SB Nation - Christian Ramirez

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

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

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)

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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.

Spaulding Roundup: Shakeup At RB Rotation, Prince Is Ready & Other Notes

Nestor — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:34:55 -0000

We have some news on the running back front. Looks like the coaches are sending some clear message re. fumble issues we have experienced in recent weeks. Per the LA Times this am, Derrick Coleman is going to get the start against Washington State:

Derrick Coleman, a 6-foot, 230-pound sophomore, will get his first start of the season when the Bruins play at Washington State.

UCLA has struggled with its running game in recent weeks, and the number of fumbles has become a concern.

That has brought the focus to Coleman, who had seven carries in five games before he gained 49 yards in 13 carries against Washington on Saturday.

"We need to see more yards after contact and we obviously need to see more security with the ball," running backs coach Wayne Moses said. "We just need some tough, hard-nosed, old-fashioned football."

Of Coleman, Moses said, "We want to see what he has got this week and we'll assess things from there."

The Bruins have run for only 200 yards the last three games combined.

I like this move for few reasons. First, I think it sends a clear message to the entire team that the coaches will held players accountable for their on field mistakes. Christian Ramirez had fumble issues against Arizona and he lost his spot in the rotation. Jet Ski has shown a lot of promise this season and he certainly seems to have the speed and athleticism to emerge as one of the better Bruin RB we have seen in recent years. However, he has to hold on to the ball and cannot afford to cost his team by loss of focus. So, this move will get his attention and it sounds like he is dealing with it in a very positive way:

"You have to have the discipline to hold onto the ball," Franklin said. "For my part, when I get in traffic, running down the field, I got to cover the tip and tuck that ball away."

I also like the move because I also enjoy watching Coleman's style of power running. He still needs to do a better job of picking up blitzes and he also needs to learn to fall forward when he gets hit. If you notice Coleman's running you will see he usually tends to fall backwards as soon as he gets hit (check the goal line plays in the Oregon game). I think those are issues he will address and get better at over the years. Going into Washington State game this weekend if he can gets us 4-5 yards per carry whenever he is called on, it will be a huge help for our offense. If we serve a steady dose of Coleman and mix in with JetSki, Knox and Thigpen, the running game will be fun to watch. More after the jump.

While Coleman is getting to set start, his back field team-mate Prince has been cleared for Saturday:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince was cleared for Washington State after suffering a concussion in the second quarter of last Saturday's victory.

Prince was injured while scrambling for an 8-yard gain as he dived head-first toward the ground and collided helmets with Washington linebacker Donald Butler. Against Tennessee in Week 2, Prince broke his jaw on another hit while going to the turf helmet first.

UCLA now is expected to reintroduce the Slip 'n Slide at practice today, a tactic Prince utilized in preseason camp.

"Hopefully, they bring out the Slip 'n Slide, that'll be fun for everybody," he said. "I'm sure coach will want me to practice it. I'll pretty much tell you right now I'll be sliding on Saturday."

Sure hope so Kevin. The entire BN is going to get anxious every time he takes off for a run. He clearly has the mobility to pick up extra yards but there is just need to go all Cade McNown and slam right into opposing LBs. Running out of bounce or sliding will be just fine (for now).

From the Washington State side there is a good story on Jared Karstetter, a sophomore wide receiver who is having a great individual season despite his team going through an extremely tough rebuilding season:

[C]urrently, WSU ranks ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference with 195.3 yards passing per game (Oregon is 10th at 184.2), and the Cougars have thrown more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (10).

All of which makes Jared Karstetter’s season that much more remarkable. Karstetter, a sophomore wide receiver from Spokane’s Ferris High School, is tied with Oregon State star James Rodgers for the Pac-10 lead with six touchdown catches.

Half of Karstetter’s touchdown grabs accounted for all three Cougar touchdowns the past two games. In the waning minutes of Saturday’s 48-7 loss at Arizona, the Cougars avoided their first shutout of the year when Karstetter got half a step on cornerback Mike Turner at midfield, plucked a long Marshall Lobberstael pass with his right hand, tucked it away and zoomed off for a 64-yard touchdown.

"Great catch," WSU coach Paul Wulff said. "A really great catch. He’s doing a good job."

Karstetter leads the Cougars (1-8, 0-6 Pac-10) with 420 receiving yards. True freshman Gino Simone is the team leader in receptions with 30, but Karstetter is second with 27.

"He’s definitely a playmaker," Lobbestael said.

I am assuming ATV, Price, Moore and co. have been preparing for Karstetter and Simone. Hopefully they are not going to give him 7-8 yard cushion so that they can get carved up by the second worst passing offense in the conference.

That brings to my closing note for this am. Yesterday we talked about how our offense can't afford to make any mistakes on the road. Glad the coaches are addressing the fumble issue by sending a clear message to our RBs. Now we will also need the defense to set the tone. Seems like we have been writing that line every game week over last two months only to lament how the defense waited for a while to adjust and react to the opposing team. Bullough is not going to get a better opportunity to get his defense back in to swing of things and get back in the groove it found itself in against Tennessee. Let's hope he can take advantage of that opportunity this Saturday setting up for a solid end to 09-10 season.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: QB/RB Rotation & Thoughts On Balancing Perspective During These Rebuilding Years Of UCLA Football

Nestor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:58:14 -0000

Let's start with the quarterback story again in today's roundup. Rick Neuheisel wants Richard Brehaut to get meaningful snaps this weekend in Oregon. It looks like he doesn't want to put him in situations when the outcome is already decided. It sounds like he wants to put Brehaut in situations during which there will be opportunities to grab the momentum via offense. From the Daily News (emphasis added):

"Richard Brehaut deserves some meaningful time, not just at the end of ball games, to show what he can do," Neuheisel said. "Earlier, I said I'd hoped, or I'd like to be able to. Now I'm making sure it's going to happen. I'm going ahead and saying it this time." [...]

"Norm and I have discussed it," Neuheisel said. "He's in those meetings with those kids. He believes (Prince) is the best bet for us as it stands currently. I don't disagree. He wasn't sharp Saturday. I wish he were, but he wasn't. I made a switch. But it doesn't mean I can't go back to him and have confidence in him. I want the young quarterbacks to play without fear of a quick hook. But they also have to play and play well.

"We've got two young quarterbacks and we'd like to see them both develop; I just think it's time Richard gets some chances."

Cannot agree more with CRN on this. Look I get that QB is not our only problem. I get that our wide receivers are not making plays. We are not getting senior leadership from certain guys on our offense. Our offensive line is still developing as it was completely rebuilt from the disaster left behind by Karl Dorrell. However, to me it still starts with our quarterback. Forget winning the game at this points. We need our QB to at least manage the game and take advantage of opportunities when the present themselves.

We just haven't gotten that from Prince or Craft. Prince had a great first half against San Diego State. Then he fizzled out in the second half. He didn't throw interceptions against Tennessee but he didn't exactly light the place up. He showed some signs of life against Cal but was beyond awful against Oregon and this past weekend against Arizona. I think he has the tools to emerge as a good QB. However, at the same time I think Richard Brehaut deserves fair shots to prove himself during in game opportunities as well (not just in situations when the games are already decided or UCLA is looking to make desperate come backs).

I really hope CRN and Chow have special packages in place for Brehaut which he can run coming into either second or third quarter that would fit his athletic abilities. Not sure if its going to help the kid if we ask him to take 5 step drops in slow developing plays when the defense is already teeing off him with blitz after blitz . Anyway, it will be interesting to find out how the rotation is going to work this weekend (even though we are not going to get to see it). More after the jump.

