#17 Texas A&M - 22
UCLA - 36
I've played in some crazy, ridiculous games with Jank before, and this instant classic is deserving of those adjectives. Wow. I don't even know where to start.
In a rainy, muddy, sloppy Rose Bowl, both teams offenses struggled to find their footing in the first half. The Aggies could not punch it in the end zone, settling for three field goals, while the Bruins utilized some big plays to score a quick touchdown for their only points of the first two frames. It was uneventful, boring football.
Then all hell broke loose.
Late in the third quarter, Texas A&M was knocking on the door, about to score their first offensive touchdown of the game after gaining a first down at the four-yard line. An Aggies touchdown would give A&M a two-score lead and put the pressure on the home team. Yet, on the next play, a toss sweep to the left was met with a thunderous hit from a Bruin linebacker, jarring the ball loose.
On the ensuing play after the turnover, UCLA utilizes a perfect screen pass to the running back and gains close to 70 yards on the play. The Bruins would score a touchdown and a two-point conversion to take a 15-9 lead. Texas A&M thought they had swung the momentum back in their favor on the ensuing kickoff, but a holding penalty -- four of which were oddly assessed against the Aggies in this game, with all but the return occurring when I earned a first down -- negated a kick return for a touchdown.
UCLA regained possession of the ball after forcing A&M to punt with a little under six minutes to go in the game. However, the Aggies defense finally put a touchdown on the board for A&M, returning a fumble 17 yards for the score and a 16-15 lead.
After forcing UCLA to turn the ball over on downs with 3:45 left in Bruins territory, the Aggies just needed to run the clock out to seal the game. Easy, right? Wrong. On a speed option, the Texas A&M quarterback pitched to the running back, who securely handled the ball. Didn't matter. Another Bruins defender jarred another fumble loose, and UCLA returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. A failed two-point conversion left the score at 21-16 UCLA.
In a pressure-packed situation, Texas A&M's offense finally found their rhythm, slowly driving their way down the field. With a 1:06 remaining, the A&M quarterback found an open receiver in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown. However, the Aggies failed to convert the crucial two-point try, meaning UCLA only needed a field goal to score.
One more stop. That's all A&M needed. Facing 4th and 5 in their own territory, UCLA was on the ropes, but they were able to sneak a receiver around press coverage as the quarterback barely squeezed in a pass for the completion and first down.
Then, with 30 seconds remaining, the Bruins found themselves at the A&M 18-yard line, only needing a field goal to win. It was an easy chip shot at this point, so A&M tried to let UCLA score. Much to the Aggies' surprise, they went for the touchdown, rather than diving at the one-yard line and running down the clock. The Bruins did convert this critical two-point attempt, giving them a seven-point cushion in the dire moments.
The Aggies had scored on their previous possession. Why couldn't they do it again? A&M ferociously drove all the down to the UCLA 15-yard line with 11 seconds left. The Aggies were in striking distance, putting the Bruins on their heels. But the UCLA secondary -- which played some of the best press man-to-man coverage I've seen -- came up big one last time. A Bruins cornerback jumped a hitch route just shy of the goal line for the interception and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown as the clock wound down to 0:00.
36-22. Ballgame.
In my seven seasons of this dynasty, I have never lost more than two games. I'm now 0-2. I knew this year's version of the Aggies were going to decline slightly after a mass exodus of talented seniors at key positions, but I never expected this dreadful start. The Aggies will most likely be knocked out of the Top 25, and any shot at a national championship is kaput.
Great game, Killacam. Your secondary was the MVP of this game. No doubt. I have young, inexperienced receivers, and they just couldn't release off the line. Congrats on the win.