I asked Ben Howland last night about the team seemingly finding a ‘fifth gear,’ the ability to not just get back into a game but to sail past the other team, like the Bruins did last night, and his answer was very revealing about the wear-and-tear of the season.

“I sure hope so,” Howland responded. “But I’d love to have an easy game where we’re in control the whole game. I’m just praying we have a game like that sometime. Every one is tooth and nail. I just thought this was a trap game coming into it. I’m just really thankful that we’re able to come back and win the game tonight.”

What spurred the question?

After back-to-back impressive wins over USC and St. John’s, the Bruins came out flatter than a sheet of paper against Oregon, trailing by eight at one point. But UCLA did not only come back, they soared right past the Ducks, outscoring Oregon 39-26 in the second half.

It appeared to me that the Bruins are finding another level, not just meandering around and hoping for a win, as it seemed they did earlier in the year.