SB Nation - Ben Olson

Something Special Brewin? Malcolm Jones Honored As Gatorade National Player Of The Year

Nestor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:15 -0000

Many of us have followed college athletics long enough to know that we shouldn't always get too excited about hype around big time recruits. It is especially true these days in the world of college basketball. Sometimes recruits in hoops such as JF, AA, and KL live up to all the hype. Other times, well I don't think I have to go through the details of the Ben Ball ~~warriors~~ class of 2008 (you can also read the comments in this thread which will go back much further).

Same dynamics also play out in football to a certain extent (even though in football it takes recruits traditionally a year or two to make discernible impact in the program). I think we can write post after posts on who has worked out (MJD, Brian Price, Akeem Ayers, Rahim Moore, XSF) and who hasn't (Ben Olson, Aundre Dean ) in recent years in Westwood. Yet, every once in a while we read and hear about a recruit in football or hoops, and we can't help but hope for something special when everything looks and sounds right about his arrival to Westwood. Well, if you haven't yet then meet Malcolm Jones. He just became the first UCLA football recruit ever to be honored as the Gatorade National High School Player Of The Year:

The LAT writeup provides the eye popping numbers:

Jones, a running back-linebacker, has scored 109 touchdowns in his four-year prep career. This season, he has rushed for 2,156 yards, putting him 40 yards short of tying the single-season school record held by Marc Tyler. He has 36 touchdowns and is nearing 6,000 yards rushing in his career.

Jon Gold from the Daily News had the following comment from MJ's team-mate on how emotional he was yesterday:

"You should have seen the expressions on his face when he was walking out of class," Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana said with a wide smile. "He was with his family, biggest smile on his face; I haven't seen him smile like that in a while. He was tearing up a little bit - it was awesome to see."

Well congrats to Malcolm from the entire BN. We have a little more on him after the jump.

Gold sheds a little more light on Malcolm as a student and person off the field:

Jones maintains a 3.46 grade-point average and announced in early October that he would play for UCLA, choosing the Bruins over expected front-runner Stanford. Additionally, Jones is a peer tutor and a youth basketball volunteer referee.

"He's realizes I think that he's really blessed," Marshall Jones Sr. said. "He takes his blessings as something he should utilize for the good of himself and others. And that's what makes me proud of him.

"He's a better person than he is a football player."

He also has the right perspective heading into UCLA next season:

"I really wanted to go to a school where I can really make a name for myself, not just be the "next" star running back at a USC or one of those big-time colleges," Jones said. "I want to prove to everyone that I can really help turn the program around, get them back on top."

Sounds like a Bruin already. lol Here he was few weeks ago reflecting on his team's season, his commitment to UCLA, and the looming CIF playoffs:

Well, Malcolm is going to lead his 13-0 Oaks Christian team into tonight Northwest Division championship game against Gardena Serra. He has played on three consecutive section championship teams.

In terms of some previous history on this award, I should note in hoops it was KL and Jrue Holiday who were also honored as Gatorade NPOY (as I said in my opening grafs, we have mixed records). Previous honorees as Gatorade NPOY includes names such as Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith and Jeff George. The list also includes Matt disrespected Barkely (won the award in his junior season), who hasn't really done all that much considering the talent he was surrounded with at Southern Cal.

All that said, it's still a big deal. As noted above Malcolm is the first Bruin recruit to win this award. As excited as we all are about him, what I am even more excited is listening to him, he comes as as the perfect Bruin in the mold of ATV. Keeping my fingers crossed, Malcolm experiences the same level of success as our current senior captain both on and off the field starting next year at UCLA.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Starting QB Spot Unclear As Neuheisel Making Brehaut/Craft Compete

Nestor — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:39:40 -0000

Well it looks like the QB situation is getting very interesting heading into Saturday's game. On Tuesday morning if one were to read tea-leaves he or she would have reasonably speculated that UCLA coaches were leaning towards starting Richard Brehaut this coming Saturday. Brehaut then went on to get majority of the snaps with the first team on Tuesday. However, yesterday it was Kevin Craft who primarily worked with the ones and I have heard from couple of folks who are pretty plugged in with practices that Craft looked relatively better than Brehaut during the practices (it wouldn't be a shocker given that Craft has more experience with the schemes of Chow and Neuheisel).

Chris Foster from the LAT has the story on our developing QB situation:

Craft spent the majority of Wednesday's practice with the first team. Freshman Richard Brehaut is still expected to start in place of Kevin Prince (fractured jaw), but his performance in practice Tuesday opened the door for Craft.

"It's hard for a young guy because we're throwing a lot of things at him," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said of Brehaut. "He just needs to learn what we're trying to get done."

Those were hard lessons for Craft a year ago. He came from Mt. San Antonio College and was expected to be a backup. Then quarterbacks Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan were injured.

Craft, third on the depth chart in spring, was under center opening night, leading UCLA to a 27-24 victory over Tennessee. It was mostly downhill from there.

He started all 12 games, but the season quickly unraveled. Craft became the gift that kept on giving . . . to opposing teams. Six interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He was replaced by Prince in the spring.

"It is hard any time you come into a new place," Craft said. "I was around all new guys, playing an all new offense, under my third offensive coordinator in three years. We had to make a lot of changes during the year, up front, in the backfield. It was not like we had a consistent lineup."

Or a good one. The offensive line seemed incapable of run or pass blocking. Running backs were slow to the holes.

