SB Nation - Bret Lockett

Spaulding Roundup: DC Thoughts, Verner's Views, Finals Week & Other Notes

Nestor — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:42:46 -0000

Can Bruins handle this (if it snows in DC)? Photo Credit: photoal (flickr)

Well yeah. It's not snowing in DC today but it did over the weekend a bit giving us our first snow of the year. The picture above is from another year though, which I think gives a little hint of what folks could expect in late December if we get a legit snow storm in Washington DC. Will the Bruins get to play in their first legit snow bowl (don't really count the one from Washington State during the regular season because it wasn't really snowing during the game) this December? Well as everyone know by now, we are not going to know until the end of Army-Navy game this upcoming weekend.

CRN is excited about rooting for the Midshipmen:

"Although we always support the men and women fighting for our country, on this particular three-hour stint, we're going to be anchor's aweigh ~~away~~," Neuheisel said on Sunday. "We're excited about the opportunity and looking forward to getting into the ball game. We know we need a little bit of help, but we're looking forward to a chance."

Interestingly, from the LAT report today, it sounds like the Bruins did have a chance to accept an invitation to the Humanitarian Bowl. However, the payout for that game ($700,000) wasn't enough for our program:

UCLA officials received interest from other bowls, as Neuheisel said, "I know there were lots of conversations and I was also told that UCLA was a desired team."

Humanitarian Bowl officials showed particular interest, and the Bruins might have gone there if Army lost, but the bowl payoff "wasn't right," said a UCLA official not authorized to speak about the situation.

UCLA officials turned down a Humanitarian Bowl invitation in 2001 after bowl officials asked for a $300,000 sponsorship from the university, a former UCLA administrator said.

Wonder who was that former UCLA administrator talking to the LAT. Anyway, if Navy does come through for the Bruins on Saturday (you never can take an outcome for granted in an intense, emotional rivalry game), Bruins will have interesting decisions to make re. the quaterback situation. CRN seemed to indicate that Prince might be ready for the bowl game:

"He told me it was getting better when I saw him last week," Neuheisel said. Given some rest, I think he would be ready."

Prince of course is still recovering from his mild AC sprain (considered a "slight separation") of his throwing shoulder. I personally think the Bruins should start Craft and prepare Brehaut as the backup option, and let Prince fully heal for spring ball. However, I feel comfortable in having Neuheisel and Chow making the call. More bowl related and end of season notes after the jump.

Players in general sound pretty excited about the bowl game. Taylor Embree "wants it really bad":

"I saw (offensive coordinator Norm Chow) today, too, and he said it looked like we had a really good chance," sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "We had a meeting with coach Neuheisel last Tuesday, and he just said, 'Focus as if we were going to a bowl.' We're prepared. If we go to one, it won't be a shock. We're ready for a bowl. We want it really bad."

While ATV thinks Bruins could be an "exciting" team to watch during the bowl season:

"We're fortunate to be put in the position to try to get one, though, and that's all we can ask for. I think we did enough to deserve it, showed enough promise through the course of the year with our youth, and we'll be an exciting team to watch come bowl season."

Oh and speaking of ATV, if you haven't done it yet, I think you will want to read the last edition of Verner's views:

[F]our years have gone by way too fast for me as a UCLA Bruin. I remember the times when I used to watch the Bruins play and wearing the #1 UCLA jersey to high school and stuff to now, when I am leaving UCLA with an interception touchdown record and lasting memories to all the Bruin Nation. My experiences here have been top of the line and something I will cherish forever. From academics - competing against the top brains in the world in my math major was always fun - just walking around campus and seeing the variety of people and cultures on campus, it was beautiful to see. Through all this intermingling, you realize that everyone is basically the same and they have the same struggles as you. You can be an athlete, a pre-med student, or grad student - it didn't matter. Everyone is fighting for their education and that is what created so many bonds with people in all areas of UCLA life.

Having the pleasure of being the student representative for the library catalogue a while back to now being spotlighted on UCLA Big Moment spots are two others things that stand out. My time with this sector of UCLA has been difficult, however all the more amazing!

Football, man it's been the craziest roller coaster, but one of those that was worth the wait, but so short that you almost missed the thrills of it. Being in the Rose Bowl with our wonderful fans that were there from the beginning, to putting on the Blue and Gold was just simply amazing. I had the honor to be coached by DeWayne Walker for most of my career and finished up this year being coached by the great Carnell Lake! Many guys have helped me in numerous ways of playing the position. I appreciate their expertise on the field. I had a great time playing with my former killa bees and current ones -- Chris Horton, Rodney Van, Trey Brown, Dennis Keyes, and Bret Lockett to Tony Dye, Rahim Moore, Glenn Love, Courtney Viney, Aaron Hester, Sheldon Price, Andrew Abbott and everyone else. Each player is so good and made my job so much easier and helped contribute to my success. I will definitely miss all my teammates, I really love them all. The hard work and the grind I had to do with all of them makes them all special to me. They are all very talented and that's why I believe UCLA will be back at the top very soon and I can't wait to see that unfold.

You need to read rest of ATV's post by going here. ATV and his team-mates will be taking finals this week. Once they are done at the end of the week (per Jon Gold) they will have practices on Friday and Saturday. They are going to practice Saturday morning, have lunch and take in the Army-Navy game. Needless to say we will have an open thread here for that game cheering on Navy.

Lastly, before I end this good luck to all of your students this week. Yeah, I know we are hard on you guys sometimes. However, look at the ideas our discussions generated in last 24 hours. While we get down sometimes during the tough times, it is clear how much passion and dedication we have among a huge core of students and alums here in Bruins Nation. Often times when we call each other out, I personally think it only makes that dedication deeper forcing us to think hard about how we can make our community bigger offline. Hopefully we can keep the discussion that started yesterday going in the coming weeks/months resulting in what I truly believe will be the most rabid fanbase in the Western US. We have had two of the worst weekends in UCLA athletcs in recent history. Yet just look around this community this am. We are still here. Aren't we? Anyway, kick ass in finals and then head down to Anaheim.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA Secondary In 2009: Opportunity To Revive A Bruin Tradition

Nestor — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:31:36 -0000

So I want to use this Humpday morning to finish our roundup through both the offense and defense here on BN. We have already covered the offense by going over our notes on QBs, RBs, WRs/TEs and OL. On the defensive side we have gone over the front-7 by breaking our notes up between LBs and DEs. Let's finish it up by going through our DB position. After I am done, ryebreadaz (who attended about 8-9 practices during the first two weeks of fall camp) will do separate posts on each of the positions and give his grades based on what he has seen last few weeks. So let's get to our defensive backs, who I think will have a shot to reestablish the tradition of "Secondary U" at UCLA in 2009. If they live up to their potential, they will bring back the memories of legends such as Turner, Easley, Darby, Goodwin and of course Carnell Lake who is coaching them up at Spaulding. [Note: Lake was a legendary OLB at UCLA before being converted to SS in the NFL].

Unlike the LB an DE positions, depth is not an issue in our secondary. Through his recruiting efforts of his last two years CRN has been able to stock up this specific unit of the defense with some serious talent. Of course the leader of these guys is none other than ATV. I don't think I have to go on about what this kid can do here on BN. His body of work which we have written about for last three years speak for itself. We all know about ATV's ability as a shutdown corner. We have seen his ability to throttle opposing receivers or his ability to win a game through game breaking picks. He also happens to be an incredibly smart kid who happens to use his brain just as much as he uses his athletic ability to terrorize opposing QBs. That is why he rarely gets caught out of position and is always at the right place at the right time to make plays if the opposing QBs are foolish enough to test him.

The cool thing for Carnell Lake and Chuck Bulloug is that ATV is not the only anchor of our secondary this season. He is going to have Rahim Moore back there with him roaming the backfield as our FS. Moore lived up to the hype as a blue chip recruit when he came into the scene last season. Not only he started every game as a true freshmen, he ended up tying for the team lead with 3 picks and finished with 60 tackles (4th on the team). Moore has the lethal combination of size (6-1/197) and speed. He is the perfect centerfielder to anchor this secondary and he is absolutely fearless. I can't wait to see what Moore is going to do as a sophomore to followup his freshman season.

So with ATV and Moore anchoring our secondary, coaches are going to look to fresh talent to fill up our secondary this season (replacing Michael Norris (CB) and Bret Lockett (SS) who developed into dependable players as the season went along last year). To find out who the coaches will be looking to step up jump over the flip.

Let's start with the cornerback position. As discussed above, given ATV's history of terrorizing opposing QBs, they will probably looking to the other end of UCLA secondary. This means there will be a lot of pressure on Aaron Hester to step up and he has the athletic ability to answer the challenge. From the LA Times:

Hester's raw abilities are apparent to the casual observer. At 6 feet 1 and 203 pounds, "he is long and lean and strong," Lake said, making him a physical presence that can bring the noise at the speed of sound.

