SB Nation - Kai Forbath

Kai Wins Groza, Bruins Rack Up More All American Honors

Nestor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:11:59 -0000

brtishbruin and KSBruin were already on it last night. We have more major post-season awards news to share about few Bruins from the football team. Kai won the Lou Groza award last night beating out a two great kickers from amazing SEC programsn (Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin and Geogia's Blair Walsh). In addition to Kai accepting his award on ESPN, two more Bruins - Brian Price and Rahim Moore were named in the Second Team All America by the prestigious Walter Camp Foundation:

So, let's start with Kai Forbath. Here is the official release which identfied Kai as perhaps the best kicker ever to come out of UCLA:

In the long line of UCLA All-America place kickers, Forbath might just be the best ever. On the year, he has made 26 of 29 field goals and 22 of 23 PATs for 100 points. He ranks second nationally in field goals per game (2.17). He is perfect (23 of 23) from inside 50 yards and three of six from 50+ yards. His .897 percentage this year is No. 2 in the NCAA among players with 22 or more attempts.

Dating back to last year, Forbath has converted 39 of his last 42 field goals and had a string of 16 straight successes snapped at Arizona when he missed from 52 yards. He has connected on his last 35 straight field goal attempts inside 50 yards (his last such miss came on a 47-yard attempt in game six last season at Oregon).

Forbath's .864 percentage is the highest in school history among players with at least 20 career field goals (John Lee holds the current record at .850). He ranks second (tied) in school history with 70 field goals and No. 5 in career scoring with 283 points in just 37 games.

His school-record nine field goals of 50 yards or longer rank No. 1 among active FBS kickers. His 70 field goals rank second (tied) among all active players (the next junior is 20 field goals behind him) and his career percentage of .864 is No. 2 among players with at least 40 attempts.

Kai of course deserves this award. It also shouldn't be a surprise to anyone here when Kai puts his name in during the NFL draft's "testing out the water" process to see where he might fall. Although, there is a decent chance of him returning (unlike Brian Price).

I think I appreciated Kai more this season when I was watching other college footbal teams, seeing teams flail away with poor kicking and getting hancuffed during crunch time. That said, I wish Kai would come back for one more season, so that he would get to play for an offense, in which he would play an invaluable role by connecting on long game winning or game tying FGs, instead of drive settling ones he was booming in over and over again during last few years at UCLA. More on last night awards after the jump.

As mentioned in the beginning, in addition to Kai, two other Bruins - Price and Moore - were named in the Walter Camp's All America team:

Price, a true junior, has recorded 34.5 tackles for a loss in his last 21 games, including 4.0 against Arizona State and Tennessee, 3.0 at Washington State and 2.0 against Oregon and at USC. He has 22.5 tackles for loss in 12 games this season and ranks first in the Pac-10 (by 7.5 TFL) and is tied for third in the NCAA. He ranks second all-time in UCLA history with 43.5 tackles for loss, and is also second on the single season list with 22.5, trailing only Robert Thomas' 26.0 TFL in 2001.

Moore, a true sophomore, leads the nation with nine interceptions, averaging 0.75 per game. He also ranks fourth (tied) nationally, in passes defensed (1.33 per game). He tied the UCLA single-game record with three interceptions against San Diego State and also made two each versus Tennessee and Arizona. Moore has made 45 tackles on the year, including three for loss.

That was from the official site which also provided the data point re. only Alabama (six) and Florida (four) having more selections than UCLA's three (Texas also had three). That led the LAT to take the cheap shot about those three teams finishing with a combined record of 38-1 (in comparison to UCLA's 6-6).

Of course, anyone with a basic understanding of the personnel of UCLA football program (based on recruiting and talent flow from last 6 years) wouldn't make the basic argument about UCLA having the same talent as those three programs. But hey given what we have seen over the years, often basic coverage of UCLA football is too much to ask for from the Trojan lapdogs in charge of LAT's sports section. Whatever. The basic lesson is look everywhere else before looking to LAT for information on UCLA sports.

Congrats to all of our guys. Let's hope we get to see these guys at least one more time this season. GO NAVY.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA's Price Is Right For The Pac-10: Brian Headlines 11 Bruins Honored As All Pac-10

Nestor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:13:22 -0000

hicalliber is already on it but this deserves lot more attention. This is not a surprise but still worthy of a huge celebration on Bruin Nation. Here is our Pac-10 Defensive Player:

The official announcement came out earlier this afternoon which included lot of good news for the football team. Not only Brian Price was named Pac-10's Defense POY, he was part of a group of 11 Bruins named in the All Pac-10 team. Five of them were first-team selection:

UCLA junior defensive tackle Brian Price has been named Pac-10 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year by vote of the league's coaches, it was announced today.

A total of 11 Bruins were named to the All-Pac-10 teams. Joining Price on the first team were senior linebacker Reggie Carter, sophomore safety Rahim Moore, senior cornerback Alterraun Verner and junior place kicker Kai Forbath. Forbath and Price were two of the three unanimous selections to the first team.

Redshirt freshman punter Jeff Locke and senior wide receiver Terrence Austin were selected to the second team, the latter as a kickoff returner. Four Bruins were named honorable mention - sophomore linebacker Akeem Ayers, senior linebacker Kyle Bosworth, sophomore wide receiver Nelson Rosario and freshman offensive tackle Xavier Su'a-Filo.

UCLA had more first-team defensive selections (four) than any other school in the conference.

You can read more from the official press release here.

Congrats to Brian, Reggie, ATV, Austin, and Bosworth. That's a wonderful way for them to leave Westwood after what they have given us last 3-4 years. We will have to wait to see what happens with Kai, as he might be testing the waters during the off season. Meanwhile, can't wait to see how Rahim, Akeem, Nelson, XSF, and Locke build on the success from this season.

For now though let's hope the Midshipmen comes though on Saturday so that we get to see these guys for one more time to close out the year. Go Navy. Oh and don't forget to congratulate our boys in this celebratory thread.

GO BRUINS.

Seven of 12 All-Pac-10 Beavers On First Team

AndyPanda — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:04:45 -0000

Twelve Oregon St. Beaver footballers received All Pac-10 honors, seven on the first team.

Four members of the Beavers' offense are on the first team, including Sean Canfield, quarterback, Jacquizz Rodgers, running back, James Rodgers, wide receiver, and Greg Peat, guard.

Joining the first team from the defense are Keaton Kristick, linebacker, and Stephen Paea, tackle. And Suaesi Tuimaunei was named the first team special teams player that is not a kicker or a return specialist.

The seven were more than any other team placed on the first team.

Placekicker Justin Kahut was named the second team kicker, behind All-American Kai Forbath of UCLA.

Center Alex Linnenkohl was one of four Beavers to receive honorable mention, as were three linebackers, including middle linebacker David Pa'aluhi, and outside linebackers Dwight Roberson and Keith Pankey. Roberson and Pankey are notable for this accomplishment, because neither were full time players, instead splitting time at the position.