Speaking of rotation looks like Ramirez is going to be out of it:

Christian Ramirez, who was No. 1 on the depth chart at tailback coming out of training camp, has been told he's no longer in the playing rotation.

Ramirez said he received the news Monday during a meeting with running backs coach Wayne Moses.

"We're just trying to find the right combination," Neuheisel said.

Ramirez started against Arizona because Johnathan Franklin missed a team meeting. But after he fumbled early in the third quarter, Ramirez never played again.

Neuheisel said that on the play Ramirez fumbled he was "dinged up, and may have a concussion."

Hope Christian gets to be 100 percent sometime soon. Frankly, I was really surprised to see Ramirez start this past weekend. It didn't make any sense to me given how productive JetSki has been this season. Moreover, where is Derrick Coleman? The kid is our second leading rusher averaging around 5.5 yards per carry. Where the heck is Milton Knox? Why haven't we seen them in our last couple of games? Our RB rotation has been very befuddling without making any kind of sense. Not just that our running plays have also not shown any kind of imagination in terms of offensive scheming.

Seems like we just keep running the same off tackle plays without taking into account who is at TB. I don't get why we have 5-8, 170lb Damien Thigpen running between the tackle when he comes in. As I mentioned yesterday with Knox, Thigpen and JetSki, it seems like we have the RBs who can get outside and take advantage of their speed. So I don't understand why we are not working up plays that would put them in a position to dart through in open spaces. Meanwhile, on the other side it'd be good to see Coleman in situations when we need to pound the ball and wear out the other team.

Anyway, those are some thoughts that have been going through my head. Honestly I know we are all frustrated and that is natural given a 4 game losing streak. However, like many year I am not close to giving up. Also, I think people here to need to brace for tougher times because I don't expect this weekend to be pleasant either. Plus we have talked about how gruesome the schedule is for next season. Still while we are going to stick with the team and be supportive of our players and coaches, that doesn't preclude us from questioning decisions not making a lot of sense or wonder out loud for explanations.

I get the difficult job of rebuilding CRN and his staff inherited. I mentioned on Sunday that we will not go easy on him in terms forgetting the mild expectations we had set for this season and the reality based expectations for next year. That said we will definitely take into account the improvement he has already made in several aspects of our program. Its clear to me that our OL is getting better and we have better talent among our younger guys. We will be patient and allow our coaches to grow this younger guys while at the same time we are going to wonder about any moves that might seem illogical.

Guess that's part of the drama that is college sports. We are all part of it and I actually think it's fun in some ways to talk all of our issues out in such detail. Speaking of which, I think you guys should take up on the offer from ryebreadaz and ucla13_usc9 to join them in this week's podcast. Specifically those of you who might not agree with their takes from recent weeks (cough***QB decison***cough) might want to call in and make your case on why you disagree with them. :-) As mentioned above, it's all part of the fun and the balancing act that will take place here on BN during these tough rebuilding years of UCLA football.

GO BRUINS.

Roll On: How California Can Beat UCLA

Avinash — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:30:25 -0000

via sportige.com

Cal fans are sure eager to watch a January game in this House of Horrors.

Playing the Bruins has never been easy for Jeff Tedford. In our home victories, the Bears can never comfortably put UCLA away until late in the 2nd half. And when we go to LA, all sorts of foul bad luck bedevils us, things that belie strategy, planning, and even execution.

So I write up this preview with total certainty that about 95% of what I write will be invalidated by a few fluky plays or some utter nonsense that'll end with one team's fanbase churning. Beating the Bruins has never been easy, and based on what I've seen of both teams this season, I don't see that changing that much

UCLA Pass Offense versus Cal Pass Defense

Kevin Prince isn't under a huge a microscope as Kevin Riley. But, as we saw from the stats, I'd say they have a similar problem: Accuracy. In terms of physical ability though, their issues differ.

via www.latimes.com (Image from Robert Gauthier)

Riley has a fairly strong arm that can take the ball to most places around the field, but he's scatter-shot. The ball he throws can reach anywhere on the field, but as of late has sailed wide, high, or long of its intended target.

Prince, by contrast, doesn't have a particularly strong arm yet. Oh, there are times he can put it up for a receiver (including that play action fake to Randall Carroll that the frosh dropped), but those moments are few and far between. When asked to throw anything that isn't a three step drop, he's erratic, and his throws often end up nowhere. With slants, screens, dumpoff options, and anything short range he's excellent though, which makes him the closest thing to the reverse of Riley.

In other words, he can do exactly what Oregon did to destroy Cal--throw the short pass and break down the zone defense. That's always a worrisome sign. Hopefully Gregory will be a little bit more aggressive (he showed signs against USC) with an offense that just doesn't have the wheels, and let his secondary get a chance to make plays and shut down UCLA's passing.

If Prince can get into his five step drop and find his receivers for 15-20 yard gains like Barkley though, then I'll start popping out the scotch and drink drink drink.

UCLA Run Offense versus Cal Run Defense

via cjonline.com (Image from AP)

Although the Bruin run game has not lit it up, they shouldn't be underestimated. Jonathan Franklin is very capable of hitting the holes, has a good command of what to do behind his offensive line and hit the holes. He's lacks the breakaway speed and only has limited cutback ability, and he struggles rushing to the outside. But he's strong, and he grinds yards, and that's what exactly you want from a guy with a youthful O-line that can't execute all its blocks.

UCLA does have a platoon of running backs: Damien Thigpen, Christian Ramirez, Chane Moline, Derrick Coleman. They all saw action in the Furd and Oregon games, and you'd expect a healthy mix of at least several of these guys trying to spell Franklin with some quality carries.

This is a battle Cal must win. Although they settled down after the McKnight TD run, they've still got a lot of improving to do. This is a young, inexperienced offensive line and Cal's defensive linemen need to punish them like Muhammed Ali on Ernie Terrell. Make sure that Bruins offense knows your name when you're done, Tyson.

UCLA Playcalling

Norm Chow's playcalling reflects that: He hasn't really taken many risks with Prince back there. His team practices a very conservative, some might say stodgy form of offense on the field, where they generally run the ball on 1st down, run the ball backed up in their own end zone, run the ball in the red zone. Between the margins Chow lets the Bruins pass a little bit more since there's less risk of a disastrous error.

via cdn2.sbnation.com

via cdn0.sbnation.com

(Image from jtthirtyfour's excellent post about playcalling)

It's funny that people criticize Tedford and Ludwig's playcalling when Chow is probably the standard bearer of conventional. And he's supposed to be the offensive master.

A few little tidbits I saw from Chow's offense

The Bruins ran a wildcat formation once and handed off for a modest gain. They also did it against the Furd with Ramirez.
The Bruins ran some formations out of the Pistol (mostly running), and used plenty of pre-snap motion.
Chow likes bringing his running backs out of the backfield as a dumpoff option, similar to how he used Reggie Bush in 2004. He used the fullback on one 3rd and short and occasional screens to the running back in both the Furd and Oregon games.
There was a lot of max protect schemes that put more guys in coverage, sometimes having them slip off to be the dump option for Prince. Chow seems concerned about making sure the Bruins don't give up sacks and make things manageable for his quarterback, so he doesn't get pressed into making serious mistakes.
Chow still exploits mismatches, although most of the time it's just making sure Prince throws to the guy that's less likely to be covered. In essence, the mismatch Chow tries to find is receiver guarded by no one.
In general, you see few risks from Chow, since it's clear he doesn't (and probably shouldn't at this point) trust Prince to throw to the flats. He wants safe spots for Prince to pick up safe yards. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't.
The one time Prince tried a lazy throw to the outside against Oregon, pick-sixed, game essentially over. I'd be very surprised if Prince threw anything to the outside that wasn't a screen or didn't involve a receiver getting huge coverage space. Will Bob Gregory concede that space?