Hester excelled in track and football at Compton Dominguez High. He anchored the 1,600-meter relay team, which posted the fastest time (3 minutes 9.59 seconds) for a California high school squad since 1997.

Franklin, one of the fastest Bruins in pads, couldn't shake Hester this week. And he heard about it.

"He keeps telling me he's a stallion and no one can keep up with him," Franklin said. Yes, Hester can pester, but, "you've got to have that swag no matter what position you play," Franklin said.

"I'm not a jaw-jacker," Hester said. "I respect other players. I just say some things to let them know I'm here. First play, I want the receiver to know it's going to be a rough day."

Besides, his abilities do speak for themselves. During one game as a senior, he caught two touchdown passes and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Gotta love Hester's aggressive attitude. We have also read this off seaosn how ATV has taken Hester under his wings. So we are hoping ATV's aggressiveness and confident attitude will rub off on his understudy. One thing I am incredibly excited about is Hester's size. In recent years, we got used the images of tall, athletic opposing WRs just giving a total beatdown on our small, undersized DBs. I think Hester if he lives up to his athletic abilities will be able to make a dent in that perception.

Speaking of potential, let's talk about the competition between Dye and Love for the SS spot at UCLA. It looks like Dye right now has a very slight edge in a heated competition per Jon Gold in the Daily News:

"We both have our advantages and our disadvantages," said Love, who at 6-foot-4 has a marked size advantage over the 5-11 Dye. "I think right now it's about even. By us battling this out right now, it's helping the team out. If just one of us goes down, we'll be fine. We're not losing a step. I think we're both going to get an opportunity to play."
Right now, Dye is relishing his opportunity to work with the starting group, particularly because some did not expect it.

Switching from nickel back to safety this season, the true sophomore has had to prove his doubters wrong, those who said that 5-11 doesn't pack enough punch.

"Of course I'm happy about the opportunity; I'm ecstatic about the opportunity," Dye said. "I appreciate that I got the shot, that I actually received this chance. A lot of people didn't think, coming from the cornerback spot, that I could, that I was too small. I'm glad I got the opportunity to show myself; I'm feeling real comfortable right now."
Both are focused on limiting the bad over making the good. At this point, a blown coverage is more damaging than a quick pick-six is helpful.

And the biggest mistakes, Dye said, are in the eyes.

"Bad eyes is a real thing at the safety position," Dye said. "You're keying the tight end, and if he releases, it's a pass. If he stays in, it's to block. A lot of safeties get away from that. They won't pay attention to the tight end.

"They'll make wrong run reads and get thrown over the top. To minimize all those mistakes, you have to have great eyes."

I think in terms of raw talent whoever takes over at this position will bring more to the table than Brett Lockett. However, I do think early on we are going to have to be patient because of their lack of experience. They are going to make some mistakes and we will have to live through it. Key for them will be to roll with the punches and develop the same way Norris and Lockett did last season.

As for rest of the guys in the depth chart we need to take note of Courtney Vinney and truh freshmen Sheldon Price and Marlon Pollard. From Sam Saig at All Pac-10 Blog:

The most experienced corner besides Verner has only played for one season and it’s sophomore Courtney Viney. Last season, Viney played mostly as a nickel back and finished with 17 tackles while also contributing on special teams. Two years ago, he was the Scout Team Player of the Year.

At 5-8 160 pounds, Viney is small even by cornerback standards, but he plays with aggressive determination and never stops coming. Coaches have praised Viney for his competitiveness and work ethic. He has tremendous leaping ability, and the quickness to cover an opposing team’s speediest receiver. Viney is also a surprisingly good tackler with deceptive strength. The Fresno (CA) native was given four-star recognition from Scout.com while he was at Edison High School. [...]

The 6-2 163 pound Price has a long frame and should put on considerably more weight during his career. He has wasted little time impressing the coaches, and could become a pivotal part of the defensive backfield as the season progresses.

Price provides the Bruins with another corner (along with Hester) that can cover taller receivers. The Chino Hills (CA) product was given 4-star recognition by Rivals.com, and was a PrepStar All-American selection while at Bishop Amat High School.

The 6-0 158 pound Pollard also has a lot of physical developing to do, but he has been very impressive this fall. He is an explosive athlete with great ball skills and also possesses excellent quickness. Rivals and Scout.com rated him as a 4-star prospect, and he was also a PrepStar All-American selection. The San Bernardino (CA) native could factor in for the Bruins as a nickel back and on special teams.

Price and Pollard are building blocks for the future. Both of those guys will most likely be redshirting this Fall.

Also, per Saig other players competing for time this Fall Campu are freshmen Brandon Sermons, Stan McKay, Andrew Abbott, Alex Mascarenas, and senior Aaron Ware. I have heard great feedback on McKay who apparently has been dishing out some serious hits on Bruin receivers at Spaulding. Also, remeber ATV gave Mascarenas a shout out during his summer blogging in last few weeks. Sermons is a talented recruit and Abbott has been persistent with his fiery competitive spirit out at Spaulding. As for ware, no doubt he will be looking to go out on a great note in his last year at UCLA. I think he will be ready to step up if he is called upon this year at the Rose Bowl.

So in conclusion, this is definitely the deepest position in terms of talent in our defense. I am fired up to see what kids like Hester, Dye and (a healthy) Love can do this year to complement ATV and Moore. I think if our defenise fron-7 can stay healthy and they can gel together early on with this unit, we could be looking at a fun year for Bruin defense. I am sure these guys are going to be antsy to come out and make a statement early on against San Diego State. If the youngsters can get off to a good start, it is going to bode really well for us rest if the season.

GO BRUINS.

Tracking the Kansas City Chiefs' Draft Interests

Chris Thorman — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:04:48 -0000

*Updated April 22, 2009

Private Workout/Visit	Spoke with at Senior Bowl/Combine	Attended Pro Day	Rumored interest	Scouted in person during 2008 season	Local Pro Day Attendees
G Roger Allen (Mo. Western, Rd. 7)	QB Nathan Brown (Central Arkansas, Rd. 6)	OLB Jason Williams (Western Illinois, Rd. 3-4)	OG Marlon Davis (Alabama, Rd. 7)	T Michael Oher (Ole Miss, Rd. 1)	QB Josh Freeman (K-State, Rd. 1-2)
DE Connor Barwin (Cinncinati, Rd. 1-2)	LB Rey Maualuga (USC, Rd. 1)	University of Georgia	LB Jasper Brinkely (S. Carolina, Rd. 4-5)	CB Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio St. Rd. 1)	LB Mike Rivera (KU, Rd. 7)
WR Taurus Johnson (S. Florida, Rd. 7)	WR Mike Wallace (Ole Miss, Rd. 5)	Georgia Tech University (Likely)	FB Jerome Johnson (Nevada-Reno, Rd. 7)	LB Rey Maualuga (USC, Rd. 1)	WR Tommy Saunders (MU, Rd. 7)
DE Everette Brown (FSU, Rd. 1)	QB Pat White (WVU, Rd. 2-3)	LSU (Likely)	OG/C Lawrence Lovell (Stony Brook)	LB Brian Cushing (USC, Rd. 1)	LB Brock Christopher (MU, Rd. 7)
DT Ricky Jean-Francois (LSU, Rd. 4)	OLB Brian Cushing (USC, Rd. 1)	University of Tennessee	LB Derek Nicholson (FSU)	CB Mike Mickens (Cincinnati, Rd. 2-3)	K Jeff Wolfert (MU, Rd. 7)
OT Jason Smith (Baylor, Rd. 1)	CB Keenan Lewis (Oregon St.), Rd. 3	PK Ryan Succop (Univ. South Carolina, Rd. 7)	SS Bret Lockett (UCLA, Rd. 7)	LB Aaron Curry (Wake Forest, Top 5)	G Roger Allen (Missouri Western, Rd. 7)
LB Mike Rivera (KU, Rd. 7)	DT Fili Moala (USC, Rd. 2-3)	TE Rob Myers (Utah State, Rd. 7)	CB Vince Anderson (Webber International University)	T Eugene Monroe (Virginia, Rd. 1)	TE Darius Hill (Ball St. Rd. 7)
TE Anthony Hill (NC State, Rd. 5-6)	OT Alex Boone (Ohio State Rd. 5-6)	Ole Miss (Ole Miss) Rd. 1	DE Tyson Jackson (LSU, Rd. 1)	DT B.J. Raji (Boston College, Rd. 1)	TE Chase Coffman (MU, Rd. 2-3)
LB Aaron Curry (Wake Forest, Top 5)	OT Andrew Gardner (Georgia Tech, Rd. 5-6)	University of Iowa (Likely)	WR Quinten Lawrence (McNeese St., Rd. 7)	TE Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St., Rd. 1)
DL Sammie Lee Hill (Stillman College, Rd. 5-6)	OT/G Cornelius Lewis (Tennessee State, Rd. 6)	USC	Chase Patton (MU, Rd.7)
OT Eben Britton (Arizona, Rd. 1-2)	OT Michael Oher (Ole Miss, Rd. 1)	Stephen F. Austin	WR Austin Collie (BYU, Rd. 4)
DE Jarron Gilbert (San Jose St., Rd. 2-3)	OLB DeAndre Levy (Wisconsin, Rd. 6-7)	University of Alabama	LB Mike Maresh (NDSU)
NT Sen'Derrick Marks (Auburn, Rd. 2-3)
OT Gerald Cadorgon (Penn. State, Rd. 3)
OT Cornelius Lewis (Tenn. St., Rd. 6)
OT Lawrence Lovell (Stony Brook U., Rd. ???)
LB Clint Sintim (Virginia, Rd. 2)
DE Paul Kruger (Utah, Rd. 3)
WR Mike Thomas (Arizona, Rd. 2-3)
TE Richard Quinn (North Carolina, Rd. 5)
DE Brian Orakpo (Texas, Rd. 1)
LB James Laurinaitis (Ohio St., Rd. 1-2)
K Robbie Dehaze (NAU, Rd. 7)
RB Javarris Williams (Tenn. St., Rd. 5-6)
LB Rey Maualuga (USC, Rd. 1)
LB Larry English (Northern Illinois, Rd. 1-2)
DB Vince Anderson (Webber International University, Rd. 7)
RB Andre Brown (NC State, Rd. 2-3)
CB Darius Butler (UConn, Rd. 1-2)