"There were a lot of factors, but I'm not someone who points fingers," Craft said.

Again you have to love the kid for being so committed to the program.

I am not emotionally invested in either Richard Brehaut or Kevin Craft. I don't see this as some kind of campaign. I have always admired the courage Craft showed last season behind a shattered OL and working with a gimpy senior TB. He never complained for getting abused behind the LOS. He just kept getting up and fighting. Meanwhile, on the other hand, I am really excited about the idea of Brehaut. The most important thing I care about is UCLA getting 6 wins and qualifying for a bowl game this season. For UCLA to achieve that goal, Saturday is a must win game, and all I care about is coaches starting the QB who they think is most prepared to execute their schemes. Here is Neuheisel on his QB situation:

On the QB battle:
"We'll continue to evaluate. Both kids are eager and working hard, and both bring something to the table. We'll make the determination here as the week goes on, but I would not be surprised if we played both. I want to continue to roll it around in my head - a vast, empty wasteland. I think we could make a choice, but I don't know that we have to."

On the QB battle being beneficial for both quarterbacks:
"Both kids are growing as they're competing. As soon as you call off the jam in the competition, you may call off jam in the improvement. We'll let somebody know on Saturday. A little uneasiness isn't bad, it makes you work harder."

As I have said numerous times before given their track record with QBs, we should have absolute confidence in Chow and Neuehisel wrt to this decision. More after the jump.

On the other side of the ball, per AP's quick write up the key battle between Kansas State and UCLA will be between the KSU RB and UCLA LBs:

Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas vs. UCLA's linebackers. Thomas is averaging 120 rushing yards per game on a team whose leading rusher a year ago, converted wide receiver Lamark Brown, ran for just 412 yards on the year. The Bruins' linebacking corps returns only one starter, but has plenty of experience. Senior Reggie Carter topped the Bruins with 83 tackles last season.

Speaking of our LBs, Carter is working with Ayers to play him with a little more controlled aggression while maintaing the intensity and the hunger to blow up running backs:

"Akeem is a great athlete, probably better than I am, and it's a little different because now he's a little out of control, he's trying to make a play," Carter said. "When I was younger and I was trying to make every play, I wouldn't get the penalty, but I wouldn't make the play. Rather than do my job, I tried to do everything."

Eventually, though, Carter settled down, matured, became a star not just because of the plays he made, but the ones he didn't.

Right around sophomore year, Carter said, he figured out when to turn off that switch.

Ayers doesn't even have a switch, yet.

"Sometimes you're just trying to make a play, and you just want to get that hit whenever you can," Ayers said. "It's hard to slow yourself down once you already have the mind-set. It's tough to back off sometimes. That's something you have to learn."

Akeem will get there. The way he hits people he reminds me a lot of Donnie Edwards. I think if Akeem just figures out the switch thing in next 2-3 games, this group of LBs (Gold nicknamed them "ABC" LB corps) has the potential to be the best group UCLA has had in last 20 years. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, from the KSU pov, Panjandrum on Bring On The Cats laid out the following blueprint for the Wilcats on Saturday:

If it were up to me, and I were gameplanning for UCLA, I'd run the football to start out with (like they know we will), and then I'd try to complete some high percentage passes to the perimeter of the field. For example, I'd throw some quick screen passes to Banks and hope he gets free, or I'd try to get him the ball on a quick bubble screen or slant route. I'd throw some short five yard curl routes to Mastrud. We just need to do the minimum necessary to give our running backs better chances to move the football. None of the QB's on this roster are going to beat you, so you have to hope that they just make the easy throws and don't hurt you. You may have to open up the playbook to give Carson opportunities to make some throws, but it's no like we really should be holding anything back at this point; if you don't win here, you don't go to a bowl game. Period.

On defense, concentrate on shutting down the run and make a true freshman beat you with his arm. That's really all there is to it. If you were thinking about trying out some new blitz packages and trying to mix up coverages, there's no better time than this week. When you look at the upcoming games on the schedule where KSU can be competitive (ISU, CU, A&M), it's not like hiding anything is really going to make the difference between winning and losing. Being the team that sucks the least is going to be the determining factor.

Yep. I am fully expecting KSU to stack the box and dare whoever is playing QB for us to win the game with his arm. Also, we talked earlier about this is one of those games in which our opponent has nothing to lose. Seems like BTC is seeing it the exact same way. From EMAW on BTC:

[N]o need to hide anything during this game. This is one of those "must wins" if the team has any hope of reaching a bowl. Let's see it all: blitzes, half back passes, fake punts, anything that you need to do to make a win a possibility. Considering the win against Tennesse last week, I can't think this game can line up any better for KSU this week than it has. The Bruins' starting QB is out, along with four suspended players and one of their starting defensive backs.

The solution to confronting that strategy of course is for our OL to step up the challenge and do what they can to impose their will on the KSU frontline. They will have to open up some holes for Franklin and Coleman and stay with the mindset of getting 4 yards per carry and get our QBs in managable situations in which they can get first downs with short and medium range pases. It doesn't matter who we play at QB, his most important task will be to execute a clean game plan, instead of trying to be a hero.

