UCLA

Two touchdowns in the fourth quarter lifted the Bruins past the visiting Washington State Cougars, 28-25, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Over 64,000 fans attended the much-anticipated matchup, and UCLA fans did not leave without a smile; the Bruins improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in Pac-12 play.

“We’re excited about the victory. I’d like to congratulate Washington State on a hard-fought game. I’m thrilled that we stepped up when absolutely necessary to win the game,” UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel says.

In the second quarter, starting quarterback Richard Brehaut suffered an injury and did not return to the game. This prompted Kevin Prince to enter as a replacement, and he did just fine in the UCLA come-from-behind victory.

“I’m very proud of Kevin. We had conversations of how he needed to take care of business, but it’s different once you get in the game. I'm thrilled for him to be able to step into that situation,” Neuheisel confesses.

For the game, Prince finished with 173 passing yards on eight-of-13 completed passes, including two for touchdowns. However, he did throw an interception but held a rating of over 200 for the affair. He was the starter when the season began, but had been demoted after the squad’s loss to Texas.

Before leaving the game, Brehaut posted 28 passing yards on four completed throws from seven attempts. His injury seemed severe.

“He was laying on the ground when I went out there. They were asking where it hurt. I was worried it was his knee, and it looked like it was an ankle. I looked down, and it wasn’t at a place where they call it a sprain. I was worried, especially with how he couldn’t put any weight on his foot,” Neuheisel says of Brehaut.

Brehaut also had two carries for 11 rushing yards. He is nearing the 1,000 passing yard mark yet again this season. An Alta Loma native and junior, Brehaut has been known to be a tough athlete, especially with his coach.

“If there is a tougher guy, I don’t know him. He’s a resilient son of a gun. He will be back as soon as he can get back. I’m proud of him, too,” says Neuheisel. “There were a couple balls earlier that could have been a little lower. We are going to miss Richard, but as is the case, the next guy has to be ready, and Richard will work his butt off to get back.”

Wide received Nelson Rosario, who is a senior, finished the game with three catches for 120 yards.

“Kevin came through for us,” Rosario says. “He did what he had to do.”

Running back Johnathan Franklin rushed the ball 12 times for 110 yards, while Derrick Coleman gained 27 rushing yards and two scores.

By the 13:32 mark of the second quarter, the Cougars grabbed a 6-0 lead on two field goals, but the Bruins answered with a Coleman touchdown to lead 7-6 at 7:03 on the clock. By the end of the third quarter, the Cougars held a 16-14 edge, but when quarterback Marshall Lobbestael connected with Rickey Galvin for 21 yards, the score read 22-14. Over, right? Wrong!

Prince’s pass to Josh Smith for nine yards cut the lead to two points. Then, after another WSU field goal, the Bruins mounted another score. Prince connected with Shaquelle Evans for a seven-yard TD that gave UCLA the lead and eventual win.

“You have to give him a lot of credit. He came off the bench and made some really key throws. He ran the ball pretty well,” Washington State head coach Paul Wulff says of Prince and his performance on the night.

The Bruins have a bye week, but will face their Pac-12 foes Arizona Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. in Tucson.

USC

Although they did not see action this week, the Trojans did practice. They are preparing for their NorCal trip to the Bay Area to face the California Golden Bears (3-2, 0-2) on Thursday, Oct. 13.

USC (4-1, 2-1) has quite the trio leading way. Quarterback Matt Barkley, receiver Robert Woods and running back Marc Tyler are some of the best in the nation. Look for the Trojans to win a close one.

The game kicks off at 6 p.m.