Good afternoon to you all on a beautiful (at least where I am) Saturday (It's Saturday, right?) afternoon. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the NFL draft is approaching.

The table above lists all of the Kansas City Chiefs' draft interests we've been able to dig up (This is not intended to be a comprehensive list), arranged by four different categories. I've linked back to the stories on AP citing those sources for legitimacy. Take the categories as seriously as you want. Obviously, the private workouts are probably the most legitimate, although you have guys like Mike Rivera from KU who are only going to the Chiefs little local Pro Day in mid-April that is for KC-area prospects.

After today, I'm going to feature this story and there will be a permanent link in the left sidebar to this so we can access it at anytime. We'll also be updating this list as new prospects connected to the Chiefs come up.

And one more thing, please let us know in the comment section if we missed anyone. Thanks!

Cal Numbers & Notes: Matchup v Bear Offense & Special Teams

Nestor — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:00:08 -0000

Let’s follow up with our notes on Cal’s defense with a look at the Bear’s offense, which is one of the most explosive in the conference. Although they are coming into this game on a down note, they might be well set up for a potential explosion against the Bruin defense. Here are the three story lines I am picking up heading into this weekend’s game: 1) the status of Jahvid Best, 2) the ongoing QB drama involving Longshore and Riley, and 3) Walker’s ability to scheme against Tedford.

Before we get into those issues here are the numbers matching up Bruin’s defense v. Bear offense including conference rankings.

Bruin Defense	08 Rank	Per Game	Bear Offense	08 Rank	Per Game
Rushing Defense	8	182.57	Rushing Offense	5	168.33
Pass Defense	3	175.43	Pass Offense	5	245.50
Pass Eff. Defense	6	120.97	Pass Eff. Offense	5	125.91
Total Defense	6	358.00	Total Offense	4	413.83
Scoring Defense	8	29.14	Scoring Offense	4	37.33

Right now the biggest concern for the Bruin defense is how it will stack up against Cal’s rushing attack. Given what we have seen from last two games, we have reasons to be concerned about our rush defense. The situation could go to bad from worse depending on the status of Jahvid Best, who might be the most explosive running back the Pac-10 has since Reggie Bush. Best dislocated his elbow earlier in the season. He played last weekend and sat out the second half, but according to Miller’s latest report he is feeling "really good":

"It's been positive the last couple of days," Tedford said. "I think it was more muscle issues. His elbow felt pretty good on Sunday and [Monday] he came in and said it felt really good."

Even if Best is not in 100 percent, Cal can still field a devastating big play ground game thanks to his backup Shane Vereen. Jonathan Okanes noted in MercuryNews.com earlier this month how the freshman from Valencia had stepped up in Best’s absence:

Vereen has been consistently productive and occasionally brilliant in his second-string role this season. The 5-foot-10, 192-pound Vereen is averaging 69.8 yards per game and eight yards per carry. He also has 10 catches for 44 yards.

His 81-yard touchdown run helped seal the Bears' season-opening win over Michigan State. And after Best reeled off an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play against Washington State, Vereen later scored on an impressive 39-yard touchdown run in which he spun out of a tackle by a defensive back.

"He really has it all," Cal Coach Jeff Tedford said. "He can run between the tackles, and he has some speed when he gets into the open area. He catches the ball as well as receivers catch the ball. He's a great all-around back."

Here are Vereen’s latest stats. He is averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He is also a threat (like Best) as a receiver out of the backfield as he has caught 16 passes for almost 100 yards. Tedford loves to get these guys in open spaces and kill opposing defenses with mismatches. And considering the lack of experience in our back-7, it’s not good new for DeWayne Walker. Here is what Walker had to say wrt to containing Best and Vareen:

"We can't let them out of the cage," UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. "They get out and they're gone. This is different than any backs we've seen. These are speed guys. They can hit it and get it."

Our defense can’t let Best or Vareen get in open spaces. Walker sounded off the same note:

No matter who runs the ball for Cal, Walker expects the game plan to be the same.

"They are going to try to catch us in space and we have to keep them as confined as possible," Walker said. "If we let them out, we could have some problems

Big trouble would be an understatement.

Best and Vereen also get to run behind an OL, which was expected to be one of the best if not the best in the conference. From Rivals.com’s season preview:

STRONGEST AREA: Mack leads a line that returns three starters and was among the most productive in the league. Cal allowed the fewest sacks in the Pac-10 last season and blocked for 1,500-yard back Justin Forsett. Gaurd Noris Malele is a three-year starter, and senior Mike Tepper moves to left tackle after starting on the right side last season.

The question mark around Cal right now is which QB this line will be blocking for on Saturday. Per Miller’s report earlier this week both Longshore and Riley were going to get equal reps in practices:

"Our quarterback situation will be the same as last week as far as they will get equal reps during the week and we'll see how the week goes to see who's going to start," Tedford said.

Their numbers are about the same. However, the sentiment around Bay Area seems to be in favor of Riley (or against Longshore):

The time has come for Tedford to bench Longshore and commit to Riley as the starter, for this week and for the rest of the season. No more week-to-week decisions.

Longshore’s erratic, shrinking performance in the 42-27 loss at Arizona was the final piece of evidence, and it was overwhelming.

How much more does Tedford need to see? How many more second-half meltdowns does Cal need to experience? How many more game-changing interceptions does Longshore need to throw?

He’s making the same mistakes — the exact same mistakes, in the same stadium, against the same team, on the same kind of throws — that he made two years ago. He has not learned; he has not gotten better; and the results are the same.

This is no knock on Longshore personally. It’s a football assessment and a football assessment only. His numbers, his performances and the losses under his command speak for themselves.

Tedford has to commit to Riley and live through the inevitable ups and downs that come with playing a sophomore quarterback.

That was from Jon Wilner, who laid out a strong case for why Riley should be Tedford’s starting QB for rest of the season.

From Bruin’s pov it doesn’t matter as much. If Longshore is in rhythm he will be able to pick apart to Bruin defense. I’d feel better about Longshore starting if the game was at the Rose Bowl, however, I think since this will be a home game, it won’t matter who starts (from UCLA’s pov) for California. Riley though could present extra headache for Walker, since our defense has had tough time with mobile QBs during Walker’s tenure at UCLA.

As for Cal’s receiving corps, they don’t have a go to guy like DeSean Jackson this season. Right now Jahvid Best is their team’s leading receiver with 18 catches (tied with Cameron Morrah who leads the team with 5 receiving TDs). I mentioned above about Vereen’s ability to catch it out of the backfield as well. LaReylle Cunningham and Nyan Boateng are capable of having big games (although they haven’t done it on a consistent basis to date). Last week it was Verran Tucker who stepped up out of nowhere, before Cal imploded in the third quarter. Given the issues Bruin secondary has had with Lockett and Norris’s tackling problems and Moore’s experience, tomorrow could be a perfect set up for the Cal receivers to have a huge game. That takes me to the third story line in this matchup.

