SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 18, 2014
UCLA 36, California 34: Marcus Rios intercepted Jared Goff in the final minute to save the visiting Bruins from their third straight loss in Pac-12 play.
Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 26-yard field goal with 3:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Bruins ahead, and Rios picked off Goff's pass at the 1-yard line to seal the victory for UCLA (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12), which overcame three turnovers. Paul Perkins caught a pair of touchdowns en route to 161 all-purpose yards and
Brett Hundley passed for 330 yards and two scores.
Daniel Lasco recorded two rushing touchdowns and Goff passed for 303 yards and two TDs but cost California (4-3, 2-3) the game with his late interception. Kenny Lawler, Chris Harper and Trevor Davis each had a scoring reception as the Golden Bears scored 20 points off turnovers.
UCLA did not trail in the game until late in the third quarter, when Davis made a spectacular catch in the end zone with 2:33 remaining to give California a 28-27 edge, but Hundley ran for a 15-yard score with 12 seconds left in the period to put the Bruins back on top. The Golden Bears capitalized on Hundley's interception in the fourth with Lawler's 23-yard TD catch, but UCLA responded in the clutch with Fairbairn's field goal to move ahead for good.
Perkins scored on a 16-yard catch-and-run to end UCLA's first-quarter scoring drought over the previous two games and added a 49-yard touchdown reception in the second, which saw the teams combine for 31 points. California grabbed a 14-10 lead on a nifty one-handed TD grab by Harper, but the Bruins rallied for a pair of scores in the final three minutes of the opening half to grab a 24-14 advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK: UCLA has won seven straight games away from home and earned its first victory in Berkeley since 1998. ... Hundley is three touchdown passes away from the Bruins' all-time record (68). ... Davis was carted off with a neck injury in the fourth quarter and did not return for California.