The key again will be to stay with our assignments and NOT PANICKING, even if the team falls behind like it did against San Diego State. Of course we are hoping this time around, we will see a cleaner start from our defense from the opening drive. Either way, I am assuming it's clear by now that no matter who the QB is on Saturday, this is a game that Bruins will not be able to just waltz through against a desperate opponent. That explains why Neuheisel is making Craft and Brehaut compete so hard to earn their spot on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

The Roller Coaster Trip Begins: Thoughts After The First Stop

Nestor — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:58:20 -0000

More photos » by Reed Saxon - AP

Browse more photos »

Last night was very different than the euphoria we experienced in CRN's first game as the UCLA head coach last season. When I was writing the post game thread post last night, I wasn't quiet sure how I was feeling about that 33-14 win.

In the back of my mind I was very annoyed with the slow start our defense had in those first two drives. I was feeling sick to my stomach about Aaron Hester who had worked so hard since his arrival in Westwood to make his much anticipated debut on the other side of ATV. On the flip side, I was feeling downright giddy (despite his freshman mistakes) about Kevin Prince, the progress showed by our OL, the multidimensional looks offered up by our four running backs, Kai Forbath's amazing kicks, the improved level of special teams play, and the way our defense bounced back after the first two drives in rest of the game.

There were so many glimpses we saw throughout the game in terms of where we want out our team eventually to end up at, yet we constantly kept being reminded by all those freshman mistakes about how long this trip is going to be. There were so many freshman mistakes it reminded me of, well AA/JF's first year, which also happened to be Coach Ben Howland's second year at UCLA, when we scraped by to get into first round (which felt like we had made the Sweet-16 after two years of toiling in the gutter thanks to burning down of the program by previous poser of a head coach).

On the balance though, I believe this team is way ahead of the team from last year that was jumping up and down at the Rose Bowl, after that missed FG from Tennessee. More on that and some other extended thoughts after the jump.

I think Chris Dufresne from the LA Times really nails down how I am feeling about the team this morning:

UCLA played OK against a mediocre team but exits this Labor Day with a team superior to the one that beat Tennessee.

College football is often a game of perception versus reality -- what you see in relation to what you ultimately get.

"It's a different team," defensive tackle Brian Price said. "It's a different chemistry."

For one, moving the ball no longer seems like an Arctic expedition. The offense totaled 359 yards, the line surged, the tailbacks darted and freshman quarterback Kevin Prince mostly threw line drives.

UCLA's offense averaged 5.2 yards a play against the Aztecs, which allowed defensive players to get reacquainted with their water bottles.

"It always helps when you don't have to be on defense for 80 plays," end Korey Bosworth said. "The offense moved the ball better than I've ever seen them."

Reggie Carter had a pretty funny comment about the offense moving the ball following the game:

There was such a different feel to UCLA's 33-14 victory over San Diego State that defensive players even complained a little about their offense keeping them off the field.

"I was like, 'Come on, man, either score or punt,' " senior linebacker Reggie Carter. "We kept getting three-and-outs and the offense was holding onto the ball. I wanted to hit somebody. But I can't complain. This was fun."

More on the defensive guys feeling good thanks to the play of our revamped OL:

The line, a source of "a lot of exasperation last season," line coach Bob Palcic said, set tailbacks Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin on touchdown runs. Coleman's run covered 29 yards and washed clean a slow start, giving UCLA a 16-14 lead with 5 minutes 33 seconds left in the first half. The Bruins' longest scoring play was 21 yards last season.

Those things left the defense as spectators for long stretches -- the Bruins had a 10-minute edge in time of possession.

"It felt good not to be out there for 80 plays," defensive end Korey Bosworth said. "It felt real good."

Now obviously the night wasn't perfect. It wasn't even close. But I got the same feelings, I use to have watching those Ben Ball warriors growing up in Howland's second season. It's going to be like this - a roller coaster withing games/quarters - throughout the whole season. And you know what I am going to be enjoying this trip, just like I did during those early years of Howland era.

So let's start with Prince. From Jon Gold in the Daily News:

"We're 1-0 and I'm pleased with that, but I'm obviously a little disappointed in myself for some of the things I did," said Prince, who was 12 of 16 for 140 yards and a touchdown in the first half but then just 6 of 13 for 36 yards and two interceptions in the second.

"I'm also pleased with how I came out and started. It's going to be a great tape to watch (today); seeing what I did well and building on that and seeing what I didn't do well and learning from that to make sure I don't do it again."

Prince had a picture perfect start in his first drive as a UCLA Bruin completing first straight passes. As Gold wrote above in terms of completion/efficiency stats he had a perfect first half. However, we were immediately reminded how he was a freshman in the way he handled couple of snaps and those picks in the second half. Seriously I was glad that he kind of struggled a bit and had those lapses. It made him normal just like - wait for it - Cade McNown, the greatest quarterback ever to play in a UCLA uniform. Anyone who was annoyed by those freshman mistakes should look up Cade's old game tapes from his first two years. They should also be looking up game tapes of Tommy Maddox's red shirt freshman year.

Despite those mistakes Prince looked miles ahead of Drew Olson/Matt Moore from their first year. He was miles ahead of Cory Paus. I am glad that his first game wasn't perfect because if it was, then I would remind everyone about what Ben Olson did in his first game as a UCLA quarterback.