I think Walker has done a pretty solid job of in game adjustments last two games against Oregon and Stanford. However, for us to have any chance in this game, our defense will have to come out in an aggressive mode from the get go. Cal’s offense is light years ahead of Stanford in terms of its explosiveness and is more dangerous than Oregon’s given that it presents multi dimensional threat no matter who is at QB.

The goals for Bruin defense in this game is pretty simply (well at least on paper). They will need to come out and tackle. They will need to stay patient ands stay with their assignments. Lastly, they will have to find a way to generate pressure on the Cal QB. If they allow the Cal QB to get in rhythm and let him pick apart the defense methodically, there is a good chance they will get BYUed tomorrow afternoon.

I wanted to finish up with a quick note on our special teams. Even though I am not doing a separate post, it can’t be emphasize enough how crucial the special teams role could be tomorrow afternoon in the game of field position. Bruins cannot allow Cal to work with short field. And once again we will point to Best:

The Bears might need Jahvid Best on kickoff returns as much as they need him in the backfield. KORs determine field position, and the Bears repeatedly started at their 25 or so. (Jeremy Ross returned four kicks for a total of 86 yards.)

Best was averaging 31.6 yards per return before his elbow injury.

In addition to being worried about Best's ability to take it to the house during returns, I'd also be worry about Syd'Quan Thompson. He can burn opposing special teams as well. And, the Bruin special team has been a point of concern all season, particularly when it comes to giving up huge returns on kickoff. For them to pull off an upset against the Bears tomorrow, they will have to minimize the sloppy job they have been doing on special teams this season covering kick returns.

I think the Bruins will have a shot tomorrow afternoon if they can replicate their Oregon performance without all those mistakes and good start from our offense. Expect Cal to come out fired up and ready to blow out Bruins out of Memorial Stadium in first few series. If the Bruins lose their composure like they did in their first road trip, it will get ugly. If they can keep this game close in the fourth quarter, I like our chances.

GO BRUINS.

More Than Words

Nestor — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:21:39 -0000

Before getting into some of my specific impressions from yesterday’s thrilling win let’s quickly reset the big picture here a bit. We now have a record of 3-4 with a conference record of 2-2. Looking back at last 7 games, the loss that really hurts right now is the one against Fresno State. Given what we have now seen from Kevin Craft (more on his clutch second half below of course), I think we would have had a good shot at winning that game if we hadn’t turned the ball over in that last drive. If we had won that game we could have probably looked at a record of 4-3 (and if we had gotten lucky at Oregon) perhaps 5-2.

Given what we have been through in terms of injury situation that pretty much wiped away an entire starting offense from last spring, lack of experienced talent in our roster , what the coaches have done is nothing short of remarkable. I am still not sure whether we are going to get to a bowl game this season. My brain tells me it’s a tall order since every game for this team will be a challenge. But it’s obvious now that when CRN and his players and coaches talk about "relentless optimism" and not giving up on this season, we are hearing more than just words:

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Time

So with that here are some thoughts from yesterday’s afternoon hear stopper. For today though, I will start with the portion from yesterday’s notes that are disconcerting before going on to the positive/inspiring moments from yesterday’s resilient win.

I will break up my negative notes in two sections. First, talking about personnel related issues then raising question about decisions (just for discussion’s sake).

So let's start with the personnel issues. Here is my question that I think is on lot of people’s mind: can we afford to stick with Kahlil Bell as our starting tailback?

Let’s first look at the numbers from yesterday: Bell had 28 yards in 11 carries (2.5 avg), while Coleman rushed for 20 yards in 4 carries (5.0 avg). For the season now Bell has rushed for 187 yards in 71 carries (2.6 avg) and 5 TDs. While Coleman to date has rushed for 191 yards in 32 carries (6.0 avg) and 1 TD.

In terms of number, right now I think it is pretty clear who has been the more productive back at least when it comes to sustaining drives and getting us into more manageable 2nd and 3rd down situations at a more consistent level. From what my eyes are seeing, it appears that Bell is playing injured. He still has the power to go straight up, but he is not as effective as he was before getting injured, when he tries to make his cuts. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the effort this kid is giving for this team and the leadership he brings to the table. But at the same time, I think we have to ask the question whether the coaches need to lessen his load a bit so that we can look at more productive options.

I think based on numbers at least it makes sense to increase the work load of Coleman a bit and also give Aundre Dean some good looks so that perhaps we can take advantage of the speed and power he brings to the table. Am I off here? One explanation I can think of about why Bell is getting more time is perhaps Chow and Palcic think he is a better option when it comes to providing Craft a little extra protection as he is more familiar with blocking schemes and in sync with our OL. They see the tapes lot more than I do and I will not question their eyes given their proven track record. However, I am still a little perplexed.

Staying on the theme of personnel issues, Bret Lockett was getting lit up against yesterday. I am sure you have seen the highlights Tele posted below and saw the block Gerhart made on the poor kid. Lockett at times looked helpless when it comes to providing help against the Stanford rushing attack. But Walker stayed with him yesterday:

After playing poorly last week at Oregon and nearly losing his job, Bruins senior strong safety Bret Lockett played so well Walker scrapped plans to use redshirt freshman Glenn Love to spell Lockett.

"It was probably the toughest week, this and the Tennessee week when I did not play (because of suspension)," Lockett said. "All the criticism and the people doubting me, but I just used it as motivation."

Lockett finished with three tackles and also forced a first-quarter fumble.

"I felt like he was playing well enough to where it was like, `OK, let's not break the rhythm,' because he's been ridiculed the whole season," Walker said. "For him to be having a little bit of success, in terms of doing his job, I thought that was important for his confidence."

I actually thought Walker had a good game scheme wise yesterday. Our tackling looked much better than it did against Oregon (and previous game) and he seemed to put our two monster DTs in best position to contain the Stanford running attack. Moreover, I think he deserves credit for the coverage our secondary provided the whole game, which completely shut down the Stanford passing game. Still that said, I would have love to see a little bit of Glenn Love at SS and see what the kid could do. It’s obvious Love can hit, as he showed in that hit during Stanford punt return leading to turnover. He is a physical player. I think it would be good to see him in there in the coming weeks and see what he can do. Again just my 2 cents because whenever I see an opposing TB bowling towards Lockett, I think I am not the only one with a lump in my throat.

Those are the two personnel issues that stick out to me for now. Now let’s get to one specific decision from yesterday’s game. Here was the sequence after UCLA had a 1st and goal on the Stanford 6 yard line towards the end of 3^rd leading to a Forbath FG:

1st and Goal at STAN 6: Chris Forcier rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Stanf 7.
2nd and Goal at STAN 7: Kevin Craft sacked for a loss of 3 yards to the Stanf 10.
3rd and Goal at STAN 10: Kevin Craft rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Stanf 11.

I will never question Chow’s over all game scheme just like I have never called out Coach Howland’s game schemes. Chow had no peer when it comes to devising schemes. None (at least in college football). But honestly just in this specific case, those three plays left me confused. Perhaps it showed he is merely human. :-) I would have loved to hear his explanation for those calls and find out what his thought process was behind those calls. I don’t write that to be snarky at all. I am genuinely curious behind what he was thinking.

So those were the negatives. Let’s pivot from the negatives to yesterday’s heroes and great storylines, and the perfect transition is this guy:

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Uh yeah … count me in as one of those who got excited when Forcier was warming up on the sidelines. I have been supportive of Kevin Craft all season and I more than understand how at this point it is probably the best decision on RN and Chow’s part to stick with this kid. But at the same time while watching the first half, the question kept popping in my head: could Forcier be any worse?

After KC fumbled in the first half, I don’t think I was the only one somewhat excited in reading CRN’s lips saying something like, "that’s it. We are going with Forcier." From CRN in today’s DN:

"There was a point in the game where I did consider it, and sometimes it gets the better of me because I'm an old quarterback and an old quarterback coach," Neuheisel said. " It was probably a little irrational on my part, but the kid, God bless him, he responded. His resiliency is one of the reasons why we're standing here with a victory. Norm calmed me down."

Two things here. First, and 66 already noted this in his as usual brilliant observations, note how CRN had no problem checking his ego and deferring to Chow. For those who have been involved in leadership positions or observing effective executive decisions, that is pretty much perfect example of how an effective CiC takes in the feedback of his trusted advisors and has the instincts to overrule himself after careful insta-analysis. That’s good stuff. Second, going back to Chow, given how KC has his trust, I think rest of Bruin Nation should have the same faith in this kid who is doing as much as he can within his athletic ability to listen to his coaches.

The last play Craft made up was a scrambling throw to backup tight end Cory Harkey, a freshman who has had a bum ankle.

