You knew it was going to be a strange day when Trojans clad in Carson Palmer jerseys started doing the 8-clap.
The 50 or so Trojans hoping for a Rose Bowl berth outnumbered the UCLA student section at the nationally televised UCLA-Washington State game at the Rose Bowl.
Yet it seemed appropriate because everyone was watching as the Bruins (7-5, 4-4) put up a fight before falling 48-27 to No. 7 Washington State (10-2, 7-1).
As several teams waited for their futures to be determined, it was the Bruins’ own prospects left in the air when the game ended. The win will send the Cougars back to the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, but whether UCLA head coach Bob Toledo will return for next season is less certain.
“The decision is made by someone other than me,” Toledo said. “I’m sure we (Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Toledo) will sit down sometime this week.”
It seems odd that Toledo could be fired when the Bruins finished the season in fourth place in the Pac-10, bound for the Las Vegas Bowl after losing their senior quarterback in mid-season, after pre-season polls predicted they would finish sixth. But rumblings around Westwood and in the media suggest that his job is in jeopardy after poor finishes for the fourth season in a row.
“I think the big thing is we have a young football team,” Toledo said.
That youth showed against the more experienced Cougars, led by quarterback Jason Gesser, who finished 15-of-24 for 247 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions despite playing on a sprained ankle.
On the second offensive play of the game, Gesser lateraled to Colin Henderson, who launched the ball to a wide-open Mike Bush for a 66-yard touchdown to put WSU on the board first. Bruin sophomore free safety Ben Emanuel responded with an interception of Gesser’s pass on third-and-10 from the Cougar 30 and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game at seven with 12:00 left in the first quarter.
The UCLA offense had its own tricks with a pitch to senior wide receiver Jon Dubravac who passed to sophomore tailback Manuel White for a 55-yard touchdown to give UCLA its only lead of the day at 14-7, and the momentum seemed to swing toward the Bruins.
However, after being taken out on one play, Gesser led the Cougars on a 10-play, 94-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Devard Darling to tie the game at 14 at the end of the first quarter.
“It wasn’t meant to be,” senior corner Ricky Manning said, “Washington State was meant to go to the Rose Bowl. They deserve this win.”
From there on, things got ugly for UCLA with a fumbled kickoff return, a blocked punt and two interceptions.
Jermaine Green appeared to put the game out of reach at 31-14 with an 80-yard touchdown run on third-and-10 with 48 seconds left in the half, but after a miscommunication between Cougar coaches and the kicker led to an onside kick instead of a kickoff, the Bruins capitalized with a 39-yard touchdown reception by freshman receiver Junior Taylor from freshman quarterback Drew Olson.
It seemed that every time UCLA was out of the game, they found a way to hang on. Down 41-27, Emanuel intercepted Gesser in the end zone, keeping hope alive. But on the very next play, Erik Coleman intercepted Drew Olson and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown with 10:20 left to seal the game.
“As the game goes on, it kind of affects you,” Emmanuel said. “You want to keep playing hard and think positive but you’re looking at the clock and time is running out.”
It may have already.