BCS Frenzy - College Football News and Opinions

BYU Squeaks by UCLA

by Allison on December 23rd, 2007

I’ve been suspiciously silent about bowl results so far (chalk it up to lack of interest in any of them that have been player already)…but it’s hard to not mention last nights BYU-UCLA game. I picked #17 BYU (11-2) to win, but was pleasantly surprised by UCLA (6-7). They held their own and almost came away with the upset.

Key word there being almost.

Final score: #17 BYU 17, UCLA 16

Really, the match-up was a strange one. UCLA played up their strength, with players like Chris Markey, who ran for over 100 yards. With their top seed quarterbacks both on the sidelines, they knew that, for them, this would be a rushing game. They had 162 rushing yards total to BYU’s 34.

Because BYU wasn’t about to make it a game lacking quarterbacks, with Matt Hall, their sophomore leader, passing for 231 yards. In the first half, it didn’t look like UCLA was ever going to throw the ball, but their walk-on quarterback, McLeod Bethel-Thompson held his own in the second half. Or, at least, he tried to.

Really, though, this was a game about defense. The game-winning play wasn’t a rally by BYU’s offense, but rather a stop on a last-second field goal attempt. UCLA drove the ball 87 yards in that last two minutes and it looks like maybe, just maybe, they were going to pull it off. It was all up to kicker Kai Fobath.

And Fobath’s attempt would have been good, had it been just slightly higher. It was low enough for Eathyn Manumaleuna to tap the ball with his fingertips, saving the Cougars and bringing up that 10th straight win for BYU.

Excellent, excellent game…this is why Bowl Season is the best season of the year!

AP Photo/Sam Morris

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POSTED IN: BYU, Bowls, UCLA