The offensive player of the year was Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, while UCLA tackle Brian Price was named the Pat Tillman defensive player of the year.

First year coach Chip Kelly was named the Coach of the Year, after leading the Oregon Ducks to the Pac-10 title, and winning the conference by as much as two games for the first time since 1991.

The complete list is available on the Pac-10 site.

BN Gameday Roundup: Nothing To Lose For UCLA (As Pressure Is On Pom Pom)

Nestor — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:15:52 -0000

As I said yesterday this is going to be a long day to wait for the 7 pm (10 pm for many of us) kickoff tonight. I have the same feeling in my stomach right now I used to have back in the 80s and 90s. The feeling of anxiety and not knowing what to expect (which is very different from the mindset I used to find myself in during Toledo's later years and the entire Dorrell years even though conceding the game never entered my mind).

Heading into this year I didn't think we would have the opportunity to shift the paradigm in this rivalry in Neuheisel's second season in Westwood. Well here we are on this Saturday heading into this game with a sincere believe that not only can we pull out a victory, but we also have an opportunity to change the dynamic between these two programs.

The pressure is on Pom Pom tonight. There is no doubt about that as even outsides such as Bill Dwyre is noting the obvious (emphasis added):

UCLA's coach gets more of a pass for the current state of affairs because he's in only his second season, because he's rebuilding, because he can accurately point to signs of progress.

That luxury does not exist for USC's Pete Carroll, who has ruled the Pac-10 for seven of his nine years and who is both blessed and cursed by high expectations. You live by the swagger and die by the swagger, and Carroll is clearly the man on the hot seat Saturday, especially with two weeks to prepare for a Bruins team that doesn't appear to necessitate much preparation.

Doesn't get any simpler than that. If our guys cannot get it done tonight, the world will not end. However, if the Trojans choke in their home stadium against Neuheisel, the world will come crashing down on Pom Pom. It will be the final death knell on a 7 year run built on a string of blockbuster (alleged) cheating scandals.

As for our guys, concentration is the word of the day:

"This is a different chapter of UCLA football,'' Neuheisel said. "The knowledge that things are possible is definitely important. It's not superhuman to get things accomplished. It takes great concentration, and then going out and making it happen. Our guys, I think, will be ready for that kind of ballgame.''

That was from the AP writeup in which CRN channeled a little BruinsNation:

"It's a great tradition, and I think the colors are absolutely beautiful,'' said Neuheisel, a quarterback for the Bruins in the early 1980s. "When I grew up, the Ohio State-Michigan game was in the mornings and the USC-UCLA game was in the afternoons, and that was what you watched. The colors in the USC-UCLA game just jumped off the screen, and this was before HD. The combination was just magical, in my mind. I think Pete thinks so as well, and that's what we've got back to.''

Yeah, we made the OSU-Michigan and UCLA-Southern Cal double header reference two days ago on BN as well. Just another example of how our football coach knows collectively what we are all thinking and vibing heading into our football games. Some other quick game notes after the jump.

There is nothing earth shattering in the LA Times today. Chris Dufresne is calling the matchup too close to call:

USC offense vs. UCLA defense

Despite all that five-star talent, the Trojans rank No. 58 nationally in scoring offense at 27.5 points a game, and can expect stiff resistance against a UCLA defense giving up only 20 points a game.

UCLA offense vs. USC defense

Oregon and Stanford gashed USC's defense with relentless running games that put the Trojans on their heels. To win, UCLA needs to control the ground and then be ready to pass when the defense creeps up.

Special teams

The kicking advantage belongs to UCLA with Kai Forbath leading the nation in field goals and Jeff Locke ranking ninth (44 yards a kick) in punting.

Over at the Daily News, Jon Gold has a good quote on Logan Paulsen and ATV's frame of mind:

"In their minds, they're still way better, they're still more talented," senior cornerback Alterraun Verner said. "Our mentality is that we're still going to put up a fight. There's no change in mentality. They're still the Trojans and they beat us the last couple years."

UCLA can take solace in the fact this is a totally different USC lineup.

The Trojans had 11 players selected in March's NFL Draft, including five in the first two rounds, with quarterback Mark Sanchez going fifth overall to the New York Jets. This, after 10 Trojans went in 2008, with four first-rounders.

Still, despite losing so much talent and despite UCLA's rise, USC enters the game as a 13-point favorite.

"They're just younger this year," Bruins senior tight end Logan Paulsen said. "They play the same stuff, do the same thing, still have the same mentality. You can see the transfer. You just have to keep in mind you're not playing Rey Maualuga or Brian Cushing."

The players have changed but the jerseys won't.

Yes, I cannot wait to see the blue jerseys in the Mosoleum tonight.

As for our game day traditions here on BN, we will put up a pre game thread around 12:30 pm PST to take in other game actions. Our game thread will go up around 6:30 PST. Of course don't forget to get your pre game guesses in half an hour before kickoff. Enjoy your Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Relaxed Barkley Calls Bruin Defense "Beatable," Calls Preparation For UCLA Not "Too Tough Mentally"

Nestor — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:12:48 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

He is really relaxed folks.

Browse more photos »

Yesterday we found out Trojan safety Taylor Mays doesn't think all that much about the UCLA-U$C* football game. It's "not that big a deal" for him apparently as he cares more about the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State. Well today we are finding out Mays teammate Heisman Barkley is not all that worried about taking on the Bruin defense (emphasis added):

"They play a pretty base defense, which is not going to be hard to see," Barkley said. "They're just going to play hard and get after you.

"So it's not going to be too tough mentally. . . . They're secondary is very impressive but, again, they're beatable at times."

All he left out was mentioning how he envisioned the Trojan offense slicing right through Price, Carter and Ayers. Barkley is feeling confident and good about himself because he will have Damien Williams and Anthony McCoy back in the lineup:

It was difficult to tell who was happier Tuesday -- USC receiver Damian Williams or quarterback Matt Barkley.

Williams went from doubtful to probable for Saturday's game against UCLA at the Coliseum, doctors clearing the junior to play after he tested his injured right ankle in practice.

"I didn't do anything totally crazy, just try to see if I can cut and move and how fast I can run," said Williams, who did not play in the Trojans' 55-21 loss to Stanford. "Straight ahead, I'm fine. There's a little discomfort cutting but not too much."

The return of Williams, coupled with tight end Anthony McCoy's progression toward a return to full strength, would help Barkley and the Trojans offense immensely against a surging Bruins team that ranks first in the Pacific 10 Conference in scoring defense and turnover margin.

