yards, and a short passing game.

Still, the Bruins feasted.

“Even when it was 14-0 we knew we weren’t going to lose this game,� Davis said.

Eventually, even the offense joined the cause.

Olson, who missed last week because of concussion-like symptoms, wasn’t glamorous, merely persistent. The Bruins had 19 total yards in the first quarter and didn’t get their initial first down until eight minutes were left in the half.

The third-quarter interception was “me trying to make something out of nothing,� Olson said. He didn’t seem to dwell on it, though, throwing for two fourth-quarter touchdowns -- his first since the season opener at Stanford.

“It wasn’t very clean on our part and we made lot mistakes, but we were able to come through when it mattered,� Olson said.

The flash point was Breazell.

The Bruins were struggling in the fourth quarter when Breazell took a quick screen, slipped through the arms of Oregon State linebacker Alan Darlin, and went untouched to the end zone.

“ ‘Somebody needs to make a play. Somebody needs to make a play.’ We kept saying that over and over,� receivers coach Scott said.

It didn’t come as a surprise that Breazell provided it.

“He’s tougher than piano wire,� Scott said.

Breazell had spent much of the previous three weeks in a dentist’s chair, after being leveled during the Brigham Young game. He has had five root canals in that span yet he has not missed a game or practice. Both his receptions Saturday were for touchdowns.

“He just finds ways to make plays,� Norvell said.

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