Forbath Bounces One In for the W
October 25, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 15, 2008 19:56
Berkely, California - Kai Forbath kicked a 52 yard field goal as time expired that hit the crossbar and bounced in to give UCLA a 41-38 victory over the California Golden Bears. Let's fast forward to the fourth quarter which started in a 24-24 tie. UCLA scored twice which seemingly put the game out of reach. With under two minutes left, while driving with the ball, the Golden Bears had other plans. Nate Longshore hit Cunningham in the corner of the end zone over the outstretched hands of UCLA FS Aaron Ware to cut the lead to 7 with 0:58 seconds left. All the Bears needed now was to retrieve an onside kick to keep their chances alive: well, they did. With the ball and 58 seconds on the clock they marched down into the end zone. Looking to strike again Reggie Carter tackled a Bear receiver on the 5 yard line and the ball pops out! The football was scooped up by Bruin MLB John Hale and UCLA seemed to have locked up the victory. Not so fast. A holding penalty was called on the Bruins which somehow gave Cal the ball back. The punched in another touchdown from 3 yards out with 34 seconds left to tie the game 38-38.
The Bruins did not want to go into OT vs. the pesky Bears and had 34 seconds and 3 timeouts to work with. They completed a few quick passes to get to the Bears 36 yard line. On first down and 11 seconds left Terrence Austin broke away from his receiver on what looked like a sure TD to win the game. Ben Olson threw a perfect pass that bounced off Austin's hands with 6 seconds left. The Bruins decided to run one final play before attempted the field goal. The ran a dive up the middle to get a few extra yards for Forbath: they only got 1. That 1 yards proved to be the difference as Kai Forbath, while iced, drilled the football exactly 52 yards. The football bounced off the crossbar and through to win the game. UCLA 41-38.
UCLA is having a season for the ages but their schedule is certainly not a cakewalk. They face an underachieving Oregon State team in two weeks and then travel to Washington to play Jake Locker and the Huskies. They then finish up the season by playing at perennial power ASU and then host USC in the biggest game of the season. Both USC and UCLA could be looking to lock up BCS bids and the PAC 10 crown could be on the line in that game. Things are shaping up to be an unforgettable rivalry game.
Olson Fuels Blowout of Stanford
October 18, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 15, 2008 19:28
Pasadena, CA - When Olson is hot, he really get's hot. The senior QB completed 22-27 passes for 341 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also only threw 1 interception. This stat line is the reason for UCLA's thumping of Stanford 45-20. The game was never in doubt after the 1st quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.
The big news for the Bruins was when Aaron Ware left the game midway through the second quarter with a bruised sternum. At that point he had already accumulated 8 tackles and 1 sack but many were wondering if the defense could hold without their anchor. Redshirt Freshmen Glenn Love filled in for Ware wonderfully, equalling Ware's stat line of 8 tackles and 1 sack.
The Bruins face a struggling Cal team up north next week and expect a tough battle despite the Golden Bear's losing record.
UCLA's "Quest for Perfection" Continues
November 10, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 14, 2008 03:22
Eugene, OR - UCLA travelled north to face conference foe Oregon on Saturday and the #16 ranked Ducks were looking for revenge against SoCal. Oregon had lost the previous week at USC and wanted to take out the anger on the Bruins of UCLA.
UCLA had other plans as the jumped out to a 17-3 lead with 1:34 left in the 2nd quarter. With starting RB and team captain Kahlil Bell getting knocked out of the game after returning the opening kick BYU relied heavily on the arm of Ben Olson in the first half. He responded by throwing 2 touchdowns to Terrence Austin. The defense came up big holding Oregon to a field goal until they gave up a C. Krempt TD pass with 30 seconds remaining in the half. Leading 17-10 the Bruins decided to not run out the clock and moved the ball to their own 45. On the last play of the half Olson hooked up with freshmen receiver Nelson Rosario and he took the ball 50 yards to the 1 yard line. Halftime score: UCLA 17-10.
The second half began the same way as Olson orchestrated a beautiful drive that culminated in a 5 yard TD pass to backup RB Craig Sheppard. The junior running back carried the load extremely well for the injured Bell as he finished the day with 114 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards and 1 TD. The end of the third quarter is where things would begin to unravel for the Bruins. Olson threw three interceptions to finish the game, 1 that was returned for a TD and another that resulted in an Oregon field goal. All of these touchdowns were in the redzone and turned a for sure blowout into a nail biting 24-20 victory for the Bruins. They had just enough to hold on.
Aaron Ware led the defense in tackles with 11 and DT Brian Price was the player of the game as he registered 5 sacks. The team had 10 sacks combined and created havic in the Oregon backfield. The Bruins next play the Stanford Cardinals at home and look to improve the winning streak to 7 games.
Olson Stays Hot and Bruins are 5-0
September 4, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 08, 2008 23:31
Ben Olson continued his hot streak as he has now thrown 9 touchdowns and 1 interception in the past two games. Olson torched the Cougars secondary by going 25/34 to the tune of 300 yards, 5 Tds and 1 interception. Even with that great stat line he wasn't the star of the offense as Kahlil Bell rushed for 99 yards, caught 8 passes for 68 yards and had 5 total touchdowns.