Cal Offense vs UCLA Defense

The UCLA front seven is only a step down from USC's. Now, USC's current front seven isn't as great as their 2008 incarnation, but they're pretty good. However, not even the Trojans have a gamechanging tackle like the monstrous Brian Price, who can alone disrupt what an offensive line wants to do. Good luck to Summers-Gavin and Cheadle, who will likely draw this monstrous assignment.

Watching a few series on the Furd-UCLA game, this Bruins D-line can be dominated for periods.

However, tell me if this sounds familiar. UCLA set up to stop the opponent's stud running back, dared the Furd to throw deep and burn them. The Cardinal utilized the power run scheme with Gerhart, but also (most importantly) were able to connect on deep throws to their receivers (interesting note: Harbaugh seemed to watch last year's Cal-UCLA game too, using the flea-flicker to draw the Bruins deep and complete a big throw that set up the third Cardinal score).

Cal's passing game hasn't been able to step up when the run game fell apart. We should expect the Bruins to do exactly the same. No defense in the Pac-10 is going to respect Riley until he shows he's worthy of it.

What gives you hope? The list of quarterbacks UCLA has shut down: Nate Costa, Jonathan Crompton, Carson Coffman. The one quarterback they haven't shut down was Andrew Luck, and he's far from a finished product. Unfortunately, at this point I have no idea which category Riley lies in--at this point it's a tossup, but he does have the potential to play like Luck. He hasn't shown it in conference play though.

Although Bear-killer Alterraun Verner is still back here, the rest of the UCLA secondary is young, so hopefully Cal's receivers can take advantage of that. Play-action roll-outs (which Luck did well on a few occasions) could be just the trick for Riley, as long as his receivers can evade man coverage. Having Boateng back could be critical to break down the open areas UCLA's coverage schemes provide (usually 8-10 yards down the flats or 5-10 yds around the hashmarks). Also, look for Anthony Miller, Vereen and Best to be featured in the passing attack if Riley and his receivers continue their connection issues.

Cal run game versus UCLA run defense

As for Cal's offensive line against UCLA's front seven, the pass protection should hopefully be alright. The Bears were much improved against USC (giving up three sacks is pretty good, although they're still vulnerable off the edge), so you have to figure the line will play better, especially with Summers-Gavin coming back burning for redemption after Oregon. UCLA is good but not great in pass rush, although we did say the same things about Oregon.

The Furd ran a lot of power run by pulling a guard, but also some sweep plays where they pushed Gerhart toward the outside and had the O-line run with him. Cal's O-line is much heavier though and really can't provide that mobility, and Best is the furthest thing from Gerhart. So that's probably not the best equivalent, although we might see some power blocks here and there.

The better model for us is probably Oregon. Oregon's zone blocking had pretty good success racking up 200 yards, and this was with Nate Costa fairly shut down. The Bruins have had a lot of trouble defending outside runs, especially if they're able to seal off Price. It would be interesting to see of the Bears try pulling their guards a little more to force Price out into the open and away from the action, since you figure the Bruins would commit more men to the side of the line where Price is not.

If Cal's O-line can replicate the successes of zone blocking with Oregon (LaMichael James ate UCLA up, and he's probably the closest equivalent to Best in the conference), and get some success in the air, it might be all the Bears need from their offense to hold on.

For those who are confused with everything I just said, Bruins Nation broke down Cal's running game pretty well, including a nice look at how we utilized the Wildcat last week.

Cal has shown a direct snap look as well as a Wildcat in their last game against USC (the two aren't the same). The direct snap plays they showed against Oregon and USC mainly involved snapping the ball to Jahvid Best and letting him run - nothing fancy. It worked once against the Ducks because someone missed a tackle. They also tried to get fancy and run a sort of counter-type play out of the direct snap, but they didn't get anywhere with it. The TV announcers were talking about this being their "Wildcat", but I don't agree - it's just a direct snap to your great athlete and letting him work.

As far as the "true" Wildcat, Cal's version isn't full-grown yet. Not sure if they just installed it for USC week, but they didn't really seem to be all that comfortable with it, and just used it on a few drives late in the game. For those of you who didn't get to see the original Wildcat as run by Darren McFadden and the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Wildcat is three main things:

Unbalanced line - providing a different look to align against, tilted towards the speed sweep side

Fly motion across the formation - immediate threat to the outside

An athlete to receive the snap - this is the most obvious trait and the one that gets pointed to first

Series-based football of plays that complement each other

It'd be fun to see the Wildcat this week, although I'd prefer we use it when we're ahead rather than behind, just to give the defense we're facing something to think of.

If Cal can put up 20+ points on the board, I'll be very pleased, since I'm not sure if the Bruins offense is capable of three touchdowns. If they can get to 30+, I'll be ecstatic--a performance like that will show us that the Bears offense is back on track

So I felt alright after reviewing both offense and defense. Looks like it'll be closely contested, but these are usually ones the better teams win, especially since our offense, despite its ineptitude, is better than UCLA's offense. Their defense might be better than ours, but someone's got to put the points up on the board, and it's likelier a better offense will ultimately prevail against a better defense.

Unfortunately, I neglected one little part of this game.

Cal Special Teams vs UCLA Special Teams

Percentage of field goals made? UCLA 9th, Cal 111th.
Punting? UCLA 6th, Cal 69th.
Punt returns? UCLA 44th, Cal 88th.
Kickoffs? UCLA 10th, Cal 99th.
Kick returns? UCLA 35th, Cal 44th.
Punt return coverage? UCLA 21st, Cal 110th.
Kick return coverage? Cal 32nd, UCLA 118th.

5 special teams advantages for the Bruins in what figures to be a low-scoring, defensive battle. Why shouldn't we be worried?

via brokentoys.org

Spaulding Roundup: More California Game Notes

Nestor — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:50:43 -0000

Let's get back to football and talk a little bit more about the game this Saturday. If you haven't done it yet make sure to listen to ryebreadraz and ucla13_usc9 talking about Bears-Bruins match up with Ragnarok from California Golden Blogs. The nugget I found most interesting was the discussion about the special teams. Now special teams have been a huge topic of discussion (or shall I say consternation) here on BN. I didn't know that it was such an issue for the Bears as well. Ragnarok pointed to a post from Jon Wilner that at least on surface points to a UCLA advantage for UCLA specials teams (don't LOL) on Saturday. I thought the numbers on punt and kick returns were especially surprising:

Punt returns

UCLA’s Terrence Austin averages 10.5 yards per return with a long of 45.
Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson averages 5.6 ypr with a long of 12.

Kick returns

Austin averages 24.8 ypr.
Cal’s Shane Vereen averages 25.6 ypr.

Coverage units

It’s about even on kicks, although UCLA has 10 touchbacks and Cal has one.

UCLA has a huge edge in net punting, with a 41.3 average (first place) vs. Cal’s 33.9 net (last place). The Bears have also allowed one touchdown, the 66-yarder by USC’s Damian Williams.

Advantage

UCLA, by a substantial margin.

Again, I am not sure if we can get too comfortable looking at those numbers. In fact looking at those numbers it worries me even more for what could happen this Saturday. If anything it seems like now it's a done deal that Syd'Quan Thompson or Shane Vareen will take one to the House against us. Austin is a good kid but to me Vereen and Thompson are way more explosive than TA.

