Duck-Aid of the Decade — Thanks to a controversial call, Oregon knocks off ASU in Triple Overtime, lifting UCLA back into a position where the Bruins control their own destiny in terms of winning the Pac-12 Championship
Quacked up!
Well, that didn’t take long. Just a couple of weeks after the Bruins absorbed their second straight loss — which at the time looked almost insurmountable — the Bruins are back in the driver’s seat in the Pac-12 South. “All” they have to do is win out, and they will be Division Champs, and Conference Champs if they win the Pac-12 Title game.
Of course the Bruins will be underdogs in two of these remaining games, and huge underdogs if they earn a rematch with Stanford, the team they would likely face in a Championship game. So no one is really anticipating that UCLA will run the table, but it must improve team morale, knowing that they don’t have to watch the scoreboard any more. The Bruins no longer need any help from other teams — They just have to help themselves.
All the help they previously needed was supplied by the unlikely couple of trojans and Ducks. Sc beat Utah last week, and Oregon went into Tempe last night and squeaked by the Sun Devils, 61-55, in 3 Overtimes. The game-winning TD came on a pass deep into the end zone, to a Duck who was flying toward the end line, and it appeared that the receiver’s toe came down just barely touching the out of bounds line. The ruling on the field was a Touchdown, and despite what the announcer thought was indisputable video evidence of the toe touching the white paint, the Officials let the play STAND. Oregon then failed on the mandatory 2-point conversion, leaving the door wide open for ASU. But Arizona State QB Mike Bercovici, who threw a horrible Interception late in regulation that was like a death row pardon (two minutes too early) letting Oregon off the hook, threw another one, in the end zone, to end the game.
The Devils’ distress is the Bruins’ good fortune, as being the Master of Your Domain is a huge motivation, that allows the team to focus on just the job at hand. And with weak Colorado (and then weaker Oregon State) on tap, UCLA needs to be tuned in solely to the opponent. Any lack of concentration could spell disaster. It is highly unlikely that the Bruins could overcome another loss — All the help they could have expected has already been delivered.
Speaking of deliverance, here is another special delivery: The last 70 UCLA Cheerleader photos from the Cal game.