Well, no doubt the Trojan offense will have an upper hand IMO if Williams and McCoy are 100 percent. They can give them that balance to complement the threats posed by McKnight and Bradford. Given what we have seen from our defense since the Tennessee game, I am still weary about our front-7 going up against their running attack. Although Barkley's comments about UCLA playing a "pretty base defense" is a little funny given what we saw last weekend at the Rose Bowl. The kid has a point since we have been voicing frustrations about it the whole season, but it's kind of odd to make that statement so publicly as an opponent after UCLA is coming off couple of games in which they mixed it up a little. Whatever, I am sure our guys will take note of Mr. Barkley's relaxed mindset.

Speaking of our guys, CRN and Brian Price are not discounting Trojans despite their recent struggles:

Despite the recent struggles, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was quick to assert that the Trojans remain as physically talented as any team in the country.

"They aren't impostors wearing that uniform," he said. "We will have to play our best to stay close and hopefully get the game into the fourth quarter."

That's a big reason why Price, while willing to talk about how much USC annoys him, isn't willing to trash talk the Trojans as a program.

"They're still dangerous," he said. "We can't take them lightly because they lost a couple of games. They're not the same as they were a couple of years ago, but they are still 'SC."

They are still '$C* indeed. More on those clowns and other notes around this game after the jump.

Brian Price also noted what Taylor Mays apparently had to say during their bonfire in South Central:

"They had a bonfire I guess and he was saying that just because they lost a couple of games that they're still 'SC and we're still UCLA so they're going to beat us," Price said. "Something like that. Something disrespectful. I found it funny, but we're going to use it to our advantage."

Price then observed:

"You can't talk trash after getting dominated by Stanford and Oregon like that," he said.

LOL, and he also added:

"As the years go by, you grow to dislike them even more and more," he said. "They're so cocky and arrogant."

Man. I am going to miss the Big Bear. I don't know about but right now I am having a hard time sitting still till Saturday night to see the kind of emotion Price comes out with in (our home uniform) at the Mosoleum. You can sense the emotion that is already roiling up within him for this game.

As for this team-mates on the other side, the OL is looking to build on the performance from last weekend when they wore down the number 15 ranked defense in the country. Although the Bruins didn't rack up the explosive numbers from preview 9 quarters, they were grinding it out throughout the second half. It appeared Palcic's boys were softening up the ASU defensive front by pounding them away, and opening up holes for Chane the Train Moline. More importantly they were caught behind the line just 5 times. Not too shabby for the rebuilt OL that has been developing throughout this 09 season. From Jon Gold in the Daily News:

"Our defense allowed us to play more conservatively, and then our O-line did a great job protecting," Moline said. "At first there weren't too many holes, but the offensive line wore them down a little bit. As (senior fullback) Trevor Theriot said, it was old-style, power football."

If Tuesday's practice was any indication, it will continue to be.

Moline appears to be the Bruins' man of the moment this week as well after his first start following a three-carry, three-touchdown performance against Washington State in Week 10.

"Chane's been the man these past couple weeks," Maiava said. "His ability to read the holes and read the blocks is probably the best on our team.

"He's a senior and this means the most to him. Coach talks about keeping drives alive, and if we can keep just getting first downs all the way to a touchdown I'm OK with that."

While the conservative approached worked against ASU, especially after our defense gave us a cushion with 2 TDs, we can't count on that for Saturday. We will need lot more than Chane (as dependable as he can be) and CRN knows it:

UCLA used a safe-and-sane offensive approach in a 23-13 victory over Arizona State on Saturday. The Bruins had fullback Chane Moline at tailback and ground out yardage.

"That remains to be seen," Coach Rick Neuheisel said when asked if a similar game plan would work against USC. "I don't think we can do it wholesale. I think we have to mix things up. I just think we're going to need more explosive plays. That's going to require more than just having our 'bigs' on the field."

I am going to guess CRN and Chow will mix in substantial doses of JetSki, Franklin, Coleman and perhaps Thigpen from Saturday. I really hope this will be the weekend when the penalties will be minmized and all aspects of offensive execution will come together. If there is a game to make that happen this is it.

We have talked about defense and offense in this roundup. So, I will end with the special team which can potentially play a huge part this Sat. So far (except for kickoff coverage and returns) they have been solid:

An edge that UCLA appears to have over USC is on special teams.

The Bruins have the top field-goal kicker in the nation (Kai Forbath) and the nation's ninth-ranked punter (Jeff Locke).

They also excel in the ability to change momentum with blocked kicks.

The special teams, under coach Frank Gansz Jr., have blocked five kicks this season, three field goals and two punts, with two resulting in points. A blocked field goal by defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski was returned for a touchdown by Alterraun Verner against San Diego State. Linebacker Sean Westgate blocked a punt for a safety against Washington State.

"I love the man-on-man part of it," Westgate said about his punt blocking success. "You have to find a way to beat that guy any way you can. Then I get up and get to where the guy is kicking."

Well let's hope the Bruins can use the edge offered up Sean Westgate and rest of our special teams. Foster actually has a solid write up today on our kicking game featuring Fortbath, Locke, Reese (holder) and Younter (long snapper). Those guys have been money all season and we are going to need them in a huge way on Saturday, if it shapes up to be a classic nailbiting game.

I think the key will be for our team to keep it close early on. If we can slug it out in the trenches early on and turn this into a street fight at half time, we will have a shot. We need our defense to come out and attack the Trojans just like they went after it against Hardesty and Tennessee. They need to play out of their minds while on offense Prince and co. need to keep building on the confidence they have gained in recent weeks. Again, just gotta keep it close at half time and then look for the opportunity to pounce. We will have the mental edge as the pressure right now despite all the talk from South Central is all on Pom Pom.

GO BRUINS.

Moving Forward: Bruins Need One More Win (And Focus On Arizona State)

Nestor — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:36:07 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

about 1 month ago: UCLA tailback Derick Coleman (33) runs the ball as Washington State linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis, right, defends during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. UCLA won 43-7. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)

Browse more photos »

I know lot of us are dying to think about that last regular game of the season (especially after what transpired yesterday) but this is not the time for any of us to look ahead. It looks like we did have a good reason to feel slightly better after that fourth quarter against Oregon State, when we got the sense that it was time to rally around our Bruins. Well something is clearly working right now and it feels good.

Yes, last night's blowout win was only against lowly Washington State. We could have looked lot better than we did against Paul Wulff's demoralized bunch. Yet, I still think there is something little encouraging about that performance because it was one of those games we have seen UCLA football team either choke away or make it unnecessarily hard on themselves to win over the years. We now hope our team can keep it going by locking in on the next opponent which is capable of ruining senior day at the Rose Bowl.

Let's start with something CRN did to get his players in the right mindset to deal with the elements. From the LA Times:

Neuheisel's cold-weather preparation included holding Friday night's team meeting outside in a snow storm.

"I was amazed how many of our guys had never been in snow before," Neuheisel said. "It gave us the right mind-set."

Still, it was cold.