The QB issue brings me to Richard Brehaut. I don't get the confusion (and in certain corners whining) about CRN's decision to play the kid. What is so confusing about letting the second best quarterback of the team in when Prince was done in the game. To me it was not only the right decision but a perfect one. He got Brehaut in a non pressure situation to get him game experience and then call decent plays out of the game plan to get him started. Given how fragile the QBs are (hellooooo Mr. Stoops), I thought it was the right decsion to get the second best QB in the program started right away. More importantly, now that Brehaut is going to be in the mix, it will keep Prince on the edge during practices and forcing him to be more competitive. I like that.

However, we also have to given huge props to Kevin Craft. I heard there were some boos when he came in. Those who booed him should be ashamed of themselves. I understand being sarcastic and having dark sense of humor about last year's memories, but there is absolutely no excuse for insulting this kid. Those who were at the Rose Bowl and booed him, should be ashamed of themselves. I don't know how many of you noticed but when Prince threw those picks, it was Craft going up to him, encouraging him, and keeping his spirits up. This guy is as classy as one can get and we are lucky to have someone of his character in our program. My HT to Kevin Craft.

Turning over to the defense, I am with 66 in the sense that I was disappointed by the slow start last night. The only explanation I have is that perhaps Coach Bullough was handicapped a bit because he didn't have any kind of game film to analyze. The pressure upfront towards the beginning of the game was non-existent. Seemed like Lindley had all day. However, we did seem to make decent adjustments after the first few series, and turned it on. Perhaps another reason we weren't getting to him faster was because he seemed to be taking 10-15 step drops to elude our pressure.

I like the fact that our defense seemed to be getting stronger as the game went on. Reggie Carter and Bosworth (although I am blanking out which one) had couple of vicious pops in the second half. However, I would like to see even more (controlled?) aggression in the first half, allowing the defense to make a statement. We are going to need that next week, if we want to stay in that game.

The play from special teams was encouraging last night. We started a little sloppy with our kickoffs (carrying over the trend from last year) allowing SDSU good early field position, while backing us up. However, the team really picked it up. Two of our touch downs were direct results of outstanding special teams play: 1) Austin's electrifying return setting up the Jet Ski TD, 2) Jerzy's block leading to ATV housing it in the second half. Coaches gotta love that. However, we still need to get deeper in our kickoffs, setting the opposing team behind 25 yard line as much as possible.

Heading into next week frankly I am not very confident about getting a victory. I am not seeing how we can pull out a win in Tennessee with the team we have. We couldn't do it with a sophomore Cade McNown (96) and Tommy Maddox (91). However, I am not discouraged. Here is against what Dufresne wrote today:

UCLA heads to Knoxville next week to play Tennessee. It's a game the Bruins might very well lose.

Yet they could return a better team than the one that beat Tennessee last year.

Like we said, it's weird.

"Last year was one of the best wins I've ever been a part of," sophomore safety Rahim Moore, who tied a UCLA record Saturday with three interceptions, said of the Tennessee victory.

"This is a good win, too. . . . But the team has to learn more. We can't let this victory go to our heads. We have work to do."

That sounds about right to me. As I wrote above I am not delusional about our prospects in Knoxville next weekend. We are going to be overwhelming underdogs. However, what I really want to see from our Bruins is the same composure and sense of not panicking they showed last night after they felt behind. If they keep grinding out, chipping away on offense, while sustaining a ferocious intensity on defense on every play (provided they get more breathers like they did last night), they will get a chance to fight, and keep the tone of this roller coaster trip positive.

GO BRUINS.

Mizzou 2009, Part One: Blaine Gabbert and the Four-Year Precedent - Why establishing expectations is so difficult

RPT — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:00:10 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert scrambles for yardage during the spring Black and Gold college football scrimmage on Saturday, April 18, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

By this point, Missouri fans know all the questions around the conference. Is Kansas the most talented team in the North and, if so, will the schedule still prevent them from winning the division? Is Nebraska officially "back" enough to take the division despite trips to Columbia and Lawrence? Is this the year Colorado finally justifies a slew of "sleeper picks" from assorted media?

Within the confines of the Missouri program, there are multiple questions, to be sure. How will the offense and defense perform under new coordinators? What kind of depth can Missouri develop on the defensive line? Does the pass defense have anywhere to go but up?

But there's simply no avoiding THE question, and that question comes in the form of the 6-5, 240-pound righty wearing No. 11 behind center: How exactly will Blaine Gabbert perform for the Missouri Tigers in 2009? That question spawns another question, however. What is a fair expectation for Gabbert in 2009?

And, thus, the impossibility of determining the parameters of statistical success begins.

Now, I don't aim to (nor could I) infringe upon the statistical sovereignty of The Boy Bill C., but for months, I'd been wanting to look at the first year numbers of quarterbacks in similar situations. What follows the jump is a year-by-year breakdown of the last four seasons, looking at underclassmen in their first years of starting for teams coming off of a season in which they were ranked OR at least received votes in the final AP poll, as well as what their performances may mean for Gabbert in 2009.

2008
(click to enlarge)

2008 fails to provide a compelling comparative paradigm for Gabbert. It's somewhat hard to believe, but Marc Verica ends up as the gunslinger of the group in terms of attempts, finishing with the highest completion percentage but also an unsightly 1:2 TD:INT ratio. The two crown jewels of this group, Terrelle Pryor and Jeremiah Masoli, can attribute a decent portion of their successes to unique skill sets, skill sets not likely to be seen from Gabbert unless Yost begins calling the zone read 35 times a game. It's here where we begin to see why style of play is the lurking variable in this equation. This exception also applies to Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan, whom I lumped into a collective vortex of mediocrity in the first year of the Rich Rod regime. The interesting cases here are Jarrett Lee and Mike Hartline. They had the collective misfortune of stepping under center following two extremely successful predecessors in Matt Flynn and Andre Woodson. Lee, in addition to throwing six pick-sixes amongst his 16 INTs, accounted for 22 percent less yardage than Flynn. Hartline's struggles to replace Woodson's 3700+ yards and 40 TDs resulted in more playing time for Randall Cobb.

