DALLAS (FWAA) The UCLA Bruins erased a 44-10 deficit late in the third quarter, rallying with 35 unanswered points and scoring the winning touchdown with 43 seconds left to notch an epic 45-44 win over Texas A&M in both teams· openers Sunday night. The comeback that was one point short of the all-time NCAA record earned the Bruins the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 2.
The announcement came on "Off Campus with Mark Packer" on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. ET.
The Bruins scored touchdowns on their final five possessions behind the arm of quarterback Josh Rosen, who tallied a career-high 491 passing yards with four touchdowns. Rosen (35-of-59 in the game) threw for 292 yards in the fourth quarter alone as part of UCLAs 306 total yards in the quarter. Tight end Caleb Wilson was Rosen·s favorite target, as he set a new school record with 15 receptions for 205 yards, the third-highest receiving total in UCLA·s history. Three Bruins receivers · Wilson (205), Darren Andrews (147) and Jordan Lasley (100) · topped 100 yards receiving. UCLA·s defense held Texas A&M to just 58 yards in the fourth quarter.
"We didn't know we'd be down by 28 points at halftime. I was so impressed with how they managed their emotions at halftime and how they came back in the second half," UCLA head coach Jim Mora said. "They had confidence in each other. They had a ton of poise. I saw a coaching staff that made great adjustments. I saw players who embraced those adjustments. They owned that. When you do that, you're capable of doing stuff that you did tonight."
The 34-point comeback was the largest come-from-behind win in UCLAs history, topping a 22-point comeback (down 22-0) in the 2005 Sun Bowl, a 50-38 win over Northwestern. UCLA has now won seven consecutive home-openers. This is UCLA·s third time to be selected as the FWAA National Team of the Week and its first since 2013.
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Sept. 2 was:
Maryland (1-0): The Terrapins beat a ranked opponent for the first time in seven seasons, taking a wild 51-41 win at No. 23 Texas that featured two blocked field goal returns for touchdowns, as well as a punt return and an interception return for scores. Freshman quarterback Kasim Hill stepped in for injured starter Tyrrell Pigrome in the fourth quarter and engineered two scoring drives to hold off the Longhorns and spoil the debut of new Texas head coach Tom Herman.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter – decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.