He also made his players get a little taste of snowball fights so that they could "get used to the weather":

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel had his players throw snowballs, while his kid threw touchdown passes.

UCLA players hardly seemed uptight heading into today’s game at Washington State. A snowstorm Friday night had a handful of Bruins outside throwing snowballs at each other for a half hour.

The frolicking was the result of Neuheisel’s instructions to go outside and get used to the weather.

Yeah, his son - Jerry Neuheisel - threw a 45-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-11 play with 31 seconds left to give Loyola a 41-37 victory over Crespi (which I guess was a good omen for the weekend). Anyway, going back to the game, what I liked about iur guys was how they looked confident. They weren't cocky as team leaders like Reggie Carter struck all the right notes before the game as he was gracious towards a struggling team. Our guys had the look of a locked in football team that knew exactly what was at stake and what they needed to hold on to the momentum Rahim Moore and co grabbed to end the Washington game on our home coming weekend. It is going to be a challenge for us to hold on to that momentum next weekend against a very good defensive team. However, if we can continue to build on the successes of last 9 quarters, this will truly turn out to be a Novermbet to remember.

As noted in the post game thread, Kevin Prince was the head line grabber. He had a great game by all accounts. Yet CRN (as he mentioned during half time) though Prince could have played even better:

"When you're enjoying this kind of success, it's almost like going down the cafeteria line and trying to grab everything," Neuheisel said. "You have to maintain your patience. I thought Kevin tried to make throws down the field instead of taking what they were giving him underneath."

Prince completed 27 of 40 passes, as Neuheisel, said, "I thought he did a nice job getting back to the scheme." Practice-like corrections made possible by the scout-team-like defense Washington State offered.

I thought we saw that in Prince during the second half, especially after the Cougars scored a TD. Prince drove the team down for our own TD drive during when he was methodically looking of his primary and secondary targets. He also did a great job during the two min drill to end the first half when he was finding Moline for little check downs:

Prince hit Moline four times on the ensuing drive for 35 yards, meticulously going through his reads until settling short, and the Bruins chopped their way down the field to set up a 38-yard field goal by junior kicker Kai Forbath.

"All week in practice we knew the check-downs were going to be a big factor in the game," said Moline, who finished with three carries for 25 yards and seven catches for 60 yards. "We check-released, we checked down from linebackers, and especially in that two-minute drive when I got all those catches, Prince was checking down the field and no one was there."

Moline had himself a great game which you can read more about here and here.

However, the fact that Moline was our most productive running back is a cause for concern. Derrick Coleman had a decent game yesterday rushing for 50 yards in 12 carries. Our entire team (thanks largely due to Prince's 68 yard rumble down the sidelines) rushed for 232 yards which is not too bad against a bad Washington State defense. However, Coleman to me appears more as a servicable full back than a feature tailback. He did a better job of falling forward yesterday though which is a positive but I think he will have tougher times against team with average or better defensive speed (like the one we are going to face next weekend at home).

JetSki's fumbling issue is a real problem now. Not sure what else the coaches can do. They have sent every message they possibly can. It's a matter of him playing with focus and concentration on every down. Milton Knox picked up some decent chunk of yardage during garbage time. Yet he looked unsure in the fact of Coguar blitzes and failed to hit the hole with authority on a key 3rd and 1 in third quarters. Thigpen has a lot of promise but he doesn't have the frame to be a every down back. Christian Ramirez is just too brittle and inconsistent to have a discernible impact. So, you can see why getting both Malcolm Jones and Jordon James were big deal for this year's recruiting class. It looks like we have a QB of the future slowly emerging in Chow's offense. We now need a back or two, who can costar with the Prince.

Our OL did a decent job of providing pass protection. However, there were moments of sloppiness that needs to be cleaned up. Darius Savage didn't look totally comfortable at RG stepping for Ryan Taylor. I thought our OL's overall run blocking performance was pretty mediocre against an atrocious defensive line. Also, our OL looked somewhat unprepared for WSU blitzes when it seemed like opposing LBers was getting to Prince untouched. Again, it's something we really have to work on this game week to prepare for a solid Arizona State defense.

Moving on to the other side Akeem and Brian Price were the two big stars in last night's defense. From Jon Gold in the Daily News here are Kyle Bosworth's comments on what BP did to the Cougars' offense:

"BP has always had his name out on the leaderboard, but with Akeem, it's really good to see him kind of shine today," Bosworth said. "Two picks is huge for anybody, and it's good to see him with those two sacks.

"I'm happier for him, but BP did great - I know he'll be in the league one of these days, and this is one of the games that's going to help him do that."

Price racked up three tackles for loss, which makes him Pacific-10 leader with 16.5 for the season. He also has 5 sacks to go along with those stats. There is not much I can add to make him sound more incredible than he already is. I cherish watching this kid play just like I enjoyed recent great Ben Ball warriors such as KL, RW, LRMAM, AA, and DC. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he can add to his legend on a week by week basis (because I won't blame him if he decides to jump provided he gets positive feedback from NFL draft whizes during the off season).

In addition to Price, Akeem had a great game as he benefited from a new look Bullough through at the Cougs:

For the first time this year, UCLA defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough lined up Ayers on the defensive line in a three-point stance, allowing Ayers to burst off the ball at the point of contact. He said both of his sacks were from the formation.

That is sure to catch the eye of those in the NFL, as well, as hybrid pass-rushers - those who can play both in coverage and on the line of scrimmage - have become in vogue in 3-4 defenses.

"It wasn't anything really new to me," said Ayers, who played his sophomore and junior seasons in high school at defensive end. "I'm used to being in a three-point and getting a pass rush. I definitely can see myself doing something like that - I'm athletic enough to stand up and drop into coverage, but I'm also able to rush the passer."

Hope Akeem can build on this weekend's performance to put together another consistent outing next against Arizona State.

While Akeem and BP had great games, I am getting worried about Reggie Carter's contribution to our defense. Reggie Carter is a great Bruin and solid leader for this football team. He is definitely the emotional heart and soul of our defense. However, the more I have watched him in recent weeks, the more its becoming clear to me that he is not the same Reggie we have seen over the years. It looks like his injury is really bothering him. He doesn't have the same ability to move around from MLB spot and he routined finds himself away from the action. Just look at the game tape from Tennessee and compare it what we saw yesterday. It's not even close.

Apparently Reggie is trying to will himself through these last few games of his Bruin career. The coaches tried to take him out during early in the fourth quarter but he wouldn't come out. So per the LA Times the coaches had to take a time out to get Reggie out of the game:

"That was the first time since I have been at UCLA that we have been ahead by so much that they were taking me out of the game," Carter said. "I told them, 'No, let me stay.' Then coach told me he didn't want me to get hurt. So I apologize, but I just wanted to enjoy the moment."

