Shane Vereen got to see another 34 take center stage as he broadcasted the game for Fox Sports
Cal hadn't won in the Rose Bowl since Vereen wore the blue and gold, but Christopher Brown Jr.'s two touchdown runs and 111 yards helped to send the Bears to a 28-18 victory over UCLA. Cal finishes 7-5 (4-5) and sent UCLA to a 4-8 (4-5) record with the victory.
Cal linebacker Evan Weaver broke Cal's single-season tackle record late in the first quarter, passing Hardy Nickerson's 167 from the 1985 season. Weaver now holds the top spot with 173 tackles, along with the 3rd spot from his efforts last year.
UCLA schemed toward the edges of the defense away from Weaver, which allowed Cam Goode to have another solid game. The junior outside linebacker finished with 2 sacks, giving him 8.5 on the year (the most by a Cal defender since Mychal Kendricks in 2010).
The Bears didn't seal up the win until a final fourth down stop, as senior Ashtyn Davis stopped Demetric Felton in the backfield on a 4th and 1 from the Cal 2, preserving the 10 point margin and sending the Bears home happy.
Cal struggled early with missed tackles, as an early miss by Ashtyn Davis allowed for Jaylen Erwin to score on a 19 yard reception. The pass rush saw a bit of success early, with Goode and Brett Johnson recording sacks, but the missed tackles and Devin Asiasi making catches downfield loomed prior to Cal's first touchdown drive.
The Bears used a strong Brown run, a completion to Remigio on a deep out, and a pass interference call to set up a Makai Polk tunnel screen, similar to his gamebreaking TD against Washington State. Polk took it 44 yards to the endzone, as Mike Saffell pushed down the one remaining roadblock on the way to the score.
Traveon Beck made a 4th down stop on UCLA's next drive, which saw the Bears march back downfield thanks to a couple Garbers scrambles, a Polk catch, and a nicely designed wheel route to Marcel Dancy to set up a red-zone situation. Garbers finished the drive with a QB sneak from a yard out.
Garbers threw his first interception since the Ole Miss game on Cal's next drive, and the Bruins converted a handful of 3rd and 4th down situations, including a 4th and 9 pass to Asiasi, setting up JJ Molson for a 31 yard field goal to end the half.
After trading drives in the second half, Cal figured out a couple things. Garbers completed a deep corner to Nikko Remigio after a couple misses, including the interception. Garbers and Deshawn Collins busted first down runs. UCLA's defense gave the Bears a bit of help with two penalties in the redzone, and Brown hopped over the line for the first of his two scores.
Cal had a chance to force a three and out on the next drive, but Evan Weaver picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, thanks to kicking the football to the sideline after an incompletion. That was followed by Kyle Phillips spinning off a tackle for 39 yards, setting UCLA up for an eventual Josh Kelley TD run, followed by a two point conversion.
The Bears didn't panic, as Brown found a massive crease for 38 yards on the next drive. Saffell and Matt Cindric cleared the way for Brown, who had only his second 100 yard rushing game.
Brown took the Bears in from 10 yards out to make it a 28-18 game. After an Ashtyn Davis pick, Cal found their way into the redzone, but went for it on 4th and 8 from the UCLA 12 instead of going for a killshot. They didn't convert, but got a sack from Aaron Maldonado to halt any UCLA momentum.
A chop block call backed up the Bears, as they forced UCLA to use all their timeouts before a punt. The Bruins, with backup Austin Burton in, drove down to the 2 with tempo, but were stopped by Davis, ending the contest.
Cal's win likely puts them into the Redbox or Holiday Bowl, pending the result of the Pac-12 Championship game and whether Utah makes the College Football Playoff.
Statistical Leaders
Passing: Garbers, 17-29 230 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brown Jr., 18 Carries for 111 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: Polk, 4 receptions for 78 yards, 1 TD
Tackling: Weaver, 9 tackles (5 solo), Goode, 6 tackles, 2 sacks