We saw last weekend how falling asleep in one play can change the dynamic of an entire game. They can't just depend on booming kicks from Locke ( leads the conference with a 46.3 net.) every time out. I hope our specials took that lesson to heart and are working extra hard this game week because they will need to focus as hard during punt and kickoff coverages as they did against Stanford's Chris Owusu in Palo Alto when they were able to bottle up Palo Alto. More on the game and other team notes after the jump.

The guys over at California Golden Blogs have the notes up on UCLA and I think they are pretty much on the mark. I have been saying all week Saturday is going to be about how UCLA offense performs against Cal's defense. Avinash's thoughts on the "biggest battle" on Saturday:

Not only is their starting tailback a frosh, but their starting o-line is very young. 1 frosh, 3 sophomores on the offensive line, Even more interestingly, their left tackle is a true frosh (although Su'a-Filo might be their best guy on the line). So they're going to struggle generating offense as they get their reps in and they make those mistakes.

It's why the biggest battle will be UCLA's offensive line playing Cal's defensive line. The Bears D-line has played well the last two weeks, but got overshadowed by the other deficiencies and strong O-line play by Oregon and Southern Cal ~~UCLA~~. They'll certainly want to make their mark, and Alualu might have his most favorable matchup of the season playing either Harris or Su'a-Filo. The Bruins have to hold their ground to make sure Kevin Prince is comfortable in the pocket and execute their blocks to get UCLA's running backs to that second level against our weaker linebackers.

Not only are we working in freshman and sophomores, two of our offensive line starters are also transfers. I actually think our guys have done an average job (which is substantial improvement from the miserable state of things last season) of giving our QBs time and opening up running lanes. They just need to do be working on becoming more consistent. They are aware of what they need to do:

Sophomore center Kai Maiava said he takes personal responsibility for the team's inability to punch it in from inside the 2-yard line on four consecutive plays against the Ducks.

"Shoot ... Oregon did a good job plugging up the holes," Maiava said. "We just couldn't execute it. We never really practiced that play. But either way, we should've punched it in. I take most of the responsibility on that. We should have wedged it in and gotten that seven."

The key question will be whether our guys (Prince or Brehaut) will be able to get in a rhtyhm early on. There was no doubt Prince was rusty early on against Oregon. He did get back into it somewhat in second quarter (IIRC at point he had completed something like 8 passes in a row) but he went back into a funk during that Duck explosion early in the 3rd. I think it will be imperative for Chow to call a game on Saturday that will put Prince in a comfortable spot and facilliate his game management decisions. Perhaps having Christian Ramirez this weekend will help:

"He's (Christian Ramirez) looking like he's healthy and he's starting to work his way back into the mix a little bit," UCLA running backs coach Wayne Moses said. "When you're away that long, it takes a little time to get your timing and rhythm back. It looks like he's starting to get into the flow."

Ramirez presents a completely different option than the team's more diminutive backs. At 6-foot-2, Ramirez is the biggest Bruin back, with two inches on Coleman, four inches on Franklin and six inches on Knox and Thigpen.

His size gives him a built-in advantage in pass protection and in the receiving game, though he was admittedly shaky with his blocking against Oregon.

"I need to try to use the combination that I have - the size and speed. And I pride myself on catching the ball, being a receiving back. I can split out and turn it into a five-wide easily. I still need to get some more experience in (protection). I felt a little rocky out there Saturday. I'm coming. I need to get back into the groove, and try to establish myself again."

I wonder if we will see Ramirez in goal line situations this Saturday. As for the Jet Ski sounds like it's a day to day deal with him at this point. From the LA Times:

Franklin, who gives the Bruins speed in the backfield, was unable to get in a full workout.

It leaves coaches pondering other options.

"We'll find out on Saturday," Franklin said about whether he would play.

Asked what was difficult about running on the ankle, Franklin said, "No comment on that." Asked if it still hurt, Franklin said, "No comment on that."

For some reason I am not as worried about this as I should be. I am thinking in a situation like this is perfect for backs like Ramirez and Knox to pounce all over and take advantage of the opportunity. At least I hope that's the case and they get the chance to do it. We will see.

Speaking of personnel decisions it looks like Hester is not going to be available for this week. The earlier he might be available is for the Arizona game on October 24. But CRN might decide to work him in cautiously and wait till October 31 when the Bruins take on Oregon State (See the OC Register report). Meanwhile, Sheldon Price is scheduled to start against California this Sat:

The UCLA depth chart listed Price and sophomore Courtney Viney as possible starters this week, but Bullough said Price would keep the job.

"I think he's growing up more and more every game," Bullough said. "He's a very gifted player and hasn't had as many mental mistakes as you would expect as a freshman."

Honestly, I don't get this decision. No doubt Sheldon is giving eveyrthing he can but to me it seems like Viney brings a more noticable physical presence in the way he covers and tackles (despiting giving up size). At least that's what I remember from the effort he gave against pretty athletic Tennessee receivers at Neyland stadium. Anyway, we will see how it goes on Saturday.

Lastly, let's end with a note with a quick look into the mindset of the Bears. They are desperate for a win and per Jonathan Okanes of the MercuryNews.com, apparently Tedford has been tyring out some "new practice rituals" to fire up the Bears for this Saturday (and rest of the season):

Tedford also introduced some new practice rituals in an attempt to work on intangibles. The team began and ended practice by assembling in a big huddle, and jumping up and down and hooting and hollering, as though they were about to take the field for a game.

"That's the swagger that we have all day, every day," Kendricks said. "That was fun. That's what they're trying to install in us. You have to have fun while you're doing this. We always have a sense of urgency and we always want to win, but I feel like having fun while we're out there playing is just going to help us play better."

"A lot of people had high hopes for us. The season isn't over," Cal safety Marcus Ezeff said. "The season is brand new now. That's how we're looking at it. "

I hope it all works out for them ... starting on October 24th.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: What's At Stake For Tedford, Focus On Best & Other Football Notes

Nestor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:02:36 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

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Lets expand a bit more on the sense of urgency Bears are feeling heading into Saturday. Jon Wilner from the San Jose Mercury News writes on whats at stake for Tedford's program:

They don't need to dominate UCLA. They don't even need to look good. But they must win — doesn't matter if it's 49-48 or 4-3.

Given the manageable schedule ahead, a victory would have the added benefit of putting Cal (3-2, 0-2) back on track for an upper-level finish in the Pacific-10 Conference. You could make a pretty good case for the Bears reeling off three or four victories in a row if they win Saturday.

But just as victory could propel Cal to a first-rate season, defeat — especially a resounding, lifeless defeat — surely would accelerate its demise and raise legitimate questions about Tedford's future:

Has he taken the program as far as he can? If he was the perfect coach to raise Cal from the ashes, is he the wrong coach to lead it to the conference title?

In that sense, Saturday's game could close the Tedford circle.

It comes five years and one week after the performance that made his career — a 23-17 loss in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to a USC team that stands as one of the greatest in Pac-10 history. Coming within a few yards of toppling the Matt Leinart- and Reggie Bush-led Trojans cemented the Bears' ascendancy under Tedford.

Now they're headed back to Los Angeles, trajectory unknown. Can they continue the climb? Have they, as many believe, stagnated? Or are they headed for another free-fall?

