UCLA's trip combine to flip script on Vols

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PASADENA, Calif. -- Pasadena? This was more like Hollywood.How does an offense as inept as UCLA's for three quarters suddenly look like the New England Patriots' in the fourth quarter? And how does a quarterback throw four interceptions in the first half, then turn into Joe Montana in the fourth quarter?Meet UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft. If he were a boxer, he would be "Rocky."And meet former UCLA quarterback Rick Neuheisel, the first-year head coach at his alma mater who had the good sense to hire Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator.Neuheisel, who refers to himself as "relentlessly positive;'' Chow, who found enough holes in Tennessee's seemingly dominant defense in the fourth quarter; and Craft, a third-string quarterback who ascended to a starting role only because of injuries to the two guys ahead of him, teamed up to produce a 27-24 overtime victory in a game worthy of a Hollywood scriptwriter.Excuse the no-longer-18th-ranked Vols if they don't appreciate the twist at the end. Last year's West Coast venture might have resulted in a one-sided loss, 45-31 to Cal. But this was worse.It wasn't just a game Tennessee should have won. It was a game it should have won handily.Craft threw four first-half interceptions, and UT's defense repeatedly buried Bruin runners at the line of scrimmage. You couldn't have blamed Chow if he had headed for the beach at halftime. One of the game's fabled offensive gurus, Chow was a general without an infantry or air support.UCLA's offense seemingly got worse with every clumsy possession. Guys were falling by the wayside, too.An already-outmanned offense lost three starters -- tight end Logan Paulsen, wide receiver Marcus Everett and running back Kahlil Bell -- to first-half injuries. All three were out for the game.As dominant as Tennessee's defense was, little was needed from its offense. And that's what it provided.Tailback Arian Foster, a talented runner with a history of clutch fumbles, lost another one to kill a key third-quarter drive. Jonathan Crompton, starting his first season opener, was all over the place with his passes. Punter Chad Cunningham handed UCLA its only first-half touchdown when he was a tad slow on a first-quarter punt, which was blocked and run in for a touchdown.No big deal, right? As dreadfully lacking as UCLA's offense was, you figured the Bruins would have to block three punts to win this game. So what happened?Coaching happened.The Bruins made halftime adjustments. Chow calmed down Craft. And the coaches and players convinced each other they could win a game that appeared to belong to Tennessee."Norm did most of the talking at halftime," Neuheisel said. "And I told (Craft) I threw four interceptions in my first game, too." In the third quarter, Craft looked almost competent. In the fourth quarter, he looked like an All-American.And the Vols' defense looked like last year.Never mind the attrition suffered by the Bruins offense in the first half or UCLA's total absence of a running game. Craft couldn't miss in leading two clutch fourth-quarter touchdown drives. And neither could his receivers. They simply played pitch-and-catch, and UT's defense played dead.It was one of defensive coordinator John Chavis' lowest moments. Despite Tennessee's physical superiority, it couldn't come up with anything to stop UCLA's suddenly successful passing attack.Despite all that went wrong, the Vols came back as they have so many times under coach Phillip Fulmer. They rallied with a last-minute drive to set up Daniel Lincoln's game-tying field goal that sent the game into overtime.But when UCLA's Kai Forbath hit a field goal in overtime and Lincoln missed, the game didn't have a typical UT ending. It had a Hollywood ending.(Contact John Adams at adamsj@knoxnews.com.)(John Adams writes for The Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee.)