UCLA scored often and had a 35-7 halftime lead. Their biggest lead of the game came in the 4th quarter when they were ahead 56-7. Aaron Ware led the defense in tackles once again as he recorded 12, including 3 behind the line. The Bruins D also had 3 interceptions and even found time to get the second unit out there.
UCLA now has a tough game @ Oregon next week. A win next week will ensure that they are seen as "Contenders" in everyone's minds.
Olson's Coming Out Party Means Big W for UCLA
September 27, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 07, 2008 03:09
Everyone get back on the Ben Olson bandwagon. He silenced his critics for now by completing 19/24 passes, throwing for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns. The statistic that everyone loves the most: 0 interceptions. UCLA played its' first turnover free game of the season against #22 ranked Fresno State.
Things started quickly for UCLA as they jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead. Olson started hot and connected with TE Ryan Moya from 3 yards out for his first touchdown of the day. On Fresno State's ensuing drive Aaron Hester intercepted an errant Bulldog pass and took it 74 yards to the house. After a Fresno State touchdown that cut the lead to 14-7, Olson once again marched the Bruins down the field and hit freshmen WR Antwon Moutra in the corner of the end zone for his second TD pass of the day. Following a Michael Norris interception Kahlil Bell continued his great start to the season by rushing for a TD from 4 yards out. This gave UCLA its' biggest lead of the game thus far at 28-7. Fresno State would come roaring back as they would score twice in the final three minutes while UCLA would only add a field goal. The score at the half: UCLA 31 - Fresno State 21.
The Bulldogs would only score once in the second half against the defenses' 2nd unit late in the 4th quarter while the Bruins would put up 38 second half points of their own. FS Aaron Ware led the Bruins with 10 tackles and had 2 tackles for loss. Olson threw two more 2nd half touchdowns both from 4 yards out to TE Paulsen and WR Terrence Austin. Bell would add two touchdowns on the ground and backup QB Chris Forcier would add a late rushing TD with the offenses 2nd unit.
The win brings UCLA to an unblemished 4-0 and also brings their record against ranked opponents to 2-0. They have completed their out of conference schedule at a perfect 3-0. The Bruins look to sneak their way into the Top 25 this week and continue their winning ways next week.
UCLA Starts Conference Play 1-0
September 20, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 05, 2008 04:48
The game was never in doubt as UCLA scored first and then never looked back. Early in the 4th quarter UCLA was ahead 35-6 before Arizona scored two late touchdowns too make the final score closer than it was. Olson threw 3 more interceptions to bring his season total to 10 through three games. There are rumblings in Westwood about Patrick Cowan becoming the starter but you can't argue with the end result as UCLA has started the season 3-0. Olson's final line was 20-33, 200 yards, 2 TD and 3 interceptions. Kahlil Bell led the Bruins again as he finally eclipsed the 100 yard mark. He rushed for 102 yards and an astounding 4 touchdowns.
The defense starred this game even with the two late TD drives. They had 7 sacks as a team, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. Junior FS Aaron Ware showed once again why he is the anchor of this defense as he had 13 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He brought his season totals up to 32 tackles and 8 tackles for loss through 3 games. UCLA now plays a tough Fresno State team but looks to continue their winning ways.
UCLA Passes First Big Test of Season
September 6, 2008
Game Report Posted: August 05, 2008 04:45
1 TD vs. 5 Interceptions. If you had seen that line for Ben Olson you would have thought UCLA got blown out of the water vs. a tough Tennessee team: you would have thought wrong. UCLA's defense comes up huge in a 35-28 victory over the Volunteers. Of the 4 touchdowns 1 was an INT return for 6, another was a 3 yards rush after another INT return put the Volunteers on the 3 yard line, the third was a 102 yard kickoff return and the 4th was a 65 yard touchdown pass where the running back beat the linebacker on a deep ball. Overall it was a great day for the UCLA defense which shined in this game. Junior FS Aaron Ware once again led the way as he was user-controlled all game. He had a team high 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 INT. Those numbers alone would make him the player of the game but looking deeper into the box score would really show his value as he made the game saving tackle on the 1 yard line as time expired.
On offense Ben Olson actually played a strong game despite 5 horrible passes. All of his interceptions came while trying to throw the ball over the middle of the field. Olson did complete 72% of his passes and threw for over 300 yards and had a rushing TD but he did get rattled in the pocket. His last INT was the most costly as it gave UT a chance to tie the game. With just over a minute left UCLA faced a 3rd and 6 from inside the 15 yard line. Tennessee had held the run in check on two previous runs so Norm Chow made the decision to run a PA play and dump it off to the FB in the flats. As the play developed all receivers were covered and there wasn't any chance that Olson could run for the first down. Shortly before he was sacked the FB streaked back across the middle of the field and found a hole in the defense. He was WIDE OPEN in the endzone. Olson eye's got a little too big as he saw this and he overthrew the FB by a solid 10 yards where the Tennessee safety made the INT. With just a little over a minute left Tennessee marched down the field converting two 4th downs and a few third downs. On the final play of the game they had the ball on the 10 yard line. The pass was complete to a wide receiver in the middle of the field who broke and tackle and then looked to get in the endzone. Just when he thought he was about to tie the game Ware came out of nowhere to make a huge tackle on the 1 yard line: game over.
Kahlil Bell once again paced the offense by rushing for 85 yards and a score while backup QB Forcier had two rushing TD's of his own. The Bruins have a much needed bye week 3 and then look to continue their winning ways in week 4.