Hmm. I will defer to the Bear fans or the people who follow that program closely on marking which "performance" "made" Tedford's career. I've got to think there are more poigant moments in Tedford's career in Berkeley ending up with victories. To me when I think of Tedford, I think of a good coach who has built a solid program that was basically burnt to the ground and left in worse shape than what Steve Lavin left for Ben Howland in Westwood.

I think Tedford will probably get his team to the Rose Bowl or a big bowl game eventually. I could be wrong on that but I can't help but be impressed by what he has built up in Strawberry Canyon. Now in recent years one can argue that his team has looked a little bit like the teams Bob Toledo had in his later years in UCLA, when season which began with lot of promises at the beginning didn't leave up to the high expectations as it unraveled in huge games. Cal's 2007 season in some ways was a carbon copy of UCLA's season from 2001. Bears' recent demise against Oregon and Southern Cal has lot of people wondering again. However, I think people need to get a sense of perspective and the big picture. From what I see is a damn good coach who has built a good program featuring spectacular play makers, who are going to be eager to make an emphatic statement this Saturday. Our guys better be ready. If not it's going to be another disappointing Saturday. More notes on the Bears and our team after the jump.

Ted Miller has some quick notes on Saturday's matchup:

California (3-2, 0-2) at UCLA (3-2, 0-2)

California beat UCLA 41-20 last year ... UCLA leads the series 49-28-1 .... Cal ranks second in the Pac-10 with 15 sacks ... UCLA kicker Kai Forbath has connected on 13 of 14 field goal attempts ... Cal is second in the conference in turnovers margin (plus-six) and is the conference's least penalized team ... Bruins defensive tackle Brian Price ranks second in the conference with nine tackles for a loss. No other interior defensive lineman ranks among the top-9 ... Bears linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Mike Mohamed combine for 17.4 tackles per game, making them the conference's top tackling tandem ... Bruins safety Rahim Moore ranks No. 1 in the nation with five interceptions ... Cal and UCLA rank seventh and eight in the conference in pass efficiency ... Bruins punter Jeff Locke leads the Pac-10 -- and ranks fifth in the nation -- with an average of 46.3 yards per boot ... Bears punter Bryan Anger ranks eighth with 39.3 yards per kick.

If you didn't know by now (this was discussed a lot during off season IIRC) the Bears are take the bus instead of flying down to LA. The whole idea was to help with the budget shortcoming experienced by UC's up and down the coast. However, given the game time for Saturday, they are driving down on Thursday so it didn't matter all that much at the end. From Jonathan Okanes in the Oakland Tribune:

In an attempt to do their part to help the university with its budget shortcomings, the Bears have agreed to take buses to Southern California for Saturday's game at UCLA. Cal usually travels on a charter plane for its road trips.

"We definitely want to do our part," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "To do our part to alleviate some of the issues. ... We have a responsibility."

But the Bears won't be saving as much money for the university as originally intended because the team has decided to leave Thursday rather than Friday, meaning an extra night in a hotel for the travel party. The team made the decision after it was announced last week that Saturday's game will begin at 12:30 p.m.

"We are going Thursday night so we don't run into a deal of busing down there late Friday, having a late walk-through and then having a 12:30 game," Tedford said. "We will for sure have gotten over the bus ride. I don't think the bus ride will be an issue."

The bus ride actually will allow the team to spend more time together than the one-hour flight down south. Tedford said the Bears might even hold some position meetings during their travels.

Bears are also getting healthy after having a by week. According the same report in the Oaklan Tribune wide receiver Nyan Boateng who missed last two games with fractured right foot will be avalable for Saturday. Boateng was the Bear's leading receiver last year and did some damage in Bear's last win (against the Gophers) cattching 5 passes for 78 yards and a TD. I am assuming Moore, ATV and co. will be aware of him when he gets on the field.

Of course when we talk about the Bears Jahvid Best becomes the focal point of all discussion. Predictably UCLA defenders are getting peppered with questions about how and whether they can contain arguably the best back in the conference (and of the premiere ones in the country):

"He's probably, and not to knock them, the best of the three," UCLA senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. "Earlier in the year they said he was the best back in college football.

"They pick you when you're up, and when you're down, you're down. The last couple weeks he hasn't had great games, so you haven't heard too much about him. But I still know he's one of the best in the country and the best in the conference."

"I'm not going to take anything away from him just because his last two games weren't great."

If anything, the Bears used the bye week to devise more ways to get the ball into Best's hands.

On a Tuesday-morning conference call, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford talked about using his speedy back in the Wildcat formation. [...]

"It just gives you an extra blocker at the point of attack," Tedford said. "Ultimately, it's your quarterback running the ball and it gives you a hat on a hat. Then they try to come up with schemes that let a guy go on the outside. It puts the ball in your best ballcarrier's hands, and a hat on a hat, and it's a matter of execution."

It will be interesting to see whether the Bruins can contain Best this Saturday. We have been burned by big plays during last two Saturdays. Best and the Cal offense is all about big plays. Remember UCLA defense did a decent job of containing Best last year in Berkeley except he busted lose for a 34 yard run which seemed to set the tone for that game.

I don't think it's just a matter of needing to tackle better for our defense. I think it will come down to how effectively our LBers are swarming to Best or whoever has the ball. It will be matte rof making sure our defenders have Best contained instead of allowing him to get any kind of space from which he can explode into the end zone. Easier said then done. I know. I think the other key for Bruin defense will be getting pressure on Kevin Riley early and not allowing him to settle into any kind rhythm. If he gets into a rhythm early on giving that Bears offense much needed balance, it will potentially be a long afternoon for our guys at the Rose Bowl.

Speaking of our defense coaches are making Reggie Carter taking it a little easy this game week:

Carter sat out his second consecutive practice Tuesday after spraining his left knee last week against Oregon. He maintains, however, that he will play against Cal on Saturday.

"They told me to relax a little bit, but my knee feels great," Carter said. "It's kind of irritating. I don't like watching. I feel like a spectator."

Carter, who leads the Bruins with 27 tackles, suffered a knee injury last season against Brigham Young, but he played in all 12 games and finished with a team-high 83 tackles.

Coaches don't sound too worried about Reggie. He will most likely be ready to go on Saturday. Another guy who might be getting decent amount of reps this Saturday is running back Christian Ramirez. The OC Register reports that Christian "took more reps than usual during practice Tuesday":

Patience might finally be paying off for Christian Ramirez.

The UCLA tailback took more reps than usual during practice Tuesday and he hopes that it will lead to more playing time when the Bruins host Cal on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

"Before this, I was just out there watching and just going in for a couple of wildcat plays. That was it," Ramirez said. "Now I'm back in the mix, trying to remember everything and dust off the cobwebs."

I think Ramirez looked pretty decent in the two carries he got against Stanford. It might not be a bad idea to work him back into the mix. We haven't seen our RBs make any play out of the backfield by catching the ball except for one great play Knox had in Tennessee. One of the reason Ramirez had moved up the depth chart earlier this spring was because of his size and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. So if both of those guys are ready to go this week, they could add desperately needed new dimensions to the UCLA offense this Saturday.

Again to wrap this up, I think we know what we are going to get from the Bears and the mindset they are in coming into the Rose Bowl. I think we have a general idea about our defensive abilities. The only quesitons are whether they can continue to cut down on mental mistakes (they did a good job on that front last Saturday) and can minimize the big plays. The biggest question mark heading into this Saturday though is our offense.

