A year after the UCLA Football came from behind to force overtime in a loss at Texas A&M, the Bruins pulled off their greatest comeback in history and give the Aggies a loss, a year in the making.
This is a comeback. Not just from a deficit in a game, but from a season that many want to forget so badly. The UCLA Football team started 2016 with a loss and avenged that loss to start 2017 and it was not for the faint of heart.
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In 2016, UCLA was down 24-9 in the third quarter. In the fourth, Josh Rosen and the Bruins scored twice to force overtime. Unfortunately, QB Trevor Knight were able to get in the end zone, and not the Bruins.
THE COMEBACK!
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 4, 2017
UCLA WINS!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/XCfP1wOBnM
A similar situation occurred with the Bruins and Aggies on Sunday. After a 4-8 season, the Bruins were looking to prove that they were more. It was less than hoped for.
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UCLA had marched down the field with more of a lag than a stumble that characterized their offense a year ago. They got down field and put up the first points of the game with a J.J. Molson field goal. But then it was Texas A&M’s turn and they scored 31 points before the Bruins could retaliate. By the half, the Aggies punched the Bruins in the gut with a 38-10 lead.
It seemed as if the Bruins woes from last season were in fact more of a disease that plagued their system. The offensive line couldn’t open holes, receivers let balls go and Rosen was running for his life. As many Bruins so vehemently commented on social media, this was utterly unwatchable.
The Aggies pushed the lead and peaked with a 44-10 score. And then the Bruins woke up.
The traditional pregame Bruin Walk was cancelled before the game due to a small lightning storm that hit Pasadena before the game. The Walk is where fans get to welcome in the team of off the bus and cheer them on to victory. Though UCLA made it to the stadium, it is funny how they metaphorically did not show up to the game until the second half.
Down 34 points, the Bruins looked to pull off a comeback similar to that of the previous year. But in that game, the Bruins only need two touchdowns to get back in the game. This year, UCLA would have to get in the end zone five consecutive times. And that is exactly what they did.
Slowly, the Bruins crawled back into the game as Bruin fans crawled out of the Rose Bowl. The east side of the stadium was full of Aggie fans and they were in glee as their team was on their way to a huge win as they locked arms and swayed in maroon and white, almost mocking the Bruins (though truth be told, Texas A&M fans were very hospitable).
UCLA was not done though. Late in the third they scored and though it seemed fruitless in the moment, the Bruins did not stop. In the fourth quarter, down by 27, UCLA did the impossible and scored four times to take the 45-44 lead with less than a minute left in the game.
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UCLA came back from being down in the game, but this also feels like they came back from the abyss they were sent to in 2016. Now I do not want to jump to conclusions, but this could be the start of something special. Still, we have to see how this plays out. There is something to be said about being down 34 points. There is also something to be said about scoring 35 unanswered points.