*Part of the journey is the end - Tony Stark.

1st Quarter - We can work with this.

The Bears gave up the 1st touchdown of the game on a broken tackle to Jaylen Erwin. The Bears blitzed and gave up leverage to Erwin on the outside, then Ashtyn Davis could not complete the tackle as the only cover. Erwin would run in from 19 yards out. Cal down 0-7Another two punts later, the Bears finally found the endzone on screen pass to Makai Polk that went for the 44 yard touchdown reception. It was the exact same screen call for Makai’s first career touchdown just a few weeks ago against Wazzu. Bears tied 7-7.

Play of the Q: 44 yard TD by Makai Polk on the tunnel screen. Perfect execution on the blocking and the running through the blocks by Makai.

2nd Quarter - It’s a long ways from 2017.

The quarter started with a 4th down stop by Trayveon Beck. That set the tone. Bears would get the ball and push down the field on a 72 yard drive over 10 pays capped off by a QB Sneak(?!) on the 1 yard line to get the second TD for the Bears. Bears lead 14-7. A forced punt from the Cal defense would get the ball back to the O, but Garbers would throw his first pick, since his return from injury, to Darnay Holmes. Garbers was looking for Makai Polk, but over threw him on his back foot and Holmes covered quite a bit of ground to lay out for the interception. UCLA took the rest of the quarter, helped by a constant bleed of yards by the Cal defense, to drive down the field and get 3 points on a 31 yard FGA to end the half. Bears lead 14-10.

Play of the Q: Perfect pass from Garbers to Dancy for 28 yards. Dancy had to adjust his tracking the ball from his outside shoulder to his inside, still switching feet as he falls onto back and completing the catch.

3rd Quarter - We’ve got this... right?

An unenthusiastic start to the half with punts by both teams. The Bears would score on their second drive of the half with a 1 yard TD run from CBJ. Cal leads 21-10. UCLA would answer on the following drive, but only after an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Evan Weaver after a stop on the first 3rd down. That would move the ball another 15 yards before UCLA scored on a Joshua Kelley handoff on the 1 yard line and would also convert the 2PT try. Bears lead 21-18.

Play of the Q: CBJ’s run for 38 yards to end the half or Nikko Remigio’s 29 yard catch to kickstart the scoring drive.

4th Quarter - That was closer than we needed it to be.

Bears would start the quarter with another CBJ touchdown from 10 yards away. Bears lead 28-18. Ashtyn Davis would get the ball back for the offense on the second play of the ensuing drive. The O drove down the field only to go for it on 4th down and throw a pick in the endzone that would be ruled incomplete, due to Trevon Clark making a heads up play to tackle to defender and dislodge the ball. Back to back punts would gift the Bruins one last chance at a comeback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson would check out of the game after the first play of the drive and Austin Burton would come in at QB. Burton would lead a hurry up offense down the field before being stopped on 3rd down at the Cal 2. Then Ashtyn Davis finished off the stop with a tackle for loss on 4th down. Garbers would come out to take the knee. Ball game.

Play of the Q: Aaron Maldonado with a 4s-Down after the sack on DTR. *Maldonado was a former UCLA commit before flipping to the Bears on signing day.

Bears finish the year 7-5. Let’s go bowling.

Misc. Notes

• Cal wins at the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2009.
• Evan Weaver broke the single season tackle record for the program. He finished with 9 tackles, putting his total at 173. Weaver broke Hardy Nickerson’s record of 167 set in 1985. Weaver is now just 20 tackles away from the NCAA single season tackle record.
• The Bears are now 12-2 when Chase Garbers plays more than a half and is 6-0 this season when he has.
• Bears win in LA in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1970-1971.