That was all Ucla needed: one drive, one bit of confidence, one way to slow down the unrelenting Aggie pass rush that was bringing pressure from all over the field.

Starkel suffered a leg injury early in the third quarter and was carted off, replaced by true freshman Kellen Mond , who played sparingly in the first half in a change-of-pace role.

It allowed UCLA to focus on the zone read, make Texas A&M one-dimensional and prevent running backs Trayveon Williams and Keith Ford from having the same kind of success in the second half that they had in the first.

It was confirmation of the ice running through Rosen's veins was cooler than a polar bear's toe nail, and the real factor in the game wasn't whether he could pull off this comeback, but if he'd get the time.