UCLA Football Fends Off the Cornhuskers’ Second Half Rally to Get Second Straight Win
Although it was Ethan Garbers’ knee that ostensibly sealed the game for the Bruins (3-5, 2-4), who picked up their second straight Big Ten win against the Nebraska Cornhusker (5-4, 2-4) 27-20, it was the knee of Cornhusker Wide Receiver Jacory Barney Jr. that allowed cornerback Kaylin Moore to secure the game-sealing interception. The lucky bounce for the Bruins was instigated by an explosive hit from safety Bryan Addison, which lurched the ball loose from the grasp of the Cornhusker receiver.
Despite needing these late-game heroics, the Bruins opened the game poised to famish all of the Cornhuskers’ stock. With drives of 14 plays and 12 plays respectively, the Bruins jumped out to an early 10-0 lead on an opening-drive field goal from Kicker Mateen Bhaghani and a 10-yard receiving touchdown from running back Jalen Berger shortly after the beginning of the second quarter.
The Bruins sustained a balanced offensive attack throughout the game, achieving 219 yards through the air and 139 yards on the ground without any turnovers. In the Bruins’ past two games, they have only coughed the ball up once to opposing defenses.
To counter Running Back Dante Dowell’s four-yard touchdown run, Ethan Garbers led the Blue and Gold down the field with a 60-yard run, which set up Mateen Bhaghani for another field goal, extending the Bruins’ lead to 13-7 going into the half.
Ethan Garbers registered another impressive performance, leading the Bruins in passing and rushing. He would finish the game with 219 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, and 2 passing touchdowns.
Looking to turn the momentum around for their home crowd, the Cornhuskers opened the half with lofty aspirations. However, the Cornhuskers come out with a silencing thud rather than a resounding bang: Linebacker Kain Medrano found the endzone off an interception thrown by True-Freshman Quarterback Dylan Raiola in the first play of the second half, pushing the Bruins’ lead to 20-7.
On the ensuing drive, Bryan Addison would force a pass break-up on fourth down to give the Bruins the ball back. Ethan Garbers would take advantage of this opportunity, connecting with Freshman Receiver Kwazi Gilmer on a 48-yard touchdown pass, extending the Bruins’ lead to 27-7 midway through the third quarter to silence the Lincoln crowd.
However, the Cornhuskers would strike back on the ensuing drive with an eight-yard touchdown reception from Receiver Isaiah Neyor to cut the lead to 27-14.
The Bruins’ offense would stall out for the rest of the game, allowing the Cornhuskers to stay in this game. The Cornhuskers would eventually exploit this and find paydirt on another rushing touchdown from Dante Dowell late in the fourth quarter but would miss the extra point, slicing the Bruins’ lead to 27-20.
The Bruins punted with a little over two minutes remaining to give the Cornhuskers one final chance.
Backup Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg, filling in for Dylan Raiola who was injured earlier in the game, willed the Cornhuskers down the field into Bruins’ territory; but his hopes were squashed as Kaylin Moore sealed the Cornhuskers’ fate.
Resilient was the perfect word to describe the Bruins today as they emerged victorious in Lincoln. The Bruins will look to extend their winning streak to three as they return to the Rose Bowl to face a feisty Iowa Hawkeyes team.
