This Date in College Football Belt History – October 16

Casey — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:45:39 +0000

The 12^th ranked, 4-1 Washington Huskies of first-year coach Jim Lambright traveled to Pasadena to meet the 22^nd ranked, 3-2 UCLA Bruins of coach Terry Donahue. UCLA’s All-American WR J.J. Stokes caught four touchdown passes as the Bruins rallied from a 15-0 1^st quarter deficit to record a 39-25 upset win & claim their 9^th Belt reign. Washington took a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter when All-Pac 10 RB Napoleon Kaufman capped a 51-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. The Huskies took a 9-0 lead after recording a safety when UCLA’s QB Wayne Cook fumbled a snap & when Kaufman scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, the lead was 15-0. On the last play of the 1^st quarter, Cook hit Stokes for a quick gain but the receiver was able to break two tackles & when two of the Huskies ran into each other, Stokes had a 95-yard touchdown reception. Washington got a 43-yard field goal from PK Travis Hanson giving the Huskies an 18-7 lead. Late in the quarter, Stokes scored his second touchdown on a diving 18-yard reception & the teams went to halftime with the score Washington 18 UCLA 14. In the 3^rd quarter the Bruins drove 99 yards in 9 plays with Cook again finding Stokes open on the 22-yard touchdown pass giving UCLA 21-18 advantage. Early in the 4^th quarter, the Bruins’ All-American PK Bjorn Merten hit a 24-yard field goal as UCLA pushed the lead to 24-18. With 8:42 left, Stokes made his fourth touchdown reception, this one coming on a 6-yard pass, & when Cook ran in for the 2-point conversion, the Bruins had a 32-18 lead. Washington’s DE Jamal Fontaine recovered another fumble by Cook & the Huskies had the ball at the UCLA 12-yard line. Four plays later, Washington’s QB Eric Bjornson fired to WR D.J. McCarthy for an 8-yard touchdown pass making the score UCLA 32 Washington 25. The Huskies had a final chance to tie the game with 0:56 to play but Bjornson’s pass was intercepted by Bruins’ CB Teddy Lawrence who returned it 36 yards for the final points. Cook finished with 294 yards passing with 4 touchdowns as well as 2 interceptions & Stokes added 10 catches for 190 yards to his 4 touchdown receptions. Washington’s QB Damon Huard threw for 161 yards with an interception before being replaced by Bjornson. The Huskies finished the season 7-4 while the Bruins finished 8-4, Pac 10 Co-Champs, ranked 18^th nationally. Washington would play for The Belt again in 1997.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 4

Casey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:08:34 +0000

The UCLA Bruins of coach Terry Donahue opened the season against the California Golden Bears of coach Keith Gilbertson. California’s QB Dave Barr threw 3 touchdown passes but it was two failed 2-point conversion attempts by UCLA that spelled the difference in a 27-25 Golden Bear victory to claim The Belt. The win gave the Golden Bears The Belt for the second time & first since 1990. The Golden Bears got on the board after S Matt Clizbe returned a Bruins’ punt 33 yards to the UCLA 38-yard line &, 2 plays later, Barr found WR Mike Caldwell open for a 40-yard touchdown pass. On Clizbe’s next punt return he fumbled with UCLA’s S Travis Collier recovering at the California 24-yard line. The turnover set-up a 36-yard field goal by All-American PK Bjorn Merten but the Bruins still trailed 7-3. The Golden Bears then put together a 6-play, 63-yard drive with Barr connecting with Caldwell from 36 yards for a 14-3 advantage heading into the 2^nd quarter. Another field goal by Merten, this on from 30 yards, opened the 2^nd quarter but California countered with a 27-yard field goal from PK Doug Brien for a 17-6 lead. The Bruins finally got into the end zone on their next drive, an 8-play, 76-yard effort with RB Daron Washington scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with just 2:26 left in the half. California was not done as they drove 76 yards in 2:14 with Barr hitting TE Brian Remington for a 6-yard touchdown giving the Golden Bears a 24-13 lead at intermission. The only points of the 3^rd quarter came with just 0:20 left when UCLA’s QB Wayne Cook threw to All-American WR J.J. Stokes for a 5-yard touchdown pass on a drive helped by an excessive celebration penalty against California when the defense thought they had stopped a third down play. The Bruins tried for a 2-point conversion after the touchdown but, in spite of a diving attempt, Stokes was unable to hold on to Cook’s pass & UCLA still trailed 24-19. Brien’s 23-yard field goal pushed the California lead back to 8 points at 27-19 with 5:48 left in the game but kept the Bruins with hopes of a tie. UCLA drove 80 yards in 7 plays with RB Skip Hicks breaking loose on his second carry as a collegian for a 40-yard touchdown run. Again, the Bruins tried for the 2-point conversion but Cook’s pass to Stokes this time was over his head & the Golden Bears led 27-25 with 3:05 to play. UCLA had a last chance with the ball at their own 17-yard line with 1:36 to play & no timeouts. The Bruins drove to the California 20-yard line before the Golden Bears’ All-Pac 10 S Eric Zomalt intercepted a Cook pass with just 0:15 left. Barr finished with 213 yards passing with 3 touchdowns while RB Lindsey Chapman added 160 yards rushing. For UCLA, Cook threw for 230 yards with a touchdown while Stokes had 7 catches for 106 yards with his touchdown. The Bruins finished the season 8-4; Pac 10 Co-Champs, ranked 18^th nationally while the Golden Bears finished 9-4 & ranked 25^th nationally. UCLA would play for The Belt again in 6 weeks.

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Pickin' Splinters » Bjorn Merten

This Date in College Football Belt History – October 16

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 4