It was a game for the ages, two teams looking to make a name for themselves in the Pac-12, both chasing the big boys in Oregon, Oregon State and USC and having to get through each other to get there. UCLA beat Arizona State 45-43 on Saturday on a game-winning field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn as time expired.
But as you take a look at Bruins Nation's breakdown of what transpired, being a UCLA fan while watching that game was tough.
I had a spectacular post game written up. I was writing it during the second half, and it had details of how the first half was actually pretty good for us.
And then the second half happened. And in particular, the fourth quarter.
That's when it got fun. The Bruins entered the fourth with a nine-point lead, gave up a touchdown, scored a touchdown then gave up another touchdown and a field goal. It was the end of the fourth and their nine-point lead was gone. It took a 33-yard kick from Fairbairn to escape Tempe with a win.
And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. All that matters to a team with one of the biggest road wins in recent memory and for a fanbase that always seems to get teased by the potential of this program every year. But here's what Bruins Nation wants you to know.
You know what? WE'RE BOWL ELIGIBLE. IN OCTOBER. Although our overall goals for this season are way more than bowl eligibility, we may have accomplished something small today - confidence for our kicker, and confidence that we can come from behind and put together the drive that we need to win games. Yeah that sentence didn't make sense. Lots of this game didn't make sense. You know what makes sense?
UCLA. W.
That's all that really matters.