It came with 10 seconds left, it was for a seven-yard touchdown, and Chow said that if Craft hadn't trusted his instincts he might have settled for a receiver who was open on the one- or two-yard line.

"The initial read Kevin wasn't real patient with," Chow said. "The initial read would have gotten us four or five yards, and we needed seven. Kevin scrambled around and made that play. If he would always trust that instinct, he's a really good player."

And it’s not just Chow, who are believing in the Bruin QB:

"He's clutch," UCLA offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani said. "I really believe he's a clutch player. When it comes down to it and it's on the line, he's going to make plays. I love blocking for him."

Craft, the son of former San Diego State coach Tom Craft, could spend the game ripping his offensive linemen for ridiculously poor protection - they allowed seven sacks against Stanford - but he doesn't.

After a roughing-the-passer penalty, lineman Jeff Baca tried to help Craft up and make sure he was OK, and Craft flung his arm away.

Craft can take a hit and bounce back on his own.

What was even more impressive was how Craft handled himself after the game. Instead of being over exuberant, he was ice cold, composed and talked about how he needs to address all the issues from first half. To me that was even more impressive on how didn’t lose perspective despite the great win.

Speaking of instincts perhaps the coaches should think about getting Craft and co in the "hurry up" no-huddle mode all game? The results kind of speak for themselves. No?

In addition to Craft’s clutch turnaround there were other heroes in our offense. From the LA Times:

UCLA wide receiver Nelson Rosario, a freshman from Oceanside who has been slowed by a sore knee, had a career-high four catches for 71 yards. One catch came over the middle where he was unfazed by the hard tackle that came immediately, and another came during UCLA's game-winning touchdown drive.

"It feels so great," Rosario said. "I think I'll get more chances as I'm healthy, and when I make catches the quarterback will have more faith in me."

Another freshman, Taylor Embree, was on the receiving end of a 43-yard pass from Craft in the third quarter -- UCLA's longest gain on a pass play this season.

In addition to Rosario and Embree, huge props go out Terrence Austin. Austin was nothing short of a warrior, leading the team with 5 receptions (for 50 yards) and catching that huge TD of Craft’s shovel pass. There was also Chane Moline’s clutch run in that last drive when he rumbled up for 17 yards on 3rd and 1. Ryan Moya also came up big with not only a huge catch, but also to have the smart instinct to run up and hustle towards the sideline to save time on the clock.

Going back to game winning touchdown the LA Times has some interesting quotes from Micah Reed on what went on in the huddle:

"I told those guys, this was a moment we could look back on down the line," Reed said.

If hindsight is 20-20, Reed's foresight turned out to be 23-20 -- the numbers favoring UCLA on the scoreboard at the end.

Craft scrambled to his right and flipped a pass to Cory Harkey, who was in the back of the end zone.

"Micah told us," guard Scott Glicksberg said. "This was a chance to move forward as a team. This makes it easier to believe in what we're doing and keep doing it."

Reggie Carter had this to say about the same play:

"I had a few tears," UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said. "After the offense scored that touchdown, my eyes watered up. You get emotional. It's hard to hold all that emotion in. Winning is fun."

I know I am probably not covering number of other details from yesterday’s game (i.e. we still need to see better coverage from our special teams) … but I can’t think of any better way to end on that note for this Sunday, before starting to focus on what will be an incredibly difficult and challenging game next weekend.

I like this team … a lot. They are making football fun (despite the frustrations we experience as fans), which I haven’t had following UCLA football since Cade left Westwood.

GO BRUINS.

Right Direction

Nestor — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:36:05 -0000

Let’s do a quick reset before getting to extended thoughts on last night’s game. Let’s take a count on what CRN and Norm Chow were working with in one of the toughest venues in college football against one of the more talented teams in the west coast:

A 3rd string JUCO transfer (playing his first year under Chow and CRN)
A hobbled starting tailback and a true freshman in Derrick Coleman
A backup fullback (Theriot out for the season)
Backup TEs (as we lost our starting TE, one of the only players on the offensive side of the ball with experience and NFL potential in first game of the season)
Backup WRs (without our senior WR who went down in the first game of the season and TA who we lost during crunch time)
4 different starters at OL from last spring (after losing three of our most talented starters - Lanis, Sheller and Kia - to an array of injuries ranging from career/season ending to nagging kind impacting effectiveness)

Basically in a sense we were fielding what might have been a scout team from this year's spring ball. And yet after all that the Bruins gave us a game, in which our hearts were beating almost to the closing mins against a team that was favored to win by almost three touchdowns on the road? So does anyone still in their right mind want to call that performance Dorrellian?

So with that out of the way, here are some thoughts on certain aspects from last night’s game. From my jotted down notes from 2 am stream of consciousness (writing down on post-its before going to sleep):

Playing to win: I have absolutely no problem with the call re. that onside kick. I find all the second guessing and Sunday morning quarterbacking of a head coach’s willingness to go for the win, after being subjected to years of timid and playing not to lose mentality that have driven us over the wall here on BN. At least here on BN we are going to appreciate a coach being fearless and going for the win. We are going to appreciate a head showing complete faith on his entire team (including on a defense which might be finding it’s away) in the most crucial moments of the game.

I haven’t seen any specific data points re. success rates on onside kicks. The only statistics I was able to look up this am was from the wiki entry pointing the 2004 success rates in the NFL which was around 24 percent. That is not very high. But it is probably not a reach to assume that success rate is a bit higher when it on side kick comes in a situation when the opposing coaches are least expecting it (would love to see some data points on that).

[UPDATE] silverlakebruin with a solid find re data points re success rates of surprise onside kick:

[T]he success rate of a surprise onside kick, one that happens prior to the fourth quarter, is 71 percent from 1997 through 2006.

Well that certainly gives support to CRN's decision.

Also, couple of more factors to consider in what kind of risk/rewards analysis CRN might have done to make that decision. Until that point of the game (except for that last drive to end the first half and Masoli’s early success in the first quarter), UCLA’s defense was adjusting pretty well. They were throttling the passing attack. I don’t think it was unreasonable for CRN to assume that even if we didn’t recover the onside kick, our defense would be able to contain Oregon’s offense to a 3 point FG (which they did after Craft’s interception resulting from TA’s scary injury). Another factor to consider, given how we have been unable to kick it deep all season routinely giving up great field position, giving up good field possession on a surprise onside kick, wasn’t really the end of the world.

In any event, it didn’t work out due to a bad call (although the bad calls evened out in another badly officiated Pac-10 game). But I am not going to second guess CRN’s decision to be aggressive and play to win by showing his faith in his young team. I love that kind of aggression and eventually balls are going to bounce our way in the coming years. This is what makes football fun.

Sticking with Craft: Speaking of second guessing, after sleeping on it, I am not finding a lot of reason to clamor for a QB change. CRN and Chow are working with what they have right now in Kevin Craft. KC to this point of the season has completed 59 percent of his passes for 1233 yards with 5 TDs and 6 picks. Yes, he had a lot of Vinney Testeverde moments from his Tampa Bay days last night. Yes, we were holding our breath at times when he was throwing it underneath. But we have to ride this out with him (even if he can’t throw deep). The cold fact is that despite being at UCLA for one extra year and having full opportunity to compete for this job since last spring, Chris Forcier hasn’t been able to charge up the depth chart (at times falling behind true freshman Kevin Prince).

Also, I can’t fault the coaches for not wanting to burn up Prince’s redshirt season unless they are totally desperate. Even with Craft’s at times erratic throws, we have been hanging in there except for one and half football games (BYU and late second half against Zona) this season. I don’t mind that all too much.

Moreover, think out loud a little bit before getting frustrated over Craft not being able to go deep last night. The Ducks’ defensive frontline was at times pile driving our OL with a 3 men rush. Jake Dean (who is giving it all he has at center) was getting driven into the turf. Baca was getting terrorized (not too surprisingly) by all Pac-10 DE like Nick Reed. It’s not like Craft had time to settle down and pick apart the Duck’s defense. He got sacked 6 times and hurried countless others. So considering the circumstances, I think he did what he could and at this point, I am going to put my complete faith in the combination of Neuheisel and Chow in their managing of Craft and UCLA’s QB position until it gets settled in next couple of years.

Clock Management at the end of the second quarter: So that brings me to the issue of clock management particularly concerning our second to last possession at the end of the first half. Here is how it went with 1:08 left in the first half and UCLA down 0-7 courtesy of WWL’s playchart:

1st and 10 at UCLA 11Derrick Coleman rush for no gain to the UCLA 11.
2nd and 10 at UCLA 11Timeout OREGON, clock 01:08.
2nd and 10 at UCLA 11Kevin Craft pass incomplete to Taylor Embree.
3rd and 10 at UCLA 11Kevin Craft rush for 1 yard to the UCLA 12.
4th and 9 at UCLA 12Timeout OREGON, clock 00:50.
4th and 9 at UCLA 12Aaron Perez punt for 40 yards out-of-bounds.
DRIVE TOTALS: UCLA drive: 3 plays 1 yards, 00:24 UCLA PUNT

I think the key here was the play on 2nd and 10.