2007
(click to enlarge)

Talk about a small sample size. Raise your hand if you were expecting comparisons between Gabbert and Chris Turner and Sean Canfield. As a sophomore, Turner (and his awesome blond afro) supplanted Jordan Steffy as the starter for the Terps for the last eight games of the season. Yes, Gabbert is expected to lean heavily upon Derrick Washington and DeVion Moore, but in 2007, Turner's job was to defer to seniors Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball to the tune of 32 carries a game. Canfield's numbers are slightly skewed by a late-season injury, as well as Oregon State's 55-45 run-pass numbers in 2007. Yost has indicated throughout the offseason that he'd love to get Missouri closer to a 50-50 split, but it's hard to imagine MU keeping the ball on the ground 55 percent of the time. And then there's Sam Bradford, the football equivalent of the guy who always ruined the curve in all your classes. Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than to have Gabbert put up Bradford-esque numbers, but placing an expectation of a 4:1 TD:INT ratio and a Big 12 title is almost the QB equivalent of Coulter-level hype.

2006
(click to enlarge)

OK, remember what I said about Bradford ruining the curve? I take it back. Look at the yearly comparison. Graham Harrell alone might have been enough skew the numbers (after all, the attempts -- usually in the 280 range -- spiked to 373), but throw in great debuts for Chase Daniel and Colt McCoy and an under-appreciated season from Nate Longshore and the numbers jump. Instead of settling near the 3:2 TD:INT ratio for the four-year average, this rather prodigious group edged closer to 2:1. Here is where we start to get a better window for comparison. Gabbert is indelibly linked to Daniel, but is the average Missouri fan expecting him to approach the numbers reached by Daniel in 2006? It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility, but he also inherits a cupboard that (although not bare) isn't nearly as stacked as Daniel's was. With the Big 12 skewing the averages, the completion percentage, yards/attempt, and TD:INT ratio start to seem fair given Gabbert's situation in 2009.

2005
(click to enlarge)

If you bow at the throne of Rivals rankings, allow me to cite chapter 2005. In the previous three years covered, only one five-star underclassman (Matthew Stafford in 2006) had seen significant starting time for a team coming off of a season in which the program received Top 25 votes. The 2005 sample includes two five-stars in Kyle Wright and Rhett Bomar. For all the grief Wright got during his tenure at Miami, it all started relatively well in 2005. The 18 TDs would be a career high for Wright. Meanwhile, Bomar used his time off from Big Red Sports/Imports to put together a slightly less impressive debut. Granted, Oklahoma ran the ball on 59 percent of plays in 2005 thanks to the tandem of Adrian Peterson and Kejuan Jones, keeping his numbers (and his importance to that offense) relatively low.

What does it all mean?
(click to enlarge per game averages)

So, what does it all mean? Very little. The numbers show that the majority of underclassman starters even at recently successful programs A) are going to be relatively protected, B) will be hard pressed to have the astronomical TD:INT ratios we're used to, and C) can't really provide us with a perfect mold to place around Gabbert. According to the numbers, the average line of the first-year underclassman starter ends up being 15-for-25 for 182 yards with a touchdown and a pick. More Derrick Washington or less Derrick Washington, it's difficult to envision Gabbert only putting the ball up 25 times a game. In the 2006 analysis, I said those numbers start to look fair for Gabbert: 60 percent completion, 7.3 yards per attempt, and a 2:1 TD:INT ratio. Presuming Gabbert hovers around the 35 attempt average, that puts his nightly projections around 21-for-35 for 255 yards, and hopefully not worse than 2 TDs/1 INT.

Of course, in the end, gaudy stats don't necessarily mean success (see: Juice Williams' 451 yards and 4 TD against Missouri last season). But as much as I can dance around applying finite expectations to Gabbert (and trust me, NO ONE loves ignoring stats for gut feelings more than me), if it's time to start applying digits to Gabbert's debut season as starter, this seems like as good a launching point for discussion as any.

Poll

Ignoring wins as the obvious indicator of success, on a per game average, is the proposed stat line (21/35, 255 yards, 2-4 TD, 1-2 INT) a fair expectation of success for Blaine Gabbert?

No, that expects too much of him

28 votes

Yes, seems about right

150 votes

No, expectations should be higher

28 votes

206 votes | Poll has closed

Feeling Alright

Nestor — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:03:18 -0000

Bruins got a much needed win last night in Seattle. Even though it is clear what Washington is perhaps one of the worst teams in the history of the Pac-10 conference (along with Washington State), I think folks shouldn’t be dismissive of the effort our guys put together last night in Seattle.

Earlier in the day I was watching a Michigan team going through the same rebuilding pains we are experiencing during the first year of a new regime. Seeing the Wolverines struggle against Northwestern (which is having a good season) in the Big House and tumble to a 3-8 record was something that put what we have been going through in perspective.

