BERKELEY – UCLA (1-5, 1-2 Pac-12) outscored Cal 17-0 in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 37-7 victory in front of 45,889 at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
The Bruins led 13-0 at halftime before the Bears (3-3, 0-3 Pac-12) put together an impressive 12-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by
Patrick Laird. Laird rushed for 23 yards on four carries during the drive and also completed an 11-yard pass to
Vic Wharton III.
UCLA answered Laird's touchdown by grabbing back the momentum quickly, going 83 yards on six plays for a score to go back in front 20-7. The Bruins added three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Cal Inside linebacker
Jordan Kunaszyk had a historic game for the Bears, recording 22 tackles – 14 of them solo – and 2.0 tackles for loss while also forcing a fumble. It marked the first time a Cal defender amassed at least 20 tackles in a game since Jerrott Willard registered 22 stops against USC on Oct. 30, 1993. It was also four short or the NCAA season-high of 26 set by Oklahoma's Kenneth Murray against Army on Sept. 22. Kunaszyk has reached double-digits in tackles in five of Cal's six games this season.
Laird finished with 94 yards rushing to go over 1,500 for his career – he now has 1,576 during his time in Berkeley.
The Bears hit the field again next Saturday with a road game at Oregon State. The game begins at 1 p.m. and airs on Pac-12 Networks.