Right now I have no idea what to expect from Kevin Prince (or Richard Brehaut/Kevin Craft) against the Bears defense. I don't know if the light bulb will go on for us so that we are not settling for FGs in the red zone and playing Donahue style of playing not to lose. I am hoping our QBs will do enough to manage the game and keep us in it. To beat the Bears though I think we are going to need to score at least 20 something point if not in the low 30s. Can we do it?

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday Roundup: Bruins Set For Stanford's Power Attack?

Nestor — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:02:43 -0000

Just few more hours to go till our kickoff. I think we have done a pretty good job of exhausting the various story lines around this game in last two weeks. The game day stories both from the LA and Bay Area newspapers don't really offer up anything new this morning. Still might as well go through them before we immerse ourselves into college football Saturday. The main storyline around today's game will obviously be Gergart and Stanford's offense showdown against the UCLA defense. At the same time an anxious Bruin Nation is going to hold its collective breath to see how Craft led UCLA offense can manage the game on the road.

We will start with the key matchup of the day which will be headline by Gerhart and Reggie Carter. The emotional leader of the Bruin defense and his team-mates seem fired up and ready to go:

"Physical, physical, physical," Carter said. "I've been waiting for a game like this again. Playing Tennessee was great, but then Kansas State came in and started hitting us with that crazy spread stuff.

"Stanford plays old-fashioned, downhill football. They have a downhill back, and an aggressive offensive line. I'm looking forward to this game.

"I'm not going to trash talk. They say they're physical. I'm not going to back down. I'm going to be ready and waiting for them." [...]

The Bruins are ranked ninth nationally against the run. Stanford, with 235-pound Toby Gerhart averaging 129 yards rushing behind a line that averages 297 pounds, is 11th nationally in rushing offense. [...]

"We know these guys are runners," said UCLA defensive end Korey Bosworth. "That's what they say, their bread and butter is that power play. As far as I can tell, we're not too bad against the run. When we get a team that runs the ball, I really look forward to it."

Neheisel and co will be looking to Carter and Bosworth to manage the point of Stanford attack:

"You better put on your big-boy pads," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "They come at you.

"We've been fairly stout in the early part of the season but this is going to be the biggest test thus far. We've got to be able to manage the point of attack. It's going to be a great challenge for our guys in the front seven."

Offensively, Stanford's point of attack will be Gerhart, who ran for a career-high 200 yards in last week's victory over Washington.

Gerhart isn't the kind of running back who is going to fake out would-be defenders with side-to-side moves. If you're in his way, he'll run right over you. It's a technique that resulted in 1,136 yards and 5.4 yards per carry in 2008.

However, Bruin defense will have more than Gerhart to worry about. Stanford has a solid QB in Andrew Luck who has done a pretty good job of managing the game as a red shirt freshman. Although Harbaugh hasn't depended on Luck's arm, his production has been extremely efficent as he has complete 50 out of 83 passes with 4 touchdowns and 2 picks. Luck also has decent weapons to throw to Owusu and Ryan Whalen.

We have talked about Owusu's game breaking ability (specifically in the special teams) this week, but we can't forget about Whalen who has teamed up with Owusu for 29 catches and 470 yards, giving Luck couple of dependable targets. It is going to be a huge challenge for our defense. They have been able to shut down our previous three opponents (keeping them within 300 yards). It is going to be interesting to see whether they can do the same today. Meanwhile, on the other end it is going to be interesting to see how the offense with Craft under center performs on the road. More on them after the jump.

All week we have been talking about how our defense is going to handle Gerhart. The Bruin offensive running attack in contrast hasn't gotten a lot of attention. Jon Gold from the Daily News writes:

The Bruins counter with a bit of lightning to Gerhart's thunder. While not nearly as prolific as the Cardinal's hot start on the ground, UCLA's running game has shown vast improvement over last season, with redshirt freshman Johnathan Franklin and sophomore Derrick Coleman leading the way. Franklin has rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries, for a 4.7 average, and Coleman has picked up 116 yards and a score on just 18 carries.

With all the hype surrounding Stanford's running game, the Bruins believe it is their turn to get some attention.

"There's been a lot of talk about that, but I think the guys up front are ready," redshirt sophomore center Kai Maiava said. "We're ready to prove ourselves, get the respect we deserve."

Well, we will find out what they can do at the Farm. I am particularly curious to see what Knox can do today. While Franklin and Coleman have been pretty solid this season, I would love to see Chow throwing in few screen plays for Knox or get him out on the open field, so he can show some of the moves he displayed at Neyland stadium. In addtion to Knox, Norm Chow will have Christian Ramirez at his disposal today. Christian of course had a pretty memorable game in his first trip to Palo Alto. However, that was a long time ago under a different coach against a completely different Stanford team in Harbaugh's first season.

Not sure if I need to go over the Kevin Craft factor. Everyone here is well aware of it. The kid hasn't had a good game on the road in his UCLA career. However, that history is from last year when he played a team with no offensive line and thus credible running attack featuring a gimpy senior (full of heart) and a true freshman. Hopefully the offensive line today will come through with some pass protection giving Craft some time to execute on offense.

We have also talked about the revenge factor. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Everybody remembers the UCLA game last year, especially the defense," linebacker Clinton Snyder said. "All offseason, we said, 'We've got to finish.' "

Harbaugh called it "a bitter defeat" that "stuck in everybody's craw in the offseason." He said of the final drive that his players want "to make darn sure it never happens again."

Well. We will see how it works out for them. On our end we hope it works out like it did last time Bruins went on the road against a team hungry for the same kind of revenge. For more on today's game here are the writeups from the AP, Chris Foster (LAT), and Chris Dufresne (LAT).

We will have our game thread up about 30 minutes before the kickoff. Don't forget to get your pregame guesses in as we will close that thead when the game one goes up. Might also throw up a pre game thread right in about an hour. Enjoy the Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Getting Ready For An Old Fashioned Slugfest At The Farm

Nestor — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:22:12 -0000

The more I think about this weekend's game the more it feels like our guys are getting ready for a Big-10 style slugfest in Palo Alto. It's probably not a coincidence since we are going to be taking on a team coached by someone with classic Big-10 roots, who is putting together a team Bo Schembechler would feel good about. As 4.0 Point Stance noted in the comment threads yesterday Stanford is going to be serving up a steady dose of power plays all afternoon long at the Farm:

[A]s everyone knows, Stanford’s entire offense is predicated on between the tackles running. Expect to see a steady dose of power plays (guard pulls to strong side) and the occasional counter. Harbaugh also loves to run the lead draw out of the I, although I didn’t see any of those against Washington. Stop those three plays and you stop the Stanford offense.

Gerhardt is one of the 5 best backs in the country. I genuinely believe this. I also believe that Owen Maricec, the fullback, is one of the five best fullbacks in the country. Andrew Luck is the golden boy 5* quarterback, but he’s unproven and Harbaugh is not comfortable telling him to sling it.

Wide receivers are a different story. Not a deep group to say the least. Ryan Whalen is the token white possession receiver. He’s probably got the best hands on the team. But Chris Owusu, the true soph, is the one to pay attention to. Incredible athlete with 3 KR touchdowns on the year. They’ll try to get him the ball on the edges via end arounds or screens and let him turn on the jets. He’s a threat to score from anywhere.

More on Owusu later. Let's go back to Gerhart. Suffice to say our defensive coaches are working over time this week to figure out how to go straight after Gerhart and the Stanford offensive line. This is going to be a matchup of brute strength between two units (Stanford OL and Bruin DL) that have enjoyed a decent start to this season. From the LA Times:

"I remember hitting him last year and it gave me a headache," Price said. "He is the toughest runner I've ever come across."