IIRC (haven’t reviewed the tape) KC rolled out to his right and had a little bit of real estate to gain perhaps 3-5 yards. Instead he rolled it and flinged it for an incomplete pass. I think that is where it went wrong. If KC had just tucked it in (similar to a decision he didn’t make against Zona and couple of other occasions last night) and gained 3-5 yards using his feet in that play, he would have made the situation much more manageable on 3rd down. I understand even if he ran, Oregon would have taken a time out, but it still would have made the situation manageable. And I think the roll out is designed to give him the option to make the decision between going up for positive yardage and completing to an open receiver. He made the wrong call in that split second. It happens for a first year QB (Cade made lot more bonehead mistakes in his first two season, not just his first season). But those play calls by no means were bad clock management on the part of UCLA’s coaching staff.

Running back rotation: I think this is where we have some rooms for raising questions re. personnel decisions. No doubt Kahlil Bell is a warrior. The kid is giving everything he has out there but at some point the coaches need to ask the question whether it would be more productive to go with Coleman and even Dean. The only explanation I can think of coaches not trying out Dean as much is probably because he is still learning to pick up blitzes (which right now is essential given the precarious state of protection our QB is getting from the OL). Kevin and his OL need all the help they can get and if that means going with the experience of Bell (despite being wobbly) or Coleman (due to his size) over Dean, that is understandable. But in terms of getting reps, I wouldn’t mind if I see more of Coleman over Bell.

The kid runs with aggression:

Photo Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer / US Presswire (via the LA Times)

Also Moline is really coming into his own at FB and at least to this 49er fan bringing up fond memories of Tom Rathman.

Defensive adjustments: The final score doesn’t show it. The rushing totals for Oregon is cringe worthy. Still, I thought Walker coached one of his better games as UCLA DC last night. I was very impressed with the way our defense adjusted after getting stomped early on by Masoli’s read option play. Ayers finally had his much anticipated coming out party as a starter. I love this kid’s game and I think the way Walker has slowly worked him into the starting rotation is a very encouraging sign.

The question remains around the issue of tackling. Brett Lockett once again had a glaringly tough night (no hiding from the highlights on what Masoli did to him). But what can Walker really do? Replace him with Ware who was not all that effective against Tennessee? There is not a lot of options he has right now except to burn the red shirt years of E.J. Woods or try out someone like Love. But I rather have those kids red shirt and get physically ready for next season, instead of exposing them to D-1 speed and ferocity as a true freshman. Ask any Washington fans about how Willingham has ravaged his depth chart by burning through his freshmen’s redshirt seasons. Again, I don’t really have any answers here except for hoping that somehow Lockett will be able to get it together rest of this season.

Still, give all the adversity this team has gone through (outlined at the very top of this post), I am feeling pretty good about where we are as a team. After the massacre in Provo, I am seeing unmistakable progression on both sides of the ball from game to game. The game to game improvement will still likely not result in a winning season, but now more than ever I am confident we are headed towards the right direction.

Now the challenge remains is to build on the positives. One of the more encouraging aspects from last night’s game was Watson’s sideliner report that the offense was upset even after scoring the final TD to make the game close in the waning mins. I like the fact that the team wasn’t smiling or hamming it up after a moral victory, instead showing the same kind of angst and frustration we kept seeing in the faces of AA and JF in their first season at UCLA. This is going to take a long time but now after few weeks, the signs are there that this team is taking one positive steps after another. Hopefully they will have a chance to take another a big one by flipping the scoreboard in our favor next Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Wazzu Week: No Time For Bruins To Get Comfortable

Nestor — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:00:05 -0000

If anyone is feeling comfortable about this weekend’s game just remember this note from last season. Last season Washington State was coming off a humiliating 7-53 loss against Oregon and 1-4 record in the Pac-10 (3-5) to take on UCLA. We know what took place in Pullman after that. It was us who left that place humiliating as the Cougars beat us up by a score of 27-7. Cougars’ RB Dwight Tardy ran all over UCLA defense (which was decent last season) by rushing for 214 yards in 37 carries. Here is the box score if any one has the stomach to go through it again.

Dwight Tardy is back as he is looking to make a comeback from a major knee surgery from this past season. He leads the team in rushing (250 yards in 66 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per carry). You can bet Tardy and the Cougar OL will be closely looking at the game film from this year’s UCLA defense which has posted some disconcerting numbers to date. More on that below.

Tardy is not the only RB Cougars have at their disposal. They also have Christopher Ivory who according to the bloggers at CougCenter “has shown the same difficult-to-tackle rushing ability that Jacquizz Rodgers showed” against Southern Cal. Ivory to date has rushed for 136 yards in 28 carries. So given that combination it would not be prudent for Walker’s front-7 to overlook these guys, especially considering how leaky our rushing defense has been so far this young season.

Meanwhile, the Cougar offense has other skill players that Wazzu fans are lot more excited about. Once again here is Grady from CougCenter (one of our latest colleagues in the SBN network, who have shown great composure and poise blogging about the Cougars in an incredibly difficult season they are experiencing in their ead coach’s first season). Anyway, Grady is excited about Brandon Gibson, the team’s leading WR and Marshall Lobbestael, the freshmen QB who has gotten a lot of a action in last two games:

1. Brandon Gibson - Of all of the players on the roster, only one seems to show NFL potential on a weekly basis. Gibson appears to have shaken off his case of the dropsies from the Oklahoma State game and is rounding back into form as one of the conference's elite receivers. He is on pace for another 1,000 yard season, although he probably won't repeat his outrageous 17.6 yards/catch average from 2007. And he's doing it while being the focus of the defense, and without current Seahawk Michael Bumpus at his side.

2. Marshall Lobbestael - First there's the nickname factor. You can call him "The Lobster", "Rock Lobster", "Ocho Rojo", or "The best FBS quarterback in the state of Washington now that Jake Locker is hurt". Either way, he has more good nicknames than Brink, Rogers and Lopina ever had, combined. Also, it turns out he's a decent QB. We may have a slightly unhealthy pseudo-obsession with Ocho Rojo here, but he's backing up the hype: he's the only Cougar QB with a positive TD/INT ratio (4:3), and is averaging 6.2 yards per pass attempt (remember, per attempt, not completion). Which begs the question: why the heck aren't we throwing it more?

Obviously this team is struggling and lot of those numbers were piled up courtesy of Portland State. However, once I will repeat again that it will be very foolish for our defense to get complacent and over look this team.

Tardy based on his last year’s success against a more talented Bruin defense is going to look to spike his numbers up against a defense which to date has given up 37.5 points per game. The defense so far has given up 679 yards in rushing with an average of 4.41 yards per carry [See cfbstats.com]. Those are not pretty numbers because the soft defense against opponent’s rushing attack has repeatedly put the opposing offenses in comfortable 3rd down situations and a lot of pressure on our young secondary.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Cougar defense is hurting up front. Nuss at Cougars center offered up the following simple explanation for their defensive struggles:

Without a doubt, this team has its fair share of problems at the moment. But none is more glaring -- or more damaging to the Cougs' chances of winning -- than the horrendous play of the defensive line, which is shaping up to be one of the worst in school history.

It starts with the tackles, A'i Ahmu and Matt Eichelberger, who are proving that they don't belong anywhere near a Pac-10 football field. Not only are both fat and slow, neither is very strong. Same goes for defensive ends Kevin Kooyman, Matt Mullennix and Andy Mattingly, who I suppose at least are trim and fit while not being very strong.

The result is all four being washed out on virtually every running play, unable to ever hold a gap at the point of attack. Consider the chain reaction this causes, which is practically fatal to this team's chances of ever stopping anyone against the run.

In some ways the problem the Cougar defense is having sounds kind of similar to what we are experiencing in Westwood. The struggles of our starting DEs and LBs (sans Carter) is also making our defense susceptible to the opponent’s rushing attack, while forcing secondary to make way more than their share of tackles. Currently the list of our top-5 tacklers include ATV, Lockett (even after missing a game) and Rahim Moore. That’s a not a good sign.

Going back to the Cougar’s defense, it will be imperative for our OL to come in with total focus and determination in this game. Let’s hope they are not patting themselves too much in the back following the encouraging performances from last two weeks. They will have to come into this game with a mean, nasty streak, and look to impose their will on a Cougars front-7, which by all accounts have been struggling this season.