After beating Washington we now have a record of 4-6, keeping alive a shot at a minor bowl game. As I said during the game threads, I don’t think our team is as mediocre as our 4-6 record indicates, just like we weren’t as good as that 10-2 record from the 2005-06 season. I think if we had either Pat Cowan or Ben Olson healthy for an entire season, I could see our team winning at least 3 games out of Arizona, Fresno State, Oregon, Cal and Oregon State. So, given all we have gone through this year with our injury and personnel issues, I am feeling all right with where we are at this point of this season:

Photo Credit:John Froschauer / Associated Press (via the LA Times)

So with the macro stuff out of the way, here are some the micro issues going through my mind this Sunday

Craft had a good start last night but after a solid first series he reverted back to some of the same habits that have plagued our team all season along. He threw three picks. The first one was not his fault as Dominique Johnson simply dropped a catchable pass. The other two were indefensible (one he threw into traffic trying to thread the needle, the other was a badly overthrown ball). He also gave up a sure TD when instead of running into the endzone, he inexplicably tried a shovel pass dumbfounding the entire Bruin Nation. There is not much to add to the Craft story at this point of the season. The kid is playing his heart out. He is being a warrior. But what is obvious to all of us is a best he is a below average QB. I don’ t think he is the worst QB in UCLA history because I don’t believe QBs like Brett Johnson, Rob Walker, Ryan Fien or Ryan McCann had the moxie and toughness Craft has shown this season. But at the same time Craft hasn’t done much to cement himself as the returning starter for next season.

Still if anyone is clamoring for Forcier, just consider the fact that even after the game was long over late in the fourth quarter, Forcier was nowhere to be seen. It is clear to me that Chow and Neuheisel have concluded based on his observations that Forcier is not a viable option as a UCLA QB. If that is their decision, I am going to defer to their experience as probably the best QB guru tandem in all of college football.

While the Craft is cemented as the starter at QB this season, the running back position is becoming intriguing. Derrick Coleman started last night. Per Dohn’s report he got the start because Bell was disciplined for being late into a team meeting:

"Kahlil was late for a meeting," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Bell, who has been bothered by a sprained ankle much of the season, carried 25 times and scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs. His plunge in the second quarter gave the Bruins a 14-7 lead, and his dive over the pile on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Bruins ahead 24-7.

"I think he's gradually getting better, and with another bye (next) week he may be getting fresher," Neuheisel said about Bell. "We'll probably nurse him more and see if we can get him even better for two weeks."

However, what got the Bruins' stagnant running game untracked was Coleman's performance on the first series. He carried four times on it, finishing with an 11-yard run around left end for UCLA's first opening drive touchdown of the season.

"Derrick Coleman came in and gave a huge spark to our offense," Bell said. "That set the tone for the game, especially controlling the line of scrimmage."

Everyone here knows, how much I love Coleman. I love his running style. He is a straight ahead North-South runner, who doesn’t dance around and waste time. He makes his decision fast and just pounds it. The energy and power he brought in that first drive was noticeable. I can only hope the coaches increase his carries even more in last two games. As for Bell, the kid is playing like a warrior. It’s obvious he doesn’t have the full power and menu of moves from last year. However, what was encouraging that he was getting stronger. It was great to see Carter make an appearance and he showed a burst of speed. But I guess I totally missed Aundre Dean’s 3 carries (for 9 yards) late in the fourth. So, you guys will have to fill me in on how he looked.

Hopefully our OL can generate the same kind of holes for our backs in our next game. Last night gave them a much needed confidence boost. Let’s hope they can maintain it.

As for our defense, it was mostly dominant:

With the running game, which averaged just 77.8 yards per game this season, in full swing, UCLA's defense was also dominant. The Bruins allowed a season-low 135 yards and tormented freshman Washington quarterback Ronnie Fouch -- a Redlands East Valley High graduate -- all night.

"We didn't scout them to blitz that much," Fouch said. "They blitzed a lot more than we thought they would."

Fouch was 7 for 22 for 39 yards and threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Washington (0-10, 0-7) turned the ball over five times and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry against a UCLA defense that blitzed more than it had all season and looked like it had a different mind-set than it had of late.

"We went all four quarters," said safety Rahim Moore, who had an interception and a team-high six tackles. "That was the best defensive game we've played all year. We came out here and got a nice win and it feels really good."

Rahim Moore had a great game. As did Akeem Ayers. Ayers was simply a menace. He was the catalyst in two of Washington’s 5 turnovers while registering 2 sacks for a loss of 15 yards. He terrorized Fouch all night by repeatedly blowing through the Husky OL like a guided missile going straight after the QB. Given the way Ayers has emerged this year and the solid play from Carter and Sloan, the future at our LB is looking great.

In addition to those two ATV and Norris had great games. I can’t remember who it was on, but ATV put on a bone crushing hit on a Husky player that would have made Matt Darby proud.

My only two complaints re. the defense from last night was first, early on they looked a little tentative against the run. Also, I thought they folded a little too easy in giving up the TD when they were put in a short field after Craft’s pick. Still all in all a great effort and I hope they can replicate that for an entire game against Arizona State in about couple of weeks. It would have them peaking going into the biggest game of the season.

In terms of injuries and personnel issues, here are the notes from the LAT:

Quarterback Ben Olson, who is recovering from a broken foot, did not make the trip to Seattle. . . . Olson, who is recovering from a broken foot suffered in the summer, has been trying to get back onto the field before the season ends.

