Marcus Rios saved the Bruins on Saturday, intercepting a pass on the two-yard line with 51 seconds left to preserve a 36-34 victory over California.
But even if the game had ended differently, and the sophomore cornerback had given up that deep pass in the final seconds, it wouldn’t have mattered that much. Rios has been through far worse.
Rios was diagnosed with a rare fungal infection two years ago, one that few survive. He did, and understands that there are worse moments than giving up a pass.
“I don’t live in fear too much,” Rios said.
Rios took a postgame moment to give thanks.
“First of all, I give glory to God. Without him I wouldn’t be here,” Rios said. “Second, I’m grateful to my family, my friends, my teammates for getting me through it. During that period, I was depressed and wanted to quit. They wouldn’t let me. Without them, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
The interception allowed teammates and coaches to show how much Rios meant to the team. He was given the game ball afterward, the first time UCLA has awarded one since Jim Mora was hired as coach.
“In pro football, every week you give a game ball, but in college it’s not something you do,” Mora said. “This time it just made sense.”
Rios, once down to 130 pounds, has been restored to his playing weight, 170 pounds, and found a role this season. He has been used mostly in nickel packages.
“Marcus doesn’t say much, he just works,” Mora said. “His first spring practice, he looked a little out of place. Then, one day, he stopped looking out of place and started making plays. That was the same thing this season. He slowly, quietly, confidently, worked his way back,” Mora said.
Rios was playing for starter Fabian Moreau, who Mora said suffered a “stinger.” Rios knew he was a marked man.
“They were going to come at me,” Rios said. “I haven’t played that much this season. I’m pretty much a freshman. I saw the double wide outs, I knew they were going to try me. I saw the fade, I saw the ball in the air, I just caught it.”
The re-hype?
Welcome back to the Associated Press top 25, UCLA.
The victory over California was a laborious affair Saturday. But it was enough for the writers to throw the Bruins a bone, slotting them at No. 25. The USA Today coaches poll, was not so giving, and UCLA remained unranked.
UCLA players have been through this before. There was high-altitude hype in the preseason, which went away after back-to-back losses. It left the Bruins with a different mind-set.
“We look at it like we have nothing to lose,” linebacker Myles Jack said. “There is no pressure us. Nobody cares what we do anymore. We’re just go out there and play.”
That doesn’t mean they don’t harbor aspirations.
“We still have stuff in front of us,” quarterback Brett Hundley said. “We’ve got to do what we can to get to the Pac-12 championship game.”
Davis released
California wide receiver Trevor Davis was released from Highland Hospital in Oakland last night after he left Saturday’s game because of a head or neck injury.
Davis was injured when he was tackled as he returned a kickoff in the fourth quarter. He appeared to be hit in the helmet by a knee. He was immobilized and taken off the field on a stretcher.
Davis was moving his legs on the field after the tackle and raised his right arm and gave a thumbs-up signal to the crowd.
On Sunday, he posted on Twitter, “I’d like to thank everyone so much for all the prayers, and I’m blessed to say that I’m doing good and will be back soon.”
California officials would say only that Davis had been released after undergoing tests.
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