Price isn't alone in those thoughts. Gerhart enters this week's game against the Bruins as the third-leading rusher in the nation, averaging 129 yards a game. The 6-foot-1, 237-pound senior from Norco rambled over, around and through Washington for 200 yards in the Cardinal's 34-14 victory Saturday.

The Bruins don't need to be reminded about Gerhart's ability. He gained 138 yards and scored two touchdowns against them last season.

"You've got to tackle," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "He's not going down with any one person, so you've got to be physical and you've got to wrap up."

That is a concern going into the game, as Neuheisel said that the Bruins' 23-9 victory over Kansas State on Sept. 19 was, "maybe for the first time all year we didn't tackle very well."

Still, this plays into UCLA's strength. The Bruins are tied for ninth nationally against the run, giving up only 74 yards a game.

One of the concerns I have is in our last three games UCLA took a little while before getting going on defense. It was almost as if Coach Bullough was feeling the other OC out before making his adjustments. Not sure if we are going to be able to do that this time around. I think it will be imperative for our defense to set a physical tone early in this game with clean and solid tackling and swarming to the ball carrier. Of course it will also entail our secondary being very disciplined so that they are not biting on play action fakes that Luck likes to pull off every now and then.

Meanwhile, as Stanford will no doubt will try to grind out and wear out our defense, our offense will have to put together it's own version of ball control by grinding out with decent running game. More on that after the jump.

Whoever plays QB for the Bruins on Saturday, coaches will look to him to manage the game and for him to manage the game against an opponent like Stanford effectively, he is going to need some strong ground support. Well coaches specifically worked on the running game on Sunday:

During much of Sunday's practice - rather than give his players the weekend off in their one bye week, Neuheisel pardoned his players on Friday and Saturday - the Bruins focused on the running game in preparation of their Saturday showdown at Stanford. [...]

With redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince on the shelf with a broken jaw, Craft is back in the saddle. So is Harkey.

But the running game has an almost entirely different look this year, and the Bruins are better for it.

"In this particular case, the numbers don't lie - we weren't very good last year," running backs coach Wayne Moses said. "It's on everybody. It takes a whole team to run the ball - the line blocking, receivers blocking. It's not one individual group; it's been a collective team effort. We're better this time around because, collectively, we're blocking better."

UCLA's running backs are averaging 4.8 yards per carry and have been stopped for just 23 yards worth of losses. With Franklin as the early workhorse - though the return of redshirt junior Christian Ramirez from an ankle injury could shake things up - plus the contribution of sophomore Derrick Coleman, redshirt freshman Milton Knox and freshman Damien Thigpen, it appears that the Bruins are starting from the ground up.

Still, the Bruins rank just seventh in the Pac-10 in rushing yardage, 68 th in the country, and 108 in total offense.

Well the Bruins are going to find out how much improvements they have made since this past season on Saturday. Last year they ran for just 86 yards against the Cardinal, who also had Kevin Craft under pressure all afternoon long until the Bruins went on no huddle at the end of both halves. If the Bruins revert back to last year's form, it will be a long afternoon in Palo Alto. For them to have a chance this weekend, they will have to provide Kevin time to throw and more importantly keep building on the momentum from this year by continuing to open running lanes for Jet Ski, DC, Knox, and possibly Ramirez/Thigpen.

Now going back to, Chris Owusu, he could potentially present a bigger headache than Toby Gerhart. In this first quarter of 2009 season, he has emerged as one of the best game breakers in college football. From Ted Miller on WWL:

Stanford receiver Chris Owusu: In the win over Washington, Owusu upstaged Stanford running back Toby Gerhart's career-high 200 yards rushing, which included a 60-yard TD run, by returning the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. It was his third kickoff return for a TD this season. In four games. That ties the Pac-10 record set by USC's Anthony Davis in 1974 and UCLA's Matthew Slater in 2007.

So I hope the extra work Coach Frank Gansz Jr did with our special teams this past week will pay off on Saturday. We can't afford to have the slip ups we had against KSU against Stanford with someone like Owusu returning kicks. It will come down to playing focused and disciplined on special teams coverage, where guys will have to stay within their lanes and do some old fashioned solid tackling. Given how both teams are going to be looking to ball control and blast each other all afternoon long, field position is going to be a big factor on who has the edge in this game. The way the matchup is shaping up, it sure sounds like something Bo Schembechler would be fired up for this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Tale Of Two Seniors Putting Team First, Setting Example

Nestor — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:25:02 -0000

As mentioned yesterday coaches are touring all over the Western US in search of next Bruin recruits this weekend. Our guys are going to be back in practicing beginning their preparations for Stanford tomorrow. I am sure they are going to be keeping a close eye on all the other Pac-10 actions going on this Saturday. I will put up an open thread around 12:30 pst for those who are watching the game. If you are watching the Washington-Stanford game, please make sure to share your notes since we are not getting it out on East Coast. As for news, it's a little light today. However, couple of good stories involving two of our seniors, indicating once again the kind of leadership and example this group is providing for all the new talent CRN is accumlating in Westwood.

I will start with Christian Ramirez who has had a tough start to this season with nagging injuries. Christian is battling to get back into the rotation. If his quotes in LAT are any indication he is going about it right way, putting his team first:

"Honestly, I'm just glad we're 3-0," said Ramirez, who returned to practice last week. "I could care less about my spot.

"We're probably going to have a three- or four-back rotation, so I'm just trying to work my way into that right now. I'm not trying to go out and take 30 carries. I just want to get in there and have fun and play."

Ramirez acknowledged that the going had been "rough" in practice. He was slow getting up Thursday after getting a cleat stuck in the turf.

"Getting back in a groove, getting in shape, it's tough right now," Ramirez said. "We have a lot of backs out there, so it's hard to get in a groove."

Hopefully Christian will chip away and get back into action soon. He had secured the starting spot this past spring because of his ability to block and catch out of the backfield (Chow loves that). If he can battle through his injuries and find a way to contribute with couple of plays here and there, it will help him get his confidence back. Hopefully it happens for him sooner rather than later. In the meantime it is good to hear him having the right mindset of putting his team first.

Speaking of seniors leading the team, let's talk about ATV after the jump.

Well what can I say about our All American CB. Per the OC Register ATV is basically been serving as an extra coach on defense for our young cornerbacks, helping them out on all kinds issues ranging from "schemes, alignments, game film, or even life.":

"If you have a question about anything, you could probably ask Verner," said freshman cornerback Sheldon Price, who filled a similar role during his senior year at Bishop Amat High School.

Price was picking Verner's brain before the Kansas State game on Sept. 19. That game marked Price's first start.

One week earlier, Courtney Viney was doing the same thing.

He was preparing for his first start of the season, against Tennessee. Viney had been thrust into the role as starting cornerback when Aaron Hester went down with a cracked bone in his leg.

"Verner has provided insight on a number of things," Viney said. "He's like another coach from the aspect that you can go to him when you need something. He's always there to give advice. Moreover, Verner has been in the program and he knows the defense inside and out."

Coaching, teaching, advising and basically helping others is nothing new to Verner. He's been doing it for as long as he can remember.

And one just has to read ATV's blogposts to get the sense of how he is going out of his way to help EVERYONE in any way he can. Here is ATV in his latest post:

I don't know if my girl, Sina'e, wants me to do this, but I am proud of her, so I wanted to say she is competing in the Miss California pageant. She is in the district round now. She is very excited and needs support. If you want to help her raise money to fight cancer, please visit this site. She needs everyone's help with a goal of $100.00. You will be supporting her and helping a child with cancer!