He took snaps in practice during the week but had to back off. Neuheisel said he did not travel with the team because he would not have been ready to play.

UCLA offensive lineman Darius Savage tore a ligament in his left ankle during the first half of Saturday night's game at Washington. Savage will require surgery.

The note re. Savage is a huge bummer, especially considering the great start our OL had last night. Here is to hoping a full and healthy recovery.Glicksberg took over for Savage last night.

As for Olson, I wonder where did the broadcasters last night got the info re. Olson being at the game last night.

Speaking of broadcasters, one side note. I am getting sick and tired of announcers bloviating about CRN and Craft’s sideline discussions. It is pointless and tiresome. Guess what guys? I like the fact that my head coach is coaching his heart out and showing passion and care for his players. That’s how CRN has coached QBs all his life and he has a track record to back him up. The announcers commenting on CRN’s sideline discussions with Craft is just about as tiresome about reading knee jerk, reactionary comments about wanting Forcier, beating a dead horse. It’s boring and pointless.

Lastly, speaking of CRN we will end this Sunday by closing the loop on Washington-Neuheisel-UCLA story line:

"Emotional," Neuheisel said in describing his Montlake return. "Pleasantly, there were a lot of friendly faces. There's a number of great people here at the University of Washington. Contrary to all the articles and stuff, my memories are mostly favorable. I understand the messy ending. I apologized for my role in it. I'm hoping we can put this behind us as both programs look to the future."

CRN didn't mention it ... we will ... that was his 70th win in his 9th year as a head coach in college football.

Washington drama is certainly behind us now and we can now look forward to Arizona State.

Enjoy a feel good Sunday.

GO BRUINS.

Bright Spots (In A World Of Reality)

Nestor — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:08:05 -0000

We are now three games into Rick Neuheisel’s first season at UCLA, and I think it is starting to become clear to everyone in BN, precisely what we were foreshadowing when we were writing all those posts with taglines “dose of reality” during this off season. There is no escaping from it. We find ourselves at this position not by accident. This is a result of total mismanagement and lack of competent leadership this program has endured for more than a decade (note we are not just pinning this on the previous HC, even though he hastened the downward spiral this program has been going since December 5, 1998).

Right now, I am not sure if there is any use for UCLA fans to get upset every loss this season and probably the next one. I agree with Telemachus that more than ever we need to stand behind our team and with Class of 66 that we need to circle the wagon by getting behind the kids we have in our program, while we wait for the recruits CRN, Chow and Walker bring in next few years. However, at the same time, I think it is important for us to make honest observations about our week to week performance that will enable us to maintain perspective and appreciate the week to week progress that might not be showing up in the final scoreboard.

With that in mind, I will start with the offense. Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise flagged the obvious positive marker from yesterday:

An offense that had gained a mere 38 yards rushing in two games, 29 inches for each of the 47 carries against Tennessee and BYU, had just picked up 115 yards and averaged 4.1 yards against the Wildcats.

Those totals beat Arizona's 111 net yards and 3.2-yard-per-carry average.

And how about the somewhat unlikely pair that put up those numbers. First was 232-pound Chane Moline, with a mere 23 yards in 13 attempts coming into this game, who ran for 72 on 11 carries (a 6.5 average).

Moline's first carry of 9 yards eclipsed the Bruins' previous season high of 7 by Ray Carter, one of three UCLA running backs to miss this game. Carter was out with a knee injury. Kahlil Bell and Aundre Dean were out with ankle problems.

So there was Moline, a junior from Mission Viejo, twisting and turning for 40 yards at the end of the first half and eclipsing UCLA's two-game team total in one run.

"I thought we rushed the ball all right," Moline said. "But we gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We had a good week of practice. We focused on running the ball. And we had a chance today. But we've got to be perfect. And we have to build on it.

"We have to improve even more running the ball this week to get ready for Fresno State."

We also have to give our beleaguered OL some credit. They showed improvement yesterday and they started to get it going starting with the last drive at the end of the first half. Note how the coaches put in freshman Jeff Baca at LT to replace Kia to start the second half. I think that was a clear message sent to the entire OL that no one’s starting assignment is safe. Sure, the production of OL is not close to where we want it to be. But we still have to appreciate the obvious progress that took place yesterday. (UPDATE: It looks like Baca was inserted due to Kia's backpain (HT Bald Eagle). However, as noted the OL played much better once Baca got it).

Speaking of bright spots, Derrick Coleman made a nice debut at the Rose Bowl as he rushed for 24 yards in 7 carries. In the limited carries he got, it was clear DC hits the holes with authority and aggression. I liked the term Papadakis used to describe him as someone who runs with “violence and fight.”

That said, we can’t escape the fact about what went wrong with the offense. Tele already noted the bad and ugly below. I think we have to discuss the QB situation. There is no doubt the kid is giving a valiant effort and we will never forget his second half performance against Tennessee (who BTW is turning out to be a very over-rated, mediocre team which might be firing its head coach at the end of this season). However, based on what we have seen last two weeks, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for coaches to ponder about what other options they might have to jump start the offense. Here is Rick Neuheisel in Jill Painter’s DN report:

Craft's not getting the job done, and it's unclear if UCLA will turn to someone else - be it Kevin Prince or Ben Olson when he returns from injury. Everyone's position is tenuous, according to Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel.

