UCLA defeats Washington 24-23

By Jon Gold
Staff Writer

PASADENA - UCLA giveth: Against Washington on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins committed five turnovers, including a fumble in the red zone.

Washington taketh away: With five minutes, seven seconds left in the second quarter, Husky linebacker Donald Butler cracked starting quarterback Kevin Prince helmet-to-helmet on a scramble, knocking the emerging redshirt freshman out of the game with a concussion.

And yet despite all that, despite a five-game losing streak, a winless October and a bandwagon missing both axles and a steering wheel, UCLA snuck out of the Rose Bowl with a 24-23 win over the Huskies in front of 72,924.

Perhaps snuck out is wrong: the jubilant Bruins sprinted through the tunnel, whooping, wailing and hollering after their first win since Sept. 20.

"It makes you hungry," senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. "You play this game to win, never forget that. Regardless of how well you play as an individual, the objective is to win. We get hungry after every loss to get that nasty taste from our mouths and get this 'W.'"

All it took was a game-saving play by UCLA's man-on-the-scene.

After a Jeff Locke punt gave Washington the ball on the 10-yard line with 4:21 left to play, Husky quarterback Jake Locker went to work. Locker had been steady but unspectacular throughout the day, completing 20-of-37 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Willing to work the clock in what had become a possession game, Locker was efficient on the final drive, hitting 3-of-3 passes for 28 yards as Washington moved the ball to the UCLA 46-yard line.

Efficiency gave way to disaster, though, as Locker forced a pass into Jermaine Kearse, who was tightly guarded by freshman cornerback Sheldon Price. Price popped the ball up, and Bruin sophomore safety Rahim Moore plucked it from the air for his NCAA-leading eighth interception of the season.

"It's called teamwork, man, and teamwork makes the dream work," Moore said. "That two-minute drill, we do that in practice all the time. That's the camaraderie we have with one another. I mean, Sheldon ran up to me and was like, 'I love you, man. I love you, Rahim.' As a team, we've been through so much, to pull out this win is a blessing."

Before the blessing, there was a curse. Or many.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel stormed the UCLA sideline like a frustrated general, watching his troops cough up turnover after turnover.

Prince was sensational but for one throw before being knocked out with a concussion, completing 13-of-17 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. His lone interception, though, led to three Washington points, as did the team's first turnover, a Terrence Austin fumble on a kickoff return.

Then there were the fumbles by freshman quarterback Richard Brehaut and redshirt freshman running back Johnathan Franklin and an interception by senior quarterback Kevin Craft.

Like Prince, Craft was solid besides his lone gaffe, completing 10-of-14 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown.

"There were some great things today - our throwing game getting the ball down the field and our receivers getting open - but we had far too many turnovers," Neuheisel said. "We finally got one back in the end, a very key play in the game, but we're fortunate to be sitting here with a win."

But a win is a win is a win for a reeling team.

A team now on a one-game winning streak, rather than a five-game skid.

A team now undefeated in November, not winless in October.

It is a new day, a new month, even, and the Bruins are putting the past in the past.

"I told them we were like bums on the street, just thirsty for a meal," Carter said, his smile wide and his eyes gleaming. "We finally got one. We ate today, and it tastes great. But regardless of the taste, I'm full, man. And I'll be hungry again tomorrow."