Rick Neuheisel covered up two fourth-quarter fumbled snaps with two late touchdown drives to help UCLA maintain its longest winning streak in the rivalry. The Bruins trailed 16-7 in the fourth quarter but scored two touchdowns in the final 5 minutes and 37 seconds to win their 12th consecutive game over the Bears, part of an 18-game, head-to-head winning streak. Neuheisel sparked the comeback with a 32-yard pass to Karl Dorrell, then converted a fourth-and-two play on the following drive with a 25-yard pass to tight end Paul Bergmann. Frank Cephous scored the go-ahead touchdown on an eight-yard run with 2:12 remaining.
The Bruins recovered from an 0-3-1 start to a conference championship, winning seven of their last eight games and a Rose Bowl matchup against No. 4 Illinois.