"We're going to evaluate all the positions," Neuheisel said. "It's easy in these situations to hide behind the team. When you're the quarterback, you don't get to hide. It's easy to say he must be the reason you're unsuccessful.

"Kevin wants to (be successful). He works hard, and I hope he can continue to work hard and continue to improve. Just like all positions on the team, we're going to evaluate them and keep working to find answers."

And Norm Chow:

Asked if he was concerned Craft might be taking the brunt of the criticism, UCLA offensive coordinator Chow said: "He should. He's the leader of this group, and he needs to take responsibility. The other 10 guys need to take responsibility as well."

I think Craft is doing the best he can in terms of managing the game. To his credit he hasn’t thrown a pick since the first half of the Tennessee game. But at the same time the coaches need a little bit more at the QB position to keep the offense moving.

From what we have seen to date, it looks like KC doesn’t have the arm strength to look off the D and complete a medium range pass over 10 yards. That’s a problem because it is allowing the opposing D to cheat and bring up their LBs to completely stuff the short passes. Those short passes are effective when the defense has to be wary about the QB being able to go downfield. Right now from what we have seen it looks like KC doesn’t have the physical tools to keep the opposing D honest and off balance.

Also there were couple of plays yesterday that really pointed to the glaring talent issue (I know it’s not a fun topic to discuss, but it has to be pointed out to keep things in perspective) in this offense. There were two potential situations that could have been game changing moments in Bruins favor. First, there was that Moline rumble for 40 yards. Moline was able to get himself in a nice space and then bust into the open field. All he had to do is just break away from one takler. But he didn’t have the speed to break away. Again, big ups to Chane for giving the effort he did yesterday. However, you would have to think that if the Bruins had an elite back with true breakaway speed, the game could have turned. Similarly Dominique had a chance to catch a Craft slant pass and house it. I think that’s the kind of opportunity we have to take advantage of. As I pointed out during the game thread Arizona had three dependable game breakers in Gronkowski, Thomas and Grigsby (along with Tuitama). To date we have no one has emerged as a game breaker in our team.

I think Chane is getting lot of reps because he looks like he is the best blocker among our backs. And given the tenuous situation with our OL, it is understandable why coaches would give him large chunk of our reps. Hopefully Bell will get healthy soon because if he comes back in top form, our offense could become serviceable if the OL continues to show same the improvement it did on Saturday.

Shifting our focus to defense, Walker’s unit made a decent showing yesterday. The run defense was much better as Harwell and Price sealed up the middle. We are still having issues with tackling though. Perhaps as our young secondary gets more experience, they will become better at it.

Also, speaking of our secondary, our pass coverage is still an issue. I think Walker has been solid in terms of scheming against pro-set base offense. However, I think for him to emerge as truly one of the best five defensive coordinators in the country, he will need to improve his schemes against spread offense formations. I don’t think I was the only one holding my breath when Tuitama was airing it out deep at the Rose Bowl. Well, I think the silver lining here is that I think if Walker brings in few more good recruits this season and next, he will have that opportunity to improve on that aspect of coaching and emerge as one of the best in the game.

Moving over the special teams, it was an ugly performance for Gansz’s crew. Let’s start with the return coverage. Arizona piled up more than 200 yards in return yardage at the Rose Bowl. Seems like they are couple of issues FG needs to correct. First, let’s start with Perez. He had two booming kicks. However, he also had few line drives with not much hang time not allowing our guys much time to get up field. Second, our gunners were atrocious. We are hoping this is something coaches can correct in the short term because the horrific coverage led to short field, putting our defense in bad spots.

Also, speaking of special teams, I wonder if the coaches can look at other options for punt returning. Austin is a talented athlete but he needs to work on getting up the field, instead of dancing around too much to avoid tackles. There was another situation where he let the ball go even though he had room to catch and go. Again, just like coaches are making sure no positions are safe (as they showed by starting Baca over Kia and putting Craft on notice), I am assuming they will take a close look at punt returning position in the coming week.

Well despite the above reference concerns about our current personnel, I trust these coaches to make the right decision. I don’t think there is a better combination than Chow and Neuheisel to address quarterback issues. I think they will make the right decision when it comes to trying out Prince or Olson (whenever he is 100 percent healthy).

It’s not a fun situation that we are in right now. There is a long road ahead, as CRN mustered up the following remarks to stay with his relentlessly positive mantra following yesterday’s game:

"There is not, I don't think, a quick-fix solution to this," he said. "It's about everybody getting focused, and really getting involved with individual improvement, that will then show collectively. I am optimistic. I'm always optimistic. I do believe there will be brighter days ahead."

UCLA's anemic showing was so mesmerizingly inept, Neuheisel showed gratitude to those of the 65,434 in attendance who endured all 60 minutes, of all things, not booing.

"I appreciate our fans for staying," Neuheisel said. "It must have been hard to watch as we were trying to climb back into the game, and yet there was very little in the way of booing. It showed a lot of class."

Losing should never be acceptable and we deplore moral victories. However, as mentioned above the situation we are in right now didn’t happen overnight, and our coaches no matter how good they are, cannot resolve it over night. This is going to take a lot of time and patience on our part collectively as member of the larger Bruin athletic community.

We will need our coaches to recruit speed and athleticism at all the skill positions (on both offense and defense) so that we can emerge as an above average BCS conference team in next three seasons. Meantime, we have to ride this out and appreciate the progress we are making on a week to week basis.

GO BRUINS.