The showdown of Power Five squads offered late Boxing Day action reminiscent of #Pac12After Dark. Here are three takeaways from the Cactus Bowl win by UCLA football.
More: Complete 2017-2018 bowl schedule
The Cactus Bowl showdown between Kansas State and UCLA reprised an interconference matchup that was played just three years ago in the Alamo Bowl. That time, Bill Snyder’s Wildcats fell behind 31-6 at the half before mounting a furious but futile comeback. The Bruins prevailed 40-35 in San Antonio to complete a 10-win season.
This time around, Kansas State and UCLA came into their bowl matchup with weaker records. The Bruins barely reached the postseason, getting their sixth win in the regular-season finale against Cal. Kansas State needed to win four of its last five to get to 7-5 in the regular season standings.
Josh Rosen was sidelined as he continues to deal with concussion symptoms. That left UCLA to turn in a different direction and look at its future at quarterback. They also got to see their defense grow up in the process.
UCLA took a 17-7 advantage into the locker room at halftime, but Kansas State pulled off a third-quarter comeback to take a 21-17 lead into the final frame. It was a lead the Wildcats held for the rest of the game at Chase Field in Phoenix. They ended up dominating the second half, shutting out the Bruins in the final two quarters.
With new head coach Chip Kelly watching from a suite, an undermanned UCLA coaching staff was just no match for the masterful adjustments put into place by Snyder and his Kansas State staff. As a result, the Wildcats walked away with a 35-17 victory on Boxing Day. Keep reading for three takeaways from the Bruins loss that ended a 6-7 season.