Again, the Cougars are coming into Rose Bowl arguably in lot worse shape (and with out the luxury of a bye week to prepare for UCLA). Yet as we have reminded in our early morning notes today, it would be foolish to look past these guys given what they have done to us recently at the Rose Bowl embarrassing the Bruins in 2006 (35-15) and 2004 (when a 5-6 Wazzu team beat UCLA by a score of 31-29). Our guys will have to come in and get off to a good start. Otherwise, if they let these guys hang in the game early on, based recent history you can bet the Cougars will do everything they can to take advantage of their rare opportunity to grab a victory this season.

Bottom line, it is no time to get comfortable for our team or our fans.

GO BRUINS.

Hope

Nestor — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:59:22 -0000

Let’s build on Class of 66’s post game thoughts because I found myself nodding with most of what he wrote. Now that I have had some time to think about it and replay the two in game situations (call to for it on 4th and 1 and the decision to accept the holding penalty that put Fresno State at a 3rd and 22), I find myself completely as peace with the decisions CRN made on those two situations.

The bottom line here is CRN played to win. That is my kind of head coach who will always go for it based on calculated decisions. As 66 explained, both of those decisions were well calculated given the circumstances at the time. Kicking it on 4t and 1 would have been the Dorrellian thing to do. And we know what it feels like to play it safe during last few years.

However, that said right now unlike lot of fans who are being rough on DeWayne Walker for the defense’s performance from last three games, I am not all that upset with what is going on. I really believe Walker’s hands are kind of tied given what he is working with. Let me see if I can explain what I am seeing, while watching our defense. From what I am seeing Walker is in a very tough situation.

It’s obvious right now that the opposing offenses are having their way with our defense by carving it up underneath. QBs like Max Hall and Tom Brandstater have simply killed our offense in that proverbial "death by thousand cuts" (a feeling that unfortunately we became familiar with during the Donahue era). It seems like right now they have all the time they need to sit back and pick their targets, and pick apart our secondary. But what can Walker really do? Let’s take a look at our front-7 again.

We have two incredible talents in Brian Price and Brigham Harwell. Those two are amazing and are doing what they can to seal up the middle. And backing them at LB Reggie Carter is doing what he can to fly all over the field. But besides those three, Walker is having a difficult time putting together a combination that can generate sustained pressure on the opposing QB or contain the opposing RBs when they go outside. Right now from what I am seeing it seems like Blake (Senior LE), Hale (Senior SLB), and Korey Bosworth (Junior RE) are having a rough time out there. Steve Sloan, a RS Frosh starting his second game at Mike. It’s not because of lack of effort on any of their part. They are playing their hearts out but right now getting out toughed by the opposing offense.

It is clear right now that this defense is sorely lacking the athleticism, experience and toughness of Bruce Davis, Justin Hickman, Christian Taylor, Trey Brown, Dennis Keyes, and Chris Horton. At this point Walker is in a lose-lose proposition. I can sense why he is reluctant to blitz because he is not sure if his young CBS can lock down the opposing receivers, the same way Brown, ATV, Keyes and Horton were doing last couple of years. While up front Blake, Hale, Bosworth et al are not being able to complement the inside toughness of DTs with, the effective speed rush we saw courtesy of Hickman and Davis from last couple of seasons. Remember those guys – Davis, Hickman, Brown, Horton, Keyes, Taylor – they came along in their junior and senior seasons at UCLA. Growing/developing into effective football players take time at D-1 level. It sucks that the defense of last two years were completely wasted because of the total cluelessness on offense. But there is no need to go over that Dorrellian offense again.

We have had some really tough words for Walker here on BN, especially during the toxic times of Dorrell era, and the campaign for the head coach (when things got heated and emotional after a decade of train wreck). However, folks cannot dismiss how Walker improved the defense from the Larry Kerr era (another Dorrell fiasco). I think Walker is a good DC. He has the potential of being an elite DC if he can show in next two years, his ability to figure out the spread/multi dimensional offenses in college football, using the talent he has brought into our program. And I think there is a good chance he will develop into one as he will get more and more support from the developing offense from the other side of the ball (which he didn’t get last two seasons), and the new talent matures by next season (hopefully).

For the short term though, I wouldn’t mind if he gives the news guys more chances. One of the bright spots from yesterday was the play of Akeem Ayers. From what I am seeing, it seems like Ayers brings so much more speed and athleticism at Sam LB than Hale. Seems like every time he was lining up he was in the middle of the action. I think it would also be worth pondering whether any of the new cubs – Dye or Hester – would be better options than Courtney Vinney. Again from what I was seeing, it seemed like Vinney was having a "rough" time. This was not the first time Vinney was struggling. It has been a pattern since the Tennessee game. Same goes for our safeties. I think if Lockett doesn’t step up in next couple of weeks, it might be worth considering starting our other young safeties, getting them ready for next season. We will see how they come out and respond against Washington State next weekend.

On to some of the great positives from yesterday. There were lots of them. Here are just some, I jotted down while watching the game:

It’s obvious how our OL has been improving. However, we should note that yesterday’s performance came against a Fresno State defense that was struggling against ground attacks, and was missing two of their best DLs. Still a tremendous effort by Coach Palcic’s unit. It was especially heartening to see that performance given how the OL so freaking young featuring true frosh such as Baca and sophomore such as Jake Dean. They were terrific.
It was great to see Kahlil Bell back. Hopefully in couple of weeks he will be back in full form. You can sense he needs to get in little more game shape. And I am digging what I am seeing from Derrick Coleman. I don’t really care about that last fumble. That happens. Watch the replay. He had his shoulder down and was taking care of the ball. It was just a great hit by the Fresno defender. I simply love how the kid doesn’t mess around and just explodes forward.
How about that end of the half 2 minute drill? That was a methodical drive upward with 46 seconds left, which didn’t depend on desperation or athletic skills of freaks like MJD. I haven’t seen a Bruin offense march up the field with such composure with clock winding down, since the days of number 18.
Speaking of methodical, the offensive play calling was a delight. I was I enjoying the package Chow put together featuring roll outs, options to Kahlil Bell, reverse, runs to the outside, draw plays. Man … just mouthwatering stuff and gets you even thirstier when you imagine that offense with little more experience and talent.
Speaking of talent, welcome Terrence Austin!!! Now please don’t leave. Stick around, stay steady and play with same kind of swagger and confidence rest of the season.
Taylor Embree is a rock star. I have never cared about glowing practice reports that we read from beat reporters or message boards. But all that hype we read about how this kid doesn’t drop a ball (knock on wood so that we are not jinxing him) is true and then some. This kid is a natural. In some ways he reminds me of Danny Farmer and Sean Lachappelle. Whatever is thrown at his direction, he comes up with it.
Kevin Craft was steady. Except for a play or two he was steady throughout the day and play within himself. And I also think he has more ability than people give him credit for. Let's hope he keep this up.
As for the special teams, it was infuriating to see that first punt return for TD. However, other than that I though the unit was somewhat steady (not including Austin’s spectacular afternoon) and also provided a huge boost courtesy of that extra point block.

So there we are. That’s what I have for now. In some ways this am, I am not as down as I was following the Arizona and BYU game. I still think there is a good chance (a very good one) that this team is going to struggle rest of the season and end up with 3-9 record or something worse, given the situation described re our defense. I am not sure we have the horses to win shootouts after shootouts. However, what I am more than encouraged from last three weeks is that the team overall is moving towards positive direction. Now if it can take care of business against another desperate team (which it has a very tough time with in recent years) next weekend, it will give us more reasons to hope to keep moving towards the positive direction rest of the season.

Here is to HOPE:

Photo Credit: Louis Sinco (Los Angeles Times)

We have seen enough to keep us charged with it rest of the way.

GO BRUINS.

Notes on Wildcats: Preparing For Air Zona's Offensive Assault

Nestor — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:30:04 -0000

In our first look at Arizona last night, we noted how Sonny Dykes, Wildcats’ OC had called out Willie Tuitama after his nightmarish game against New Mexico. A day later it looks Sonny walked back from his previous comments and took the responsibility (similar to Dewayne Walker mentioning how he had to take a good look at his own game scheme for BYU) for last weekend’s offensive malfunction:

"I didn't do a good job of calling the game when things didn't go well," Dykes said. "We got away from the game plan a little bit instead of staying with what we do and we got a little frantic."

Arizona will look to manage the game better against UCLA on Saturday. Kickoff is noon at the Rose Bowl.

That means if the Bruins get a quick lead, don't count on UA abandoning the run and focusing only on the pass.

"Willie had to throw some better passes, but it was definitely more me than him managing that game," Dykes said. "Against that defense, you have to stay balanced and run the ball more. We sort of played right into their hands and threw more than we should have. I didn't do a good job."