I think Reggie needs to rest up a bit. I think it could potentialy be worth it to use him as sparingly as possible next weekend against Arizona State and perhaps use Steve Sloan at the MLB spot, who did a servicable job last year when he took over for Christian Taylor. Guess, this is an issue we will have to defer to the coaches who have shown pretty good judgment wrt to injury issues this season (See the cautioun they showed with Aaron Hester).

Our punt return performance continues to be a concern. Terrence Austin had another fumble yesterday, which luckily for us went out bounce. He also had a fumble against Washington State during kick return the previous weekend. Terrence has to clean this up. He is running out of time in his last few games as a Bruin.

On the flip side, Sean Westgate came out with a huge punt block. It's not the first time he has made big plays a special teamer (remember the punt block he had against Tennessee last season at the Rose Bowl). I also liked the intensity Damien Thigpen showed during punt coverage even when we were up by a huge margin late in second half. Damien sprinted down the field during Locke punt and dove to down the ball at 2 yard line even when we were up by a score of 43-7. That kind of little details tells us something about the character of the team under its head coach.

Going back to big picture as good as we feel this Sunday, it is important that we don't get carried away. Tracy Pierson from Bruin Report Online had a solid breakdown of the game, in which he rightfully warns UCLA fans to not get too carried away. However, Tracy ended with the following encouraging notes (not behind a subscription firewall at the time of this post):

UCLA’s 556 total offensive yards were better than Arizona (471), Arizona State (410), and Stanford (481).

In fact, it was better than what USC did in the Coliseum against WSU (403), or even Oregon in Eugene (514).

UCLA’s defense held WSU to 180 yards, compared to the 185 yards WSU gained against Arizona, 206 against Notre Dame, 440 against Cal (what the heck?), 181 against Arizona State, 229 against USC, and 351 against Stanford.

Yeah, WSU was without its starting quarterback when it played UCLA, but Jeff Tuel didn’t even play in some of those other games.

So let’s overlook the actual play on the field and go with that. It’s so much more fun to look at it that way, huh?

Regardless if you’re the type who watched that game and came away satisfied (Blue), or came away thinking there wasn’t much you could take away from it and it didn’t give you great expectations for facing ASU and USC (Crank) – or a little bit of both (most of us) – it was good to see UCLA have an easy, blow-out win for the first time in a while. It clearly kept Prince and Co. in the same productive, offensive rhythm established in the OSU 4th quarter and against Washington last week, which is a good thing. It’s also good that the defense maintained its bottom-line successful M.O. – looking vulnerable but doing enough to put UCLA in a position to win.

In other words, at this late stage of this season the team under CRN's leadership continues to move forward. We now have 5 wins which on paper at least is clear step forward from last season. We now need our boys to take lock in and focus for another game week to get that much talked about 6th win next weekend at the Rose Bowl. That's all we should be thinking and talking about till next Saturday. If we can accomplish the objective of getting our 6th win, we will have our program in a pretty decent spot heading into last regular game of 2009 season. So, let's just all focus on Arizona State just like we have been taking it game by game since Oregon State.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA vs. Washington Report Card

Ryan Rosenblatt — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:14:43 -0000

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Kevin Craft sure didn't have this much room to throw last season. The offensive line played their best game in the CRN era.

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Let's be honest now. UCLA was far from flawless. While the effort, courage and heart that the Bruins displayed was admirable, you're not going to win many games with five giveaways. Two weeks ago, Arizona was kind enough to keep UCLA in the game before eventually winning. Today, it was UCLA who was kind enough to keep Washington in the game, but the Bruins did do enough to win and a team coming off of five straight losses isn't going to complain about the manner in which they get a W. Here are the grades for each unit, with A being exceptional, C being average and F last season's offensive line.

Quarterback

The Bruin quarterbacks were fantastic from the first toss of the game to the last. Kevin Prince put together a performance that justified all of the pre-season hype I was giving him as he put the ball in all of the right places, used his hot routes to perfection and even an audible. If he could just learn to slide, he'd be in great shape. With Prince on the bench due to injury, Kevin Craft got a shot and showed why he is a capable backup, making just about every throw. He wasn't perfect, but he was good enough and especially good when you consider the lack of snaps he's gotten of late. In his one series, Richard Brehaut proved that he still does have a ways to go. According to CRN in his post-game interview, Brehaut not only took a sack, but he also forgot to bring a guy in motion and was responsible for the illegal formation penalty when the Bruins were in the Wildcat and he did not get on the line. Overall, great day from the QB's, although the two interceptions were ill advised throws. Grade: A-

Running Back/Fullback

You have to hold onto the ball. Jonathan Franklin still hasn't figured that one out. Franklin has had a great freshman season, but fumbling the ball is the number one sin for a back and today was an example of that. Franklin made three great blitz pickups so he did some things right, but hanging onto the ball is number one. Derrick Coleman had a couple nice runs and while he still doesn't have the speed to break one, he picks up solid chunks of yards on just about every carry. Milton Knox was very good with the ball in his hands again, but that was mostly out of the Wildcat. When asked to work as a back in the base offense, he was hesitant, exhibiting why he's had issues getting on the field. Chane Moline is still an adequate blocker at best from the fullback spot, but he was tough running the ball. It was a sub-par performance overall, especially running the ball, but the blitz pickups were great all the way around. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

It sure is nice to have a go-to receiver and it looks like the Bruins have one in Nelson Rosario. When a guy is 6'5'' and you know that all you have to do is get it up high, it makes things a heck of a lot easier on the quarterback so it's no surprise that Rosario has become a go-to guy. He's showing the focus and confidence he lacked earlier in the year and his second consecutive 100+ yard game is a product of that. Some excellent route running doesn't hurt either and his second quarter deep in that made the DB fall because he was caught by surprise when Rosario cut in is a perfect example of it. Terrance Austin showed some dependability and he's reading defenses better than any of the receivers, becoming a real weapon against zone defenses. Embree had a solid game, while Ketchum made an appearance. Ryan Moya made a good catch and Logan Paulsen had a big 56 yard catch, but for how much longer is the senior going to lead the team in freshman mistakes? Grade: A-

Offensive Line

The unit of the game, bar none. The growth from last season and even the beginning of this season is startling. Last season against a win-less Washington team, the Bruins gave up three sacks. Today, it was just two sacks despite 50% more pass attempts. Kai Maiava was a stud, getting side to side quickly to give the quarterbacks plenty of room to step up, while both tackles, Xavier Sua-Filo and Mike Harris, showed great feet, especially against the blitz. The guards were solid on passing plays, but the lack of surge on running plays has to be a concern for Jeff Baca and Ryan Taylor. The unit gets an A for pass blocking, but they need to be better on the run. The pass was the key to today's win though. Grade: B+

