Bears Ruin Bruins: Cal Stomps UCLA to Earn First Conference Victory

Have you ever come home after a long day and felt like laying waste to the first thing in your path? You know, one of those days when a pillow, a wall, or the family pet is likely to be permanently deformed the second you walk away?

I think you do. And that’s probably why there was an air of familiarity to Cal’s 35-7 victory over UCLA in Berkeley today. Indeed, after a couple of tough losses on the road, there’s no better way to get back in the swing of things than administering a hellish beat-down to a conference rival.

Despite the fact that the Bruins came into Berkeley as winners of three in a row, it didn’t take long for the Bears to establish themselves as the better team. On their opening drive, the Bears marched 70 yards down the field, in a tidy 4:25, and scored on a Shane Vereen 1-yard run. It was the first of Vereen’s two touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game, and the only question at that point was whether or not the hordes of fans in and around Memorial Stadium were in for a barn burner.

They were not.

UCLA’s pistol offense and top-flight rushing attack never got on track. Given two weeks to come up with a proper solution for the offense that made buffoonish cartoons out of his squad against Nevada, Cal defensive coordinator, Clancy Pendergast, had done just that. His defense was much more disciplined than it had been against Nevada, making great reads and rarely overpursuing on play fakes. Big plays were few and far between for the Bruins.

In addition, UCLA’s sophomore quarterback, Kevin Prince, was never safe when he dropped back to pass. He was sacked four times, several of which came on brilliant corner blitz calls by Pendergast.

Meanwhile, Cal just kept moving the ball, and the game was in their pocket by the end of the half. The Bears controlled the ball for almost ten minutes in the second quarter, racking up 137 yards and doubling their lead to 28-0, and for the fourth time in five games, they went into halftime with a shutout.

Indeed, that one game against Nevada notwithstanding, it should probably be apparent by this point in the season, just how excellent the Cal defense really is. They held the Bruins to a grand total of 53 yards in the first half, and would allow only 90 more the rest of the way.

Thankfully, Cal’s big lead effectively eliminated UCLA’s studly running back tandem of Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman. Coming off a combined 401-yard effort against Washington State, the only highlight the duo would manage to produce all game, was a first quarter fumble by Franklin that led to a Cal touchdown.

Indeed, the real star on the ground was Shane Vereen. He had 100 yards and two touchdowns by halftime, and finished with 145 yards on 25 carries. That makes it three straight 100-yard games for Vereen, who seems hell bent on establishing himself as the Pac-10’s best all-around tailback.

However, in what was a pleasant surprise, Vereen wasn’t the only one doing work on the ground. Isi Sofele pitched in 80 yards on 13 carries, most of which came off direct snaps in the wildcat, a new wrinkle for the Bears offensive attack, that looks like it might come in handy down the road.

Marvin Jones added a 48-yard scamper on an end-around, that resulted in a touchdown. Jeremy Ross would have had a long touchdown run of his own, if it hadn’t been called back because of holding. Even Kevin Riley got into the act, keeping ball on a goal-line option and just barely crossing the plane, as UCLA’s monstrous linebacker Akeem Ayers was bearing down on him.

Overall, the Bears ended the day with a season-high 297 yards on the ground. Riley attempted only 16 passes, completing nine of them for 83 yards and a score. On balance, thanks to the effectiveness of the Cal rushing attack, Riley never really got the chance to put the game in jeopardy. Perhaps, that was offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig’s plan all along.

With a road tilt against USC on the schedule for next week, the Bears definitely needed this one. The Rose Bowl is a long shot, but it’s certainly not impossible at this point. The only team in the Pac-10 that seems to be truly unbeatable, is Oregon. If they win out, they’ll probably be in the running for the BCS Championship. If they do end up contending for the national crown, a team with one or two conference losses will get their shot at the Rose Bowl.

Delusional? Maybe so. But a man can dream, can’t he?