Top five games in UCLA versus Stanford history: Bruins saw red often

With USC and UCLA playing their final season in the Pac-12, The Times is revisiting the top five games in the history of each series. This week: Bruins versus the Cardinal.

UCLA coach Jim Mora and the Bruins couldn’t get past Stanford during the 2012 season.

(Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

These teams had met the previous week, with UCLA losing 35-17. The Bruins avoided facing Chip Kelly’s Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 championship game and instead traveled to Palo Alto to face Stanford on its home field.

The rematch was considerably closer but just as frustrating. The Bruins held a 24-17 lead entering the fourth quarter before the Cardinal rolled off 10 straight points, including a field goal with 6:49 left, to take the lead.

UCLA’s last chance ended with 34 seconds to go when Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 52-yard field-goal attempt fell short. Stanford was headed to the Rose Bowl as part of what would become an 11-game win streak against the Bruins.

This was the best illustration of the Bruins’ dominance during their only national championship season. Revenge-minded against Stanford after blowing a 20-7 lead the previous year — UCLA’s only loss of the season — the Bruins intercepted eight passes and ran for 418 yards while setting a school record for points.

There was more revelry later in the day when UCLA tackle Jack Ellena got married at the Westwood Christian Church.

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The Bruins rolled into Stanford Stadium having won their first four games while outscoring opponents by a combined 85-7. It looked like more of the same as they built a 20-7 lead in the third quarter against Stanford, which had split its first four games and was not expected to be a serious threat.

But Stanford’s Bob Garrett accounted for all of his team’s scoring, throwing for three touchdowns and kicking the extra points. His third touchdown pass, a six-yard connection with Al Napoleon, gave Stanford a 21-20 lead with nearly 12 minutes left. The Bruins could not rally in what would become their only loss of the season.

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UCLA quarterback Tom Ramsey, shown celebrating a 1983 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan, led the Bruins to a win over Stanford weeks earlier.

(Associated Press)

They had been rivals since their high school days in the San Fernando Valley. Tom Ramsey starred for Granada Hills Kennedy, John Elway for Granada Hills. The quarterbacks would continue to face off in the Pac-10 once Ramsey enrolled at UCLA and Elway at Stanford. In their final college matchup, Ramsey prevailed thanks to some fancy footwork that complemented his two touchdown passes.

Ramsey’s five-yard scoring run gave the Bruins a 38-27 lead that the Cardinal could not overcome even with a late Elway touchdown pass followed by a two-point conversion. Ramsey finished with 314 yards passing to Elway’s 352, but UCLA’s running game rolled up an additional 337 yards to provide the decisive edge.

Ramsey went on to become the most valuable player of the Bruins’ Rose Bowl victory over Michigan before embarking on a journeyman’s career in professional football.

Never having qualified for a bowl game, Elway would win two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and be inducted into both the college and pro football halls of fame.

UCLA tailback Maurice Drew (21), shown celebrating during a game against Washington State, played a key role in the Bruins’ win over Stanford.

(Associated Press)

It already had been a season of fourth-quarter comebacks. The Bruins rallied from 10 points down against Washington, 12 down against California and 17 down against Washington State.

They had never faced anything like this. Stanford led 24-3 with seven minutes left, having stifled running back Maurice Drew and tight end Marcedes Lewis. But the Cardinal switched to a conservative defense and were no match for a hurry-up Bruins offense, giving up three quick touchdowns.

Drew tied the score on a one-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left, forcing overtime. Stanford kicked a field goal in the extra period before UCLA quarterback Drew Olson connected with Brandon Breazell on a 23-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.

The Bruins had taken their high-wire act to new heights while improving to 8-0. Their season would come crashing down the next week with a 52-14 loss to Arizona.