UCLA Football: 3 takeaways from victory over rival California

Both UCLA football and Cal needed a win to go bowling. Here’s what we learned as the Bruins booked a ticket to the postseason in late-night Black Friday action.

It has been a trying season for UCLA. The Bruins entered the year with hopes of competing with USC for the Pac-12 South crown. Star quarterback Josh Rosen was back for what appears to be a final season before going pro, and he was throwing to a dangerous group of receivers.

Instead, UCLA struggled just to reach bowl eligibility as they hovered at or under .500 for much of the season. The run of futility led to the termination of head coach Jim Mora before the end of his seventh season at the helm. Just getting to a bowl game seemed uncertain.

More: 5 Reasons why Chip Kelly is the perfect fit at UCLA

Yet on Black Friday, the Bruins came through to book their ticket to the postseason with a 30-27 survival against rival California. The Golden Bears, under new head coach Justin Wilcox, also needed a win to become bowl-eligible. The two teams traded punches all night long, and the game was tied up in the final two and a half minutes when Ross Bowers found Jordan Veasy for a six-yard touchdown pass.

But there was too much time left on the clock, and UCLA pushed its way downfield to set up JJ Molson for a game-winning field goal. The Bruins are now headed to the postseason, while Cal’s year ends before December begins. What did we learn from the 88th meeting between these two teams? Here are three takeaways from UCLA’s narrow victory over Cal in #Pac12AfterDark action on Black Friday.