SB Nation - Chane Moline

Some Thoughts On UCLA's Offense

Nestor — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:35:24 -0000

JetSki needs to carry the ball around campus rest of school year

The bowl picture remains cloudy for us and per the folks at the Irish Round Table (HT Magnusblitz), the news of Notre Dame players voting "no" to play in a bowl game looks very premature. Either way, I think it is time we start shifting the focus back on our team today. The defensive performance against Southern Cal was encouraging to say the least. Although the big question to ponder in the coming weeks (especially if we don't have a bowl game to play in) is how the heck we are going to replace Price, Jerzy and Carter next year in our front-7. I have no doubt CRN and his staff will put together a full court press in the coming days to find some DTs and shore up our LBs spot, but the inexperience in our front-7 heading into next year is going to be a huge challenge.

We will talk about the defense another day (unless one of you want to start the discussion in a separate fanpost today). I really want to talk about the offense today based on what we saw (or didn't see) last Saturday. Let's go back to last week and revisit a quote from CRN in which he conveyed that the Bruins needed more than Moline to beat the Trojans (emphasis added):

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

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

Needless to say, we didn't see much of that on Saturday night. Chane had 12 carries for 15 yards (with a TD). JetSki got the ball 4 times for 28 yards (he fumbled in one of those carries), and Coleman got the ball one time picking up a single yard. So, during the game and for most of last couple of days I was pretty frustrated picturing Moline getting the ball in that "Cheetah" formation and going nowhere with it. I wasn't getting why the coaches were putting a big back in that formation who doesn't have the speed to get by defender or hasn't shown the ability to throw the ball. We didn't see any Knox or Thigpen at any point during the game. So yeah, I can see why so many of us would be so frustrated with that game plan (especially after CRN himself articulated the need for "explosive plays").

So how to explain the minimalist approach from a UCLA football program that has Neuheisel and Chow, two of the more aggressive and dynamic play callers in the game? Well we have to take in few factors into consideration.

Norm Chow was playing with the hand he was dealt with. He was going into this game with a QB who is still developing in his redshirt freshman season. His OL was completely rebuilt at the start of this season and is now just coming around in terms of pass protection. Among his running backs he has some speed in JetSki but doesn't have dependability given his fumble issues. Milton Knox from what I have seen in limited appearances hasn't show the ability to read defenses (get in the right position in blocking schemes). He did well in the Wildcat formation in the Washington game (so I can see the argument why he wasn't used in that form on Sat but then again it would have been predictable). Thigpen is still very raw as a freshman and needs to bulk up. As for Coleman, I think he is better suited to be a FB, and didn't exactly light it up when he played against faster defenses such as Tennessee and Arizona State (total 3 yards in 8 carries).

As for our receivers, Pressley has been banged up. Randall Carroll is still getting up to speed on our playbook. Austin and Embree are servicable, but they have issues with getting separation in the defensive backfield. Then we have Nelson Rosario, who simply hasn't been consistent yet. He was showing signs of coming around this season and has definitely taken a step forward, but it seemed like the stage was too big for him on Sat. Add into this mix, our senior TE, Logan Paulsen has a habit of making crushing mistakes.

So, add in all these factors into the mix, I can see why Chow and Neuheisel decided to go with a minimalist approach. For most part they had a very good chance of pulling it out. Kevin Prince didn't have a good night. Yet, we were in that game. We were driving on those guys and certainly moving the ball on the Trojan defense. It was a freshman mistake on his first throw that did us in. If we didn't get burned by Rosario's fumble we probably would have gotten at least 3 in the first half. Same story in the second half, when Prince injured himself because of the difficult long yardage situation we found ourselves in due to Paulsen's brain cramp. Yet, despite all the adversity we were within 7 with lots of nervous Trojies in the Colosseum late in the game.

