This post was updated Oct. 19 at 11:34 p.m. 

The Bruins’ potential final clash with a longtime adversary appeared to be a write-off, with their opponent struggling to stay afloat under new guidance.

Thirty minutes is all it took to twist that reality.

Having fallen down the poll and all but out of the conference title race, No. 25 UCLA football (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) will face Stanford (2-4, 1-3) on Saturday at Stanford Stadium. The battle between Northern and Southern California is one of many traditional Pac-12 rivalries reaching a close this season, but it now comes in the wake of a night that had all eyes on the former.

Headed by first-year coach Troy Taylor, the Cardinal have been weighed down by the nation’s seventh-worst defensive unit and the second-worst passing defense to boot. With a 29-0 halftime deficit against Colorado last week, those struggles reared their ugly heads.

But a true reversal of fortune was to follow.

The Cardinal came out swinging after the break – rising from the dead to send the contest to overtime and eventually winning a 46-43 barnburner to achieve the biggest comeback in program history.

“Seemed like one of those things that as bad as the first half was for them, the second half just steamrolled the other way,” coach Chip Kelly said. “You’ve got to play four full quarters, especially in this league.”

The charge was led by the sophomore battery of quarterback Ashton Daniels and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor – the latter of whom tallied nearly 300 receiving yards. They’ll next try their hand against the No. 11-ranked UCLA defense, a taller task than Colorado, but a group that surrendered a season-high 36 points last week.

Turnovers in the passing game compounded the defensive drop-off against Oregon State. The trend has haunted freshman quarterback Dante Moore since the beginning of Pac-12 play, having thrown his third pick six against the Beavers in as many games, as well as his fifth, sixth and seventh interceptions of the season.

Senior offensive lineman Josh Carlin pointed to the Bruins’ success elsewhere as a model for improving their play through the air.

“I believe that our run game is really gelling a lot, especially over the past game,” Carlin said. “We’ve kind of built the identity throughout the O-line, and I think we need to continue doing that in the pass game.”

Though it hasn’t always sent the team into the win column, the Bruin offense has thrived on the ground. The dual-back attack of junior Carson Steele and sophomore T.J. Harden has remained productive despite giving way to the former, with Steele converting the lion’s share of carries into consecutive 100-plus rushing yard performances.

Outside threats also entered the mix in the form of redshirt junior quarterback Collin Schlee and senior wide receiver Keegan Jones, each of whom made an impact in limited action against Oregon State. Schlee, however, ultimately exited the contest with an undisclosed injury and has since been unavailable.

Still, the versatility Jones brings to the table is not lost on Steele.

“Dude’s like a Swiss Army knife, he can do it all,” Steele said. “Just having him come in, a different style of running, let him get out there and let him go. He’s a shifty dude.”

The trip up to the farm will be the first nighttime kickoff for UCLA this season since the season opener against Coastal Carolina, setting the scene for Pac-12 After Dark – the very atmosphere that birthed Stanford’s all-time comeback.

Kelly said he doesn’t like the inconvenience it poses for families of fans, but he keeps the same singular focus as his offense nonetheless.

“There’s no crying on the yacht, so we’re not going to cry about that,” Kelly said. “We’re just going to get ready to go play a game at 7:30 against a good Stanford team that’s coming off a really huge victory.”