Defensive Line

A poor performance from the defensive line was the low light of the game for UCLA. It's concerning that the front four can't pressure the quarterback on their own, even occasionally and while they've done well to bottle up dive plays, they're not moving well enough side to side to stuff the runs off tackle. A lack of discipline on misdirection plays is also concerning, although they do a good job maintaining their position on the pass rush so even if they did not hit Jake Locker very often, they did keep him from getting the edge too often. At some point, someone needs to make a big play, especially if teams continually double Brian Prince. Two sacks and over six yards a rush for UW points to the defensive line. Grade: D+

Linebackers

The linebackers are fast, but sometimes too fast for their own good, especially Akeem Ayers. Over-pursuit has been a problem for the UCLA linebackers all year and reared its ugly head again today. Luckily, Reggie Carter looked to be in better health than he was last week and he was able to make up for some of the over-pursuit. Carter did a fantastic job holding the point and keeping big holes from opening up in the second level. The run defense of the UCLA linebackers was adequate at best, but they were fantastic in pass defense. They dropped back quickly to get into their space, were very quick coming up to make tackles and got to Locker when they were actually asked to blitz. Their ability to come up and make tackles after dropping into coverage showed just how much speed they have and their tackling was sure. Grade: B

Defensive Backs

Rahim Moore just manages to be in the right place at the right time. Some may call it lucky, but at some point, with how frequently he does it, Moore needs to get credit for it. Moor has eight interceptions now after picking one off the seal the win for the Bruins and he was very active all game, playing centerfield and making tackles against the run when the front seven didn't get it done. Alterraun Verner is still having issues that nobody was expected, but he's still the surest of corners for the Bruins, even if Sheldon Price made a singular great play on Moore's interception. One player who went largely unnoticed was Andrew Abbott, who did a fantastic job at nickle back. The safety position opposite Moore continues to be a trouble though as neither Tony Dye nor Glenn Love was better than mediocre. Grade: B

Special Teams

Kai Forbath is still automatic and while Jeff Locke has not showed the booming leg he did earlier on in the year, he's still be good. Austin's fumble on the kick is a concern for a guy who had been holding onto the ball, while the other candidates for the job haven't. Austin did have one big return to make up for some of his fumble. Kick coverage is still awful on a good day. Grade: C-

Coaching

Norm Chow called a great game and to the surprise of many, didn't take the foot off the pedal when Prince went down. It proved to be very successful and landed the Bruins a win. CRN's decision to go with Brehaut is questionable at best and his vow to get the freshman some meaningful snaps almost cost the Bruins a win, but the sack that took UCLA out of field goal range did not come back to haunt the team. Chuck Bullough's defense is doing just enough, but not as much as it should. He did show some more creativity and aggressiveness at the end of the game and we can only hope that he's turned a corner. The personal fouls are traced back to discipline and the coaching staff. Grade: B-

Second Half Gets Serious

AndyPanda — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:08:36 -0000

In the second half, things got serious, though it was the fourth quarter before the shootout started. UCLA's Kai Forbath connected on a field goal on UCLA's first drive after the break, but Oregon St.'s Justin Kahut came up just short, due to a delay of game penalty. The Bruins' special teams kept a lot of green turf in front of the Beavers, and it was early in the fourth quarter of the quickest moving game of the season before Kahut connected again, giving Beaver fans a false sense of security with ten minutes left, and a 16 point lead.

Then came the UCLA highlight tape. Bruin quarteback found Nelson Rosario, who made a spectacular leaping one handed catch over James Dockery, and turned and romped for a 58 yard touchdown.

Prince promptly found Rosario again, and the two point conversion cut the lead in half.

After the Bruin defense forced the Beavers into a 1-2-3 punt, a penalty for having 12 players on the field on the Bruins' punt set up the tieing score. Oregon St. Coach Mike Riley attributed the second of the games' two key special teams penalties (the other came when a fake punt play didn't get underway before the play clock ran out), to having two different punt return personnel groups mistakenly on the field at the same time.

We committed one of the biggest sins in football, having too many men on the field when we had gotten the ball back (after a UCLA punt).

It took a little while, as Stephen Paea got one of four sacks of Prince, which equaled the total the Beavers had accumulated all season.

The penalty disparity, where Oregon St. was flagged 10 times, to only two on the Bruins, was partially due to Beaver mistakes, and its hard to make sinister assumptions, considering the crew chief was from Portland, and has both Rose Bowl and championship games on his resume, but perhaps the tieing score should have been more difficult.

It's easy to criticize Pac-10 officiating, but it appears there may possibly have been holding on the right side, which would have made for a longer touchdown throw to Taylor Embree, who out-jumped Tim Clark.

The Beavers still led by two points, but Prince found Jonah Franklin for the two point conversion, and it was game on!

It appears there may have been a block in the back that went undetected on the game tieing play.

Oregon St. quarterback Sean Canfield got the chance he didn't against USC though, and got the chance for a game winning drive, sparked by James Rodgers' 27 yard kickoff return.

Jacquizz Rodgers picked up 22 yards on a run,

...and Joe Halahuni had a 15 yard catch,

...setting up James Rodgers' sweep,

for the game winning touchdown that put Oregon St. up 26-19.

UCLA did drive again, putting themselves in scoring position, and the center of the secondary was targeted. This may have been an over-adjustment, considering the defensive breakdowns in some prior games, most notably at UNLV, were due to the center of the secondary being deep to guard against the big play, and opposition offenses repeatedly attacked underneath the coverage.

On the last three Bruin drives, there were several situations where the Beaver safeties were either missing, or so far up they were left with poor pursuit angles. Considering that UCLA, ranked 104th. in the nation in rushing, had not mounted a major rushing threat all day, gaining only 51 net yards, and that the only thing that could truly hurt Oregon St. were big plays deep, it was a puzzling defensive deployment.

However, the game ended with Prince unable to get the ball to his open primary receiver, due to pressure from the Beavers pass rush.

Despite a showery morning, the challenges from the Bruins, too many penalties, and the smallest crowd of the last two years (only 41,009 showed for a game they couldn't watch live on TV, much to the surprise and chagrin of Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis, who though he had all the makings for a sellout), it was still a pretty good day to be a Beaver. Que the Fight Song!

Time To Rally Behind Our Team

Nestor — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:38:02 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Bruins sticking behind their head coach and not quitting during toughest moments of long rebuilding period

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Earlier in the week the Daily Bruin attacked Rick Neuheisel in just 19 games into his tenure in Westwood in an article entitled "Neuheisel's Team Falling Apart." I found that kind of funny for a newspaper that was too busy licking Steve Lavin's boots, assaulting Karl Dorrell's critics, and patherically celebrating close loss to Southern Cal all those years. Well unlike those guys, here on BN we are not going to celebrate moral victories. That will never happen. However, one thing we know after another heartbreaking loss in the month of October (which is thankfully over) that our Bruins have not quit on Coach Rick Neuheisel and his entire staff. They made whoever wrote that piece for the Daily Bruin look as clueless as his previous predecessors making himself appear total tonedeaf when it comes to having pulse of the program.

