UCLA QB Kevin Craft had a terrible first half, throwing 4 INT's, one of which was returned for a Tennessee TD. But he stepped it up in the 2nd half, finishing with 25 completions, as the Bruins beat the Volunteers 27-24 in Rick Neuheisel's coaching debut at his alma mater.Craft's early struggles put the Bruins in a tough position early, but they were able to stay in the game, never trailing by more than 7, despite the turnovers.
This is the first loss for a ranked SEC team, and is a great sign for Neuheisel and the UCLA Bruins, who showed that their defense is strong enough to compete with anyone, and their young QB is able to shake off mistakes and lead the team to victory.
The win will likely propel UCLA into a top-25 ranking, as they pass their first big test of the year. They play #16 Brigham Young next week, and hope to take the Cougars down a notch, and ruin their bid to become only the 4th non-BCS conference team to play in a BCS bowl. Tennessee looks to rebound next week against at home UAB, and Phil Fullmer will certainly have his team ready to play, after the disappointment this week.
Can Neuheisel and the Bruins challenge USC this year for Pac-10 supremacy? Probably not, but that day will surely come, and it will come soon.
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