Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns lofted a pass into the air, toward the corner of the end zone, and it felt like more than a game hung in the balance.
The Cardinal’s nearly decade-long mastery of UCLA was on wobbly footing. Bruins Coach Jim Mora was closing in on what could have been the signature victory of his five seasons on the job in Westwood.
For more than 59 minutes Saturday at the Rose Bowl, UCLA’s defense had been stout, holding the Cardinal to a trio of field goals to preserve a late lead. Then came the outcome all too familiar for the Bruins.
Stanford receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside leaped to snag the ball with both hands and planted a foot in the end zone before tumbling out of bounds. UCLA cornerback Nate Meadors signaled incomplete with his arms, but his opinion didn’t count.
The eight-yard touchdown catch by Arcega-Whiteside with 24 seconds left lifted seventh-ranked Stanford to a 22-13 victory that extended the Cardinal’s winning streak to nine games against the Bruins.
As if the late score couldn’t provide a sufficiently cruel ending for UCLA (2-2 overall, 0-1 Pac-12 Conference), the Cardinal (3-0, 2-0) blindsided Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen on the game’s final play while he searched for a receiver. Rosen fumbled and Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas scooped up the ball and raced 42 yards for a touchdown.
While jubilant Cardinal players mobbed each other in front of their cheering section, Rosen sat crouched in dejection, an emotion shared by most of the crowd of 70,833.
“Well, obviously, that’s about as difficult as it gets, and there’s not a lot more to say than that,” said Mora, who dropped to 0-6 against the Cardinal.
Credit: latimes.com