The game was set up perfectly for a classic Bruin nightmarish explosion yesterday. I think many here and all over the greater Bruin Nation were bracing for the worst expecting the kind of humiliating defeats we had suffered in the hands of BYU last year, against Arizona in 2005, and against the Oregon State bunch earlier in the decade. The way the game was going early on when our offense was handcuffing itself with one frustrating mistakes after another, the chances were very good that the Bruins would fall apart. Instead of quitting on the coaches and on each other, not only didn't Bruins came back with a memorable charge, they almost had a chance to win the game in the last mins when senior leader ATV dropped a sure fire pick-6.

I felt sick to my stomach for ATV. If there is one Bruin who deserved that moment more than anyone else, it was him. I got even more upset after watching the defense then kind of fall apart to Roger brothers in that last Beaver drive but still this morning for some reason I am not as frustrated as I had been in last 5 weeks. This Sunday I am taking some form of comfort in the way our boys fought back yesterday. But I believe the only way the flicker of good feelings some of us might be experiencing this Sunday will be validated, is if our team can genuinely grab hold of this momentum by pouncing on the Washington Huskies next Saturday. Right now I cannot wait for the game this Saturday and it's a good feeling to have this deep into this college football season. I think it is time we rally behind our coaches, players and the entire program to help them any way we can to get them over the hump against Washington.

Yesterday's game was a mixed bag. There are some key issues that I find myself extremely frustrated with. On the other hand for the first time after watching that fourth quarter replay of our offense, I had that feeling of looking forward to the next offensive series. The last time I experienced anything close to that was the 2LIVEDrew's last season in Westwood when they carried them team on their backs. We will find out whether Kevin Prince, Nelson Rosario, Taylor Embree and rest of the UCLA offense can build on the clear momentum they gained in the cold and wet afternoon in Corvallis next weekend. I can't wait to find out and as I said above I like that feeling. More after the jump.

I will start with Kevin Prince. His team-mate Embree saw something yesterday:

"Kevin showed today that he is ready to be the guy," Embree said.

His head coach is now a little more hopeful:

"He calmed down and made some plays," Neuheisel said. "Hopefully, this was a precursor to more consistent play."

Prince finished having completed 22 of 34 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns, directing an offense that had scored only two touchdowns in the previous three games.

Richard Brehaut like both Kevins have done throughout this year put this team first and was excited about his team-mate's afternoon:

"Kevin did a great job," said Brehaut, a freshman. "He was doing everything he could to help this team win. That's the most important thing right now."

I really don't have anyhing to add in terms of Brehaut/Prince discussion. I think Brehaut possibly deserved another series in the first half. But Kevin got it done in the second half and I think sealed the deal in terms of having the starting job rest of this season. I just hope he can build on it and show the same confidence he did in those last two quarters. I am also not going to look back at this point and wonder what would have happened if Prince hadn't gotten hurt. That kind of looking just doesn't help.

Prince wasn't the only bright spot in offense yesterday. Nelson Rosario had the best game for a UCLA receiver in years. In face his game reminded me of J.J. Stokes' coming out party against Oregon in Eugene in 1992 (the game before "Barnes Burner") when he showed of his surreal athleticism as a college receiver. Again the key for Rosario right now is to build on yesterday afternoon and put together a complete performance next weekend when he is running aggressive routes and also executing the easy catches.

In addition to Prince and Rosario's performances, I was encouraged by the offensive play calling in general. I think the play calling at the outset of the game was interesting. Chow certainly was making an earnest effort to get the ball in the hand of our athletes. I loved that double reverse call with Randall Carroll (for 5 yard game). Wished we had seen more of that. I think if we didn't have problems holding on the ball in the first half (was it weather related?) the outcome might have been a little different. Then when Prince got in his grove Chow really opened it up. Loved the 4 WR sets and QB draws when the opposing defense was least expecting it. It was fun to watch.

Now I am still perturbed by Coach Chow's call on 3rd and goal early in the second half. He said during the post game that he made that call because of the coverage. I would definitely like to hear more on that point. And I'd like to know not because I dont' trust Chow but more because I'd actually like to learn about it. I was pretty upset with the decision not to go for either the first down or TD in that sequence. The more I have thought about it, the more I have come around to Roger's line of thinking:

I also wanted to add that I thought the decision to go for the field goal on 4th and 1 was definitely the right decision. With the way our offense has been struggling running the ball there was probably about a 40% chance they wouldn't have made the first down (and even making it wouldn't guarantee a subsequent touchdown). The chances of Kai Forbath making a field goal from there were about 98%. Most importantly it could have been disastrous to go for it and not make it by demoralizing the offense and maybe the whole team playing on the road. By taking the 3 points they put something on the board and established some momentum. And there was plenty of time left in the game. Playing to win doesn't necessarily mean going for it on fourth and short. Playing to win means playing the percentages in the smartest way.

Guess I think that's a fair explanation. Still have to say at the time it was extremely frustrating and in the back of my mind I was thinking what kind of message it would send to rest of our offense. Clearly it didn't hamper their fire given how they came back in the fourth.

As for other negatives on offense, it's tough to say this but our seniors haven't really shown leadership on the field. Paulsen once again disrupted drives by taking more penalties. Austin had the dropsies and he seems so snakebitten that even when busts lose for a big return TD, it gets called back by dumb penalties (although Austin can't be blamed for Sloan's bad play). Still it would be awesome to see one of our seniors step up and make a play. They just haven't and it perhaps tells us something about the level of talent recruited by the previous coaching regime.

Moving to the other side the defense choked in that last drive. There is no other way to describe. It certainly sounds like Chuck Bullough is facing intense scrutiny from the fanbase (at least all over online). Our defense is extremely frustrating to watch. They make their share of plays and I guess we have to give them some props for holding a fairly explosive Oregon State offense to 26 points. However, the bend don't break philosophy is not going to win us many games.

I think in today's world of Pac-10 football which features so many explosives offenses with multi-dimensional athletes we need a defensive philospophy that should be centered around making the trigger man (QB) uncomfortable. It's a broken record now. Every week we seemed to write and discuss how our defense needs to come out and exert serious pressure on the opposing QB to throw him off his rhythm and get him uncomfortable. We talked about how Bullough needed to mix in some blitzes (not after we fall behind) and get Canfield rattled early on. It didn't happen as we saw the defense once again sat in its base 4-3 scheme and played with a strategy of containing the other guys to FGs. It only works to a certain extent but it also faciliates the classic death by a thousan cuts that can demoralize the entire team.