Tuitama completed 27 of 50 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, but also had his first two interceptions of the season and two lost fumbles while staying in the pocket too long.

Well the matchup between Tutitama’s offense and the Bruin defense is going to very interesting to watch for couple of reasons:

Which unit will bounce back after its humiliating outing from the previous weekend?
How will Walker’s unit with serious questions re. its size and speed will be able to handle an explosive QB, who has a history of lighting it up against the Bruin defense.

From the article linked above:

A more traditional defense will be faced this week, although the Bruins might try more blitzing than normal after seeing New Mexico's success.

Tuitama has had success against UCLA. The senior completed 21 of 35 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns a year ago in a 34-27 victory and he orchestrated a 52-14 triumph over the then No. 7-ranked Bruins in 2005 in Tucson.

To be fair the 2005 meltdown took place under Larry Kerr’s watch. Walkers defense did have an impressive performance against Zona two years ago at the Rose Bowl, when it knocked out Tutitama out of the game. Also that was the game when the Cats also knocked out Ben Olson with a cheap shot, which started the string of regular season injuries hobbling the Bruin QB for last two years.

Well the Bruin defense can expect a physical effort from the Zona offense, which will be led by Mike Thomas, the prolific senior WR who has lit up the score board early this season as he leads the conference receivers with 8.7 catches and 100.7 yards per game and is fourth with 138.7 yards of total offense per game. Ryan Finely from the Arizona Daily Star has more on Thomas’ early season success:

The key to Thomas' success, coaches said, is strength and balance. Thomas has added 25 pounds of muscle to his 5-foot-8-inch frame since coming to the UA in 2005. He has also worked with strength coach Corey Edmond on improving his balance.

And Thomas has switched positions, moving from the outside to slot receiver's spot for his senior season. The position switch allows Thomas to run through holes and maneuver as he gets upfield. His improved balance allows him to take hits as glancing blows.

Take Saturday's touchdown catch: Thomas caught a 2-yard pass from quarterback Willie Tuitama on the short side of the field.

Freshman Juron Criner provided a crushing block, giving Thomas a hole to run through. He split two defenders, juked UNM's DeAndre Wright at the 10-yard line and — after getting hit by the Lobos' Blake Ligon at the 5 — stumbled, spun and fell backside-first into the end zone.

"You're not going to knock him down, he's so physical," Stoops said.

Those notes should put Lockett, Moore, ATV, Norris and rest of the Bruin secondary on Def Con 4 mode. BYU receivers man handled and humiliated those kids last Saturday. I don’t buy the fact that it was due to some kind of lack of effort. I think last week these guys got blown away in a perfect storm which was a result of a combination of a pin point, relentless surgical Cougar attack, questionable defensive strategy (as Walker admitted himself) allowing BYU receivers to have room to operate with, and the experience edge receivers like Pitta and Collie had over the Bruin secondary.

Well, this week once again the Wildcats will have an edge in experience because they are going to bring in an offense that returns all but one starter. Also despite their stumble against New Mexico the Zona offense has put up very good numbers. Currently they are second in conference in scoring (46.3 pts/game), fourth in rushing (161.7 per game), and third in passing (292.0 yards per game). We have mentioned the impressive start of Michael Thomas above. QB Tuitama has also put up some good numbers as he is third in conference in passing yardage (792 yards), while RB Grigsby is leading the conference in rushing with 376 yards (avg. 6.6 yards per carry). I get that lot of those numbers were piled up against programs like Toledo and Idaha, but given our performance from the last week and the reality with our personnel issues, we'd be foolish to discount those stats. Plus there is that recent history referenced above.

So for the Bruin defense to step up, it will be imperative for Walker to figure out how to disrupt the Arizona offense making sure he can get his guys to bring some serious heat on Tuitama. Otherwise, if he gets the same amount of time as Max Hall did to make up his decisions, it will be another long Saturday for our defense. While we will need the Killer Bs to seal up the middle and not allow the Zona to get a running game going, the outside LBers and the DEs will have to help out Carter in making sure they don’t pile up chunks of yardage by rushing to the outside. This will be a good time for the Bruin defense to get back to the basics of solid tackling not allowing Zona backs and receivers any extra yards.

I haven’t seen the line for this game yet. But honestly given what these two teams have accomplished in recent years and the talent level on our offense, I see this game as a toss up as the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins want to start the Pac-10 season on a winning note they will have to bring the same intensity and focus they showed on defense against Tennessee. If they can combine that with composure on offense by cutting down on turnovers, they will have a chance to regain some lost momentum this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Culture Change

Nestor — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:00:04 -0000

As Bruins get set for their next game, Rick Neuheisel and his players directly addressed the need for changing a culture that has sustained the mediocrity of this football program last five years. Given his pre-existing friendship with Karl Dorrell, CRN addressed the issue in a diplomatic way:

"I'm careful, because when you change the culture, it is as if you don't think the one before was good enough," Neuheisel said. "I'm sensitive to my friend Karl Dorrell. But we've got to get an expectation level that we're going to play to, and that doesn't happen by talk but by working toward it."

However, Brigham Harwell, who has emerged as the key leader of CRN’s first team at UCLA was lot more direct:

"Before if we lost a game like this, on the plane ride players would be joking, acting like we won," senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "After this loss, the bus ride and the plane ride, everyone was quiet."

Harwell called for a players-only meeting after Neuheisel spoke to the team Sunday night. Harwell and other seniors spoke, stressing greater commitment.

"When I was a kid watching the Bruins on TV they had great teams that played great games," Harwell said. "I think it faded away a little bit in the four years I've been here. You could sense that the players were not into it, and we were taking tough losses. This year, it's a different feeling."

If that is not a direct indictment on the prior regime, I am not sure what is. Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise has more on the player only meeting:

"Guys spoke up and said what was on our minds," Harwell said. "Yesterday, it was a good feeling.

"If you saw how hard we worked in the offseason, you would think we should be the best team in the country. We worked too hard. This is my senior year, and I won't let this happen again. We came too far, we have the staff, everything is supposed to be perfect.

"I am going to make sure this team won't fall off."

Harwell said that the focus now needs to be on Arizona and having a good week of practice, something that the Bruins certainly didn't do a week ago in preparation for the BYU game.

One of the ways to change the previous culture is for both coaches and players sharing responsibility when results don’t break they way. In the past we have had lot of consternation here on BN when we have seen football coaches call out our players without taking any responsibility. After the BYU game (judging from our comment threads here and elsewhere), few folks were a little uncomfortable concerning Walker’s comments on ATV’s failure to provide tight coverage on Collie. Well, it looks like folks can rest easy, because from the comments today it is clear that following the game, Walker took the Howland route of staying up to watch game films (and taking responsibility) instead of infamous KD route of "sleeping well":

When the Bruins returned from the 59-0 trouncing at BYU on Saturday night, Walker went straight to the football offices to watch film. He stayed there until 1 a.m.

Walker wasn't alone. Carter and strong safety Bret Lockett each headed straight to the film room.

"The first thing I'm going to question is the scheme, and what could I have done differently," Walker said. "As a staff, we've kind of reverted back to our first year. We've cut back on some things, because you've got a young group."

Walker added the defensive staff will get back to basics in preparation for Arizona (2-1), which is coming off a stunning 36-28 loss at New Mexico.

"You kind of get sucker-punched a little bit because no one expected (the BYU loss), but you still have to counter-punch it," Walker said. "The defensive staff is all about `What can we do to help them, even more so.' "

Needless to say that is very encouraging to hear from DW. Also wrt to the defense due to injury issues we are going to see some shuffling around in the LB core. Due to Kyle Bosworth’s injury (who has a partially torn ligament and could be out for couple of weeks), Walker could move Carter to Will LB and have red shirt freshman Steve Sloan start at Mike. The other possible combo is to have Josh Edwards at Will and keep Carter at Mike. Should be very interesting how it plays against Arizona on Saturday.

Going back to the topic of culture change, as we have said here on BN, it is unrealistic for all of us to expect this to take place within just one year. However, we can certainly expect CRN to chip away in making his players believe the program is heading towards the right direction:

Asked whether he could change that culture, Neuheisel said, "They have to buy into it. Results are the easiest way to be all in, but results aren't always guaranteed. . . . You have to believe we're on the right track and we're going to continue in that direction."

As for those who have been snickering at the "relentless positive" mantra of CRN, well he let the press core know about one of the main sources of his inspiration:

" 'Long before any championships were won at UCLA, I came to understand that losing is only temporary and not all-encompassing," Neuheisel said, reading from the letter Wooden wrote him. " 'You must simply study it, learn from it and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it.' "

So CRN is leading this program through the words of John R. Wooden. I for one cannot think of a more appropriate approach for any leader a football coach at UCLA.

GO BRUINS.