This post was updated Nov. 25 at 6:59 p.m.

With under two minutes to play, the Bruins found themselves in a familiar position: leading but with its worst-ranked unit in the spotlight.

The blue and gold’s 117th-ranked passing defense had already allowed four passing touchdowns on the day and faced the possibility of blowing another late fourth-quarter lead.

But in the Bruins’ final regular-season game, their defense forced a turnover to seal the victory.

Leading 35-28, No. 18 UCLA football (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) forced a game-clinching fumble to survive on the road against California (4-8, 2-7) on Friday. Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott reached the line to gain on 4th-and-6, but redshirt junior linebacker Kain Medrano knocked the ball out of his hands before senior linebacker Carl Jones Jr. collected the game-sealing turnover.

“We practice Peanut Punch every week,” Medrano said, “I just saw a great opportunity to give a Peanut Punch and give the ball back to our offense.”

After giving up at least 30 points in six of its last seven games, the defense helped snap a two-game skid by putting an end to Cal’s comeback bid.

The Bruins’ defense began their day by forcing back-to-back three-and-out drives for the first time since their week one matchup against Bowling Green. 

The first stop prompted a 55-yard drive capped off by a five-yard slant pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Jake Bobo. After the second three-and-out, the Bruins used the running back combination of senior Zach Charbonnet and freshman T.J. Harden to march down the field to the Golden Bears’ 15-yard line. 

UCLA eclipsed the century mark on the ground through its first three drives and looked primed to set up a two-possession advantage.

But redshirt junior kicker Nicholas Barr-Mira’s 33-yard field goal banged off the left upright, and the noise woke up Cal’s offense. Led by quarterback Jack Plummer, the Golden Bears went on three straight touchdown drives to jump out to a 21-10 lead with under a minute left in the first half. 

Plummer hit a wide-open wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant for a 46-yard bullet up the seam before connecting with wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter on 38- and 22-yard touchdowns to complete a near-perfect 11-of-15, 173-yard first half.

“When you put the tape on, you know Cal is a good football team,” said coach Chip Kelly. “We knew we were going to get everything from them and it was going to be a test.”

UCLA’s defense had put its offense’s back against the wall once again. But as it has done for a majority of the season, the Bruins’ offense responded.

With 58 seconds left in the second period, redshirt senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson led UCLA on a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in just 40 seconds to cut the score to 21-17 before the half. In a game in which the Bruins rushed the ball 64 times – the most in any game under Kelly – Thompson-Robinson completed four straight passes before scrambling for a 19-yard touchdown just before the end of the half.

“That’s Dorian. He can beat you with both his arm and legs. He’s a threat. Everybody knows it,” Kelly said. “The one right at the end of the first half, that was really critical for us.”

After a defensive stop on Cal’s first drive of the second half, the blue and gold leaned on the trio of Thompson-Robinson, Charbonnet and Harden for its second straight touchdown drive of the game. The dual-threat quarterback completed the drive with another long scramble, this one for 14 yards, to put the Bruins back on top 24-21.

The pair of running backs and their quarterback combined for 50 carries and 296 yards on the ground.

With redshirt junior running back Keegan Jones unavailable, Harden rushed for a career-high 89 yards on a career-high 12 carries. Kelly’s offense relied on the running back in key moments, including a 3rd-and-12 rush that the freshman running back took for 21 yards midway through the third quarter.

“He knows, obviously, there’s guys in front of him, and he’s one of those guys that doesn’t take a rep off in practice,” Thompson-Robinson said. “When guys go down, he can show that he can step up and fill their spots just fine.”

Leading 27-21 in the final quarter of the regular season, UCLA’s defense gave up one more deep pass – a 49-yard bomb to Hunter – to set up Plummer’s fourth passing touchdown of the game. With the receiving touchdown from Ott, Cal put an end to the blue and gold’s 17 unanswered points and went on top 28-27.

The Bruins’ offense responded one more time, using another run-heavy drive to set up Charbonnet for a five-yard rushing touchdown. With a two-point conversion strike from Thompson-Robinson to Bobo across the middle, UCLA regained a 35-28 lead.

From then on, the Bruins’ defense forced two stops, including the game-sealing fumble, to clinch their ninth win of the season.

“It’s not something that’s just regularly done around here, getting nine wins,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I’ve been here for a very long time, and to see the growth and all the things that go into it is really special. … I’m damn proud of these boys.”