The Cal Bears came away from UCLA with what they needed Saturday, and that would be a PAC Conference victory, but with the final score being 18-12, it wasn’t perhaps what they’re used to - a slightly more comfortable cushion.

UCLA kept the game close by playing exceptionally tenacious defense. Backed up on their goal line the Bruins held on for long periods. Usually Cal is able to probe a stubborn defense with equal stubbornness and eventually score. That didn’t happen, and UCLA was able to get out of jail with some penalties and a couple of turnovers. That kept the score at a manageable 7-0 until late in the first half, before a penalty and an Andrew Battaglia try made it 15-0.

The game continued to be a battle, and was in real doubt when the Bruins scored twice in the final 20 minutes. (Zach Bonte's try at 63 minutes was a thing of beauty, by the way, covering 80 meters and nine pairs of hands, one ruck - a single-man clear-out by the other UCA try-scorer, Race Noeldner - and one kick.)

Cal Head Coach Jack Clark, however, saw a lot of positives.

“We are developing some players and I am generally very happy with the team,” Clark told Goff Rugby Report. “We are seeing some good performances and some really good rugby. We’ve also seen some mistakes.”

There have been times when Clark has been unimpressed with a 60-point drubbing put on by his Bears. This time, with Cal having lost to UBC 19-6 (a UBC team that he points out is one of the best Thunderbird teams in years), and just getting by UCLA, he sees potential.

“UBC is always a massive step up, and this year it was especially so,” said Clark. “We just didn’t deal with it as well as we could have.”

This included Jake Anderson and Harry Adolphus missing some penalty kicks they normally hit, and it included missing some other scoring opportunities.

“We did get behind them a couple of times and we … just needed to be patient,” Clark explained. “UBC has an excellent team, and we were in that game. Against UCLA we were OK. I think UCLA is a good team that played very good defense against us, and Scott Stewart is an excellent coach. I’m a big promoter of our conference and I think that was a good example of the kind of rugby the conference can play.”

It’s worth pointing out that Cal didn’t bring everyone they could have to that game - notable among the absent players was Alec Gletzer, who could be ready for Utah this coming weekend. Conversely, UCLA had some injured players that missed their 38-0 loss to Utah, and got those players back for Cal.

So no panic in Berkeley, although the backline, especially, seems to be playing a little tight at times. Unforced errors aren’t normally the Cal way, and Clark might be thinking how nice it would be to have Seamus Kelly settle things down in the backs, or Tiaan De Nysschen get some go-forward from the back of the scrum, but there are some young players in the Bears who are developing, and they have a solid tight five and backs who will be a little crisper with the ball in hand as time goes on. That’s good, because ahead it doesn’t get easier. This coming weekend it’s Utah (and Homecoming Weekend, where the 1985 team Clark coached will reunite), and then UBC, St. Mary’s, and the Varsity Cup where Arkansas State and BYU likely await.  

By then, Cal will want to link those moments of good rugby a little closer together.

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