Well now I can't wait to read his followup post on how she reacted. In any event, of course if anyone wants to help out, they should go for it. From ATV's post it was also clear how much he is enjoying his last year at UCLA:

On another note, we start school Thursday and I'm pretty excited and sad at the same time. It officially means I'm a fourth year and about to embark on this difficult journey. I have three upper division classes -- Stats 100, Management 122 and Math 131a. I have them all five days of study as well, but it will make me a better person. I'm getting close to that degree and success guaranteed in some area! Most importantly, I get to help the freshmen adjust to the schedule change and let them know how they have to focus in on both school and football.

As school is about to begin, we had our annual 2009 Bruin Bash where we had LMFAO and Clipse perform in Pauley! They were very good and entertaining. I was with my young teammates and it was cool watching them enjoy themselves. I felt so old at times since I am a senior. But I still managed to have fun.

I am still struck by reading his posts on how genuine he sounds about his enthusiasm for UCLA. The way he writes about his experiences as an athlete and even more importantly as student at UCLA, you can sense he is not doing it as some kind of act. Because what he is sharing can only come from someone who went to our school. It's something that cannot be manufactured solely for the purpose of generating PR. It's just too cool and it is creating the kind of bond with this senior class and his team with rest of us that we started experiencing when Ben Ball warriors were starting to make their mark with the senior class of CB and RH in their last year in Westwood.

I don't know how this year is going to end. I am keeping my expectations to getting into a bowl game. However, I think I can safely say so far this has been the best start to a UCLA football season (not just record wise) in almost a decade and lot of it has to do with a group of seniors who seemed to be intent on taking advantage of stable and competent leadership from the coaching staff to leave a special mark in Westwood. Their journey and experience is drawing us even more emotionally closer to this football team. It's fun stuff.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Back To Practice

Nestor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:47:28 -0000

Let's start with more info. on the news of Kevin Prince possibly returning (or being "available") for the Oregon game. Chris Foster from the LA Times reports:

"Oregon is the plan," Prince said through clinched jaw, wired shut the last week. "I can do everything but eat."

Prince, who suffered a fractured jaw against Tennessee, will sit out the Stanford game Oct. 3 but said that doctors are sure he will be ready to practice before the Oct. 10 game against Oregon.

"If he's cleared, he has obviously got to play," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "He's been throwing the ball. He's been in all the meetings. He's our starting quarterback."

Prince limbered up his arm during practice Tuesday, throwing passes in non-contact drills. He has been running and participating in other off-the-field workouts as well. [...]

"If his cardiovascular stays up, there is no reason to think he won't be ready by Oregon," Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Neuheisel as always sounds optimistic. However, I am sure he and Chow will defer to the doctors at UCLA wrt to the final decision on when Kevin will make his return. In the meantime, it is great to have him back at Spaulding. In addition to running and throwing, I am assuming he is also taking part in all necessary meetings involving game planning leading up to the Stanford game.

Speaking of practice CRN was pretty happy about what went on at Spaulding after couple of days off:

"Very happy with this practice. Two days off, usually you're a little sluggish. It's like pulling teeth to get kids to run around, and it was anything but today. Not all perfect, but certainly things we can work with. We're excited as a program about where we are, and frankly, we're hungry for more. We've just got to keep pinning down the details."

He was probably in a good mood because he was getting a number of his players back in the fold:

With three straight games to start the season, what worked in Week 1 essentially remained into Week 2, and Week 2 into Week 3. Now, with players returning all over the field - the Bruins expect no fewer than seven players who missed the Kansas State game to return for Stanford on Oct. 3 - there is a little chance for some reversals of fortune.

"You have to get comfortable in competition. Is it good to be challenged in the fourth quarter? Sure, I'd love to win them all handily, but you're going to get tested. Rather than react like something you're not used to, you have to accept it. It brings out the best in all players."

It also means more heated competition (just like Fall) at a number of positions. More after the jump.

I wrote yesterday about competition heating up at the CB position between Viney and Price. As of yesterday Price was hanging on to the number 1 spot (with Viney pushing him hard). And it will likely get even more intense when Aaron Hester (who is on his way to a full recovery) is ready to dive right back into it:

Redshirt freshman cornerback Aaron Hester has shed the crutches after suffering a fractured fibula against San Diego State in Week 1.

"I'm just happy to be walking again without pain," Hester said. "I lost the crutches yesterday; as soon as I got my X-ray results back, they texted me and said there were really good results. I just left my crutches right where they were.

"Wherever they are, I just left them and started walking."

In addition to Hester, Coach Palcic is excited about the possibility of reincorporating Ekbatani back into his rotation:

[R]eturning starter Nick Ekbatani was back in action, albeit on a somewhat limited basis, and offensive line coach Bob Palcic expects him back fully for Stanford.
"Nick coming back will only make us better," Palcic said. "I'm used to having a seven- or eight-man rotation. You want a backup center, a backup guard, and a swing tackle. If I have eight guys, I usually feel pretty comfortable in that situation."

In addition to Ekbatani and Hester, Christian Ramirez is also working hard to getting himself back into the coach's rotation:

The crowded backfield, which also includes Knox, Derrick Coleman, Johnathan Franklin and sometimes Damien Thigpen, is making it difficult for everyone involved to get an ample numbers of reps.

"We have a four-back rotation right now, four or five," Ramirez said. "It makes me work harder on every play that I go out there.

"I've still got to take mental reps. You watch what everybody else does right and you watch what everybody else does wrong, and learn from it."

Ramirez would have liked to have been a part of the Bruins' three victories but isn't going to brood over what could have been. His goal is to be back on the field when the Bruins play at Stanford on Oct. 3.

"I'd be selfish to say I was down," he said. "I'm excited to see our team go 3-0. It's fun in the locker room now. Everybody is upbeat. It makes the environment better."

Those are comments from a mature senior. I think Christian knows as well as anyone that the coaches will not just hand him back his starting spot. Given the success Franklin, Coleman, and Knox (before he was suspended) has experienced in these first few games, Christian will have to turn up his focus and intensity to another level to push for playing time, which in turn will ensure the other guys are not getting too comfortable in their respective spots.

This is a very producitve situation for all parties involved, because it benefits the entire team through healthy competition. As Neuheisel has said number of times this kind of situation is the kind of "nice problems" every coaches want to have at their respective programs. It is good to see UCLA in this spot in CRN's second year in Westwood.

Lastly, Stanly Hasiak didn't get to play on Saturday. CRN provided the following explanation:

Freshman guard Stanley Hasiak did not play Saturday because "I wanted to slow him down," Neuheisel said. [...]

Said Neuheisel: "I want him to be a freshman, and enjoy being a freshman and stop trying to make it all happen so fast."

Tackle Xavier Su'a-Filo, also a freshman, did not get the same stop-and-smell-the-roses talk. Hasiak has had a handful of tense confrontations with defensive players after plays during practice in recent weeks.

Neuheisel said "that was not the reason" Hasiak didn't play. But he did say, "Stan is a very, very proud person, who wants desperately to compete and be as good as anybody in the country. You got to embrace that, cherish that."

Makes sense to me.

It's weird (in a very pleasent way) to read about all the heated competition going on at Spaulding. Don't remember reading about skill positions being 3-5 spot deep back during previous regime. Certainly don't remember a lot about talented freshman OL mixing it up with defensive linemen (who always seemed to have their way with the inept Dorrellian offenses). In two years we have come a long way from the days of "disciplining resources" at Spaulding Field.

GO BRUINS.