UCLA caps roller coaster season on a high note, with L.A. Bowl win

INGLEWOOD – Well, that was weird.

And I’m not even writing about Gronk – the transcendent NFL star and L.A. Bowl host Rob Gronkowski – racing a dog at halftime and taking vodka-infused whipped cream shots during a timeout at Saturday’s L.A. Bowl.

I’m not even writing entirely about the way the Bruins stumbled, bumbled and then, when the duress was thick enough, hammered Boise State with a monster 21-point third quarter en route to a 35-22 victory on Saturday at SoFi Stadium.

I’m thinking about the Bruins’ season as a whole, a roller coaster that tested their fortitude and their fans’ patience before ending on a high note in an NFL stadium closer to campus than their home field at the Rose Bowl.

I’m thinking about how that result – a rousing comeback to give UCLA its first bowl victory since 2015, and the first in head coach Chip Kelly’s six-year tenure with the program – will leave a faction of the Bruins’ fan base displeased.

How those folks would have sacrificed a bowl victory in exchange for a loss lopsided enough to push UCLA toward the coaching change so many fans are desperate for. Think: Raiders 63, Chargers 21; Coach Brandon Staley, exit stage left.

But how, to their credit, and to his, Kelly’s Bruins (8-5) keep refusing to play along.

How for all the weirdness they’ve experienced this topsy-turvy season – the introduction and departure of five-star freshman quarterback Dante Moore, the introduction and departure of star defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC, the dueling airplane banners pulling for and against Chip Kelly’s firing above UCLA’s practice – they won the two biggest games on the schedule, Saturday’s and their 38-20 victory over USC.

How weird is it, then, that the Bruins – who had one of the best defenses in the nation and no available, dependable quarterback to capitalize on it – managed to stub their toes at Arizona (27-10) and at home against Arizona State (17-7)?

How much like life?

Earlier this week, offensive line coach Tim Drevno talked to me about what he’s learned in three decades of coaching – and it was to love seasons like this.

“Going through the highs and lows, how it teaches you life lessons – to keep persevering,” he said. “It’s like a roller coaster, it defines who you are as a person; tough things will come and you learn how to push through them.”

After Saturday’s victory, Ethan Garbers – who wasn’t 100% but came on in relief after Collin Schlee was flattened and forced out of the game after another long run in the third quarter – said he has a similar takeaway.

“Coach Kelly says all the time, ‘Life is hard, and if you can find a way to get through these battles and win these battles, it’s gonna help you out in the long run,’” said Garbers, once a prolific Corona del Mar quarterback who let it be known after Saturday’s victory that he’ll be back at UCLA next season.

“Merry Christmas!” Kelly said, smiling at his gift of Garb – who gave the Broncos more than they could handle Saturday.

The Newport Beach native came on with 11:26 left in the third period and proceeded to throw for two touchdowns and 152 yards on 9-for-12 passing. He also gained 38 yards on the ground in three carries – his offensive output matching UCLA’s defensive surge.

The Bruins held the Broncos (8-6) to six points and 130 total yards after halftime – when, by the way, they’d trailed 16-7.

And Kelly?

As he had earlier in the week, the veteran coach continued Saturday to plead ignorance about calls for his ouster: “I don’t understand the noise, to be honest with you,” he said Monday, and after the bowl victory: “I’m not a social media guy,” and “I don’t read the newspaper.”

And he kept his focus on the bright side, boasting of the Bruins’ eight victories – a threshold they’ve reached for three consecutive seasons, something that hadn’t been done at UCLA in 35 years, he reminded everyone listening.

Of course, three of those victories this year came against Coastal Carolina, San Diego State and North Carolina Central, hardly behemoths on the college football landscape. But a win is a win, whether it’s against a Football Championship Subdivision team or, say, LSU or Penn State – big-time teams on the Bruins’ beefed-up schedule next season.

When they’ll be members of the Big Ten.

How’s that for weird?

Oh, it can get weirder yet. And it probably will.

But that’s the point, Kelly might say: Experiencing whatever a season might throw at you and trying to find a way through it.

“These guys have stayed the course through everything,” Kelly said. “Just watch their performance today. We’ve had challenges with adversity and with injuries, but we don’t make excuses … this is life. What these guys showed today, I’m really proud of them.”

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UCLA caps roller coaster season on a high note, with L.A. Bowl win – Daily News

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