At this point with just 4 games left in this season is Bullough even capable of shifting and adjusting his philosophy? I have no idea. What I am seeing though on a week to week basis is how the opposing team keeps burning our defense with the same plays. Last weekend it was Arizona screwing us with reverses, this weekend we once again looked hapless against the Rogers brothers. Even us novices pointed out the "wild beaver" formation earlier during game week, yet we looked thoroughly confused and lost when Oregon State scored their TD out of that play. No other words to describe except that it's just frustrating.

I am not sure what it is going to take but I would love to see the UCLA defense come out and play with the same aggression we haven't seen since Tennessee. I still remember how Courtney Viney was coming after Crompton in corner blitzes to destroy him in that last series. Feels like haven't seen any of that since those moments in Neyland stadium.

Anyway, as mentioned up top, despite the frustrations from yesterday I believe this team has a chance of really coming together this November. We all kind of felt it and sensed it in the fourt quarter. Now collectively we need to will our team to a victory this Saturday. Thank fully the players and coaches seem to be in the exact mindset. Here is Tony Dye:

"To be honest with you, there's no such thing as a moral victory to me," sophomore safety Tony Dye said. "The only stat that ever matters is the wins and the losses. We came out with another `L' today. It's heartbreaking to get so close."

Reggie Carter:

"I don't even know what the hell that is," UCLA senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. "That ... don't mean nothing. Ain't no such things as moral victories. There's victories and there's losses. We just took a loss."

And Rick Neuhiesel:

"We're not in the business of moral victories. But there were some positive signs."

Let's rally and will our team to real victory this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Will the Bruins Be Haunted, or Haunting?

AndyPanda — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:37:34 -0000

Halloween games don't come around that often, but when they do, things could get, well, spooky. Especially for UCLA, who walks into the Valley of Reser already the losers of four straight Pac-10 games. Orange and Black are the colors of the day, and the Beavers, of course, are already decked out accordingly.

And looking to make amends for last week, when things went bump in the night.

The opportunity to take a second consecutive win over the Trojans, and three of four, was there to be had, but USC made just enough Sportcenter highlights that a final drive that picked up a first down ran the clock out, leaving the Beaver offensive brain trust of offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, assistant Ryan Gunderson, and QB Sean Canfield on the phones on the sideline, planning the drive for the win.

If we got the ball one more time we would have scored. We were rolling on offense; we just kind of ran out of time.

The disappointing loss in Los Angeles was much more disappointing for the lost opportunity than it was for what went wrong, which wasn't much, considering the setting and opponent.

Canfield continued a run of solid efforts, completing 30 of 43 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns, and without an interception for the second straight week. Sean is completing over 68% of his throws, easily above the school record of 60.6 held by Matt Moore, and good for seventh best in the nation.

Jacquizz Rodgers had another 100+ yard game, and James Rodgers produced 194 combined offense of yards. Even more encouraging was the career best (so far) night TE Joe Halahuni had, nine catches for 127 yards.

This production, which generated 36 points, came as a shock to some, who were used to the USC defense that replaced eight NFL draftees, and still was allowing only 11.6 points per game, and had allowed one touchdown in the Coliseum.

Some still don't get it, but Pete does.

Following the OSU-USC game, at least one member of the LA area media questioned USC coach Pete Carroll as to why the Trojan defense had given up so many points.

Those guys are pretty good offensively.

Trojan Wide Receiver Damian Williams figured it out too.

We knew we had to keep scoring. They went down and scored like it was nothing.

Therein lies the best reason to expect a bounce back against the Bruins. Make no mistake, the Trojans defense is still stout, and did not suddenly fall apart. Oregon State's offensive production, despite the problems with three of the first half drives into the redzone that didn't produce touchdowns, should continue to take some of the heat off the Beaver's defense.

The Bruins, by contrast, are suffering the effects of no support by their offense. An offense ranked 109^th. in the nation in total yards.

The Bruins defense has twice held an opponent under 300 yards, and allowed 303 against Oregon, yet UCLA's last two losses have been 45-26 to Cal, and 27-13 in Arizona.

The Bruin offense ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in passing, at 187 yards per game, scoring only 20 points per game, and in total offense, averaging 296 yards per game.

A traditionally tough opponent comes to town.

Last season against UCLA, Oregon St. exploded after taking a 3-0 first half lead for a 34-6 victory in the Rose Bowl, despite starting quarterback Lyle Moevao sitting out the game after suffering the shoulder injury that continued to hamper him until recently. Sean Canfield, who was making his first start of the season, completed 16 of 22 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while ‘Quizz rushed for 144 yards on 31 carries for the Beavers.

The victory was the first ever over UCLA for OSU coach Mike Riley, who had been 0-5 against the Bruins as a head coach, after going 0-4 against the Bruins as the offensive coordinator for USC.

UCLA still has a 39-14-4 edge in the series, including 7-12-1 in Corvallis, including the last three contests, as the Beavers last beat the Bruins in Corvallis ten years ago.

Special Teams Need To Be Special

Prior to the USC trip, that wouldn't have been that much of a concern, and Justin Kahut did drill back to back 48 yard field goals. But then there was the missed field goal from extra point range, and the rare breakdown by the punt coverage team that allowed Damian Williams to make a 63 yard return for a touchdown. A play where, as Coach Mike Riley put it, "Guys ran down field behind each other. You don't do that!"

The miscues offset Jordan Poyer's brilliant 70 yard kickoff return, in just his second collegiate career runback.

But against UCLA, a outstanding performance may be needed just to break even.

UCLA's Kai Forbath, a multi-time Pac-10 special teams player of the week, who has made 19 of 21 field goal attempts, is the top kicker in the Pac-10, and Jeff Locke leads the conference in punting, with an average of 46.5 yards. Plus, Terrence Austin averages 27.0 yards on kickoff returns and 10.9 on punt returns.

Will the Bruins be "Haunted by Orange"?

When the Bruins come to town on Halloween, Beaver Nation should be out in force, with the crowd bolstered by Homecoming.

Starting with the parade at 9:30, and followed by the fall carnival and student showcase on Parker Plaza, plus the Homecoming barbeque and Beaver Nation tailgater at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, game day will have a three and a half hour build up to the unusual 1:00 PM kickoff.

Horizon Airlines will make a flyover of Reser Stadium with there OSU themed Bombardier CRJ-700 jet over Reser Stadium prior to kickoff. Two flyovers in different directions, similar to, but slower than what the F-18's did for Military Day against Cincinnati will take place, starting at approximately 12:52 PM, eight minutes before kickoff.

With television on a two and a half hour delay on Fox Sports, taking in the festivities live and in person is the only way to not be left behind, and could produce the first sell out of the season.

Halftime will feature a show based on the Halloween classic "Thriller" by the Oregon State University Marching Band.

Notable alumni planning to attend Saturday include Sammie Stroughter, now a kick returner and defensive back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Gary Payton, recently retired from the NBA, who led the Beavers to the postseason in each of his years at OSU.