Now, as I mentioned above, I guess I can see reservations about why coaches didn't use Knox in Wildcat formations. Yet as I wrote, I think given that Knox at this point can only seem to handle that formation, it would have been predictable. I would also add that IIRC we were also making mistakes in terms of penalties and fumbles with Knox and Thigpen in the game in recent weeks. So, I understand if the coaches opted to go with the dependable handles of Chane Moline. The factor was paramount considerng the fumbling issues of JetSki and also the TOs generated from our own passing game.

I also think we have reasonable grounds to be frustrated about continious use of Terrence Austin in kick and punt returns. I am not exactly sure why all season coaches didn't given Thigpen or Carroll legtimate shots in those departments. Austin is a great kid and he can be depenable (most of the times). However, it was frustrating to see us not being able to take advantage of any of the opportunities presented by our stout defense. Going forward, if there is a bowl game, I really would love to see Carroll and Thigpen getting legit opportunities to play a part in the return game. When we have that kind team speed at our disposal, I just think coaches have to find a way to leverage it on the field.

Also going forward, as encouraged as I am about the progress I have seen from Kevin Prince this season, I am really hoping Richard Brehaut is going to hit the playbook hard. I hope he got started on Sunday. I think it would be beneficial for the entire team (and Kevin Prince) if Richard can mount a ferocious competiton during spring ball (and perhaps even during December if we have practice weeks thanks to a Bowl bid). As for JetSki, Knox and Thigpen, those guys will need to hit the weightroom harder and study up on Professor Chow's playbook. They have certainly shown flashes of promise but they need to prove they can maintain it on the field. Thankfully they are going to get competition next year through Malcolm Jones and Jordon James.

Obivously, this post is just to kickstart the discussion on our offense. We are just scratching the surface in terms of issues we have to discuss around this side of the ball. We will have a lot to talk about in the coming days, weeks, and months going through (hopefully) bowl game, recruiting, spring ball, and 2010 kickoff season. I get the sense excitement level and passion around Bruin football (at least around this place) have kicked up to whole another level after last Saturday. Let's keep that fire burning.

GO BRUINS.

Remembering Those Images For Next 370 Days

Nestor — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:38:04 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Chetey Petey's Trojan thugs taunting away from the other side of field

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I am throwing this up because I want to have this image and the caption underneath seared into everyone's brain for next 370 days. Again I realize people can raise genuine questions on about some aspects of our coaches' scheme from the offensive side last night (for instance, I am still trying to figure how can someone confused Chane "Train" with a "Cheetah" lol). Yet at the same time, I also believe our coaches game plan was sufficient enough for us to win the game. Watching JetSki fumble in one of his three carries hit home the point why coaches were going with Chane Moline most of the night.

If not for Prince's ill advised throw the score would have been tied at 0-0 at half time (at least 3-0 in our favor if the referees weren't persuaded by the Pom Pom's lobbying and the homer announcers egging it on television). Then in the second half it was Logan Paulsen's brain cramp that forced Prince to scramble in a second long situation leading to the shoulder injury that caused the second pick. Yet despite all that we were in the game closing within 7. If anyone doesn't think this program hasn't taken a step forward from last season and specifically from last year's game against these classless thugs, then he or she has some other agenda.

Is there reason for frustration? Of course there is. Not only were we in the game, but it was there for us to take it. We had multiple opporunities to seize the momentum and just blew it. That makes it hurt even more this am. However, is everything lost? Hardly. What Chetey and his classless thugs did yesterday was send a clear cut signal about how worried they are about the work Rick Neuheisel and his staff have done in Westwood. They are worried enough that they felt compelled to throw that unnecessary bomb and then proceeded on to jump around like animals, raising their collective middle finger not just to the entire Bruin Nation, but to the world of college athletics.

While folks here have every right to be angry and disgusted with those scumbags from cross town, I'd advise to adopt the frame proposed by BlueMe this am:

Now, the focus should be getting better. It starts with a possible bowl game and ending the season on a positive note. Then it continues in the living rooms of recruits, pitching this program and university like never before. Then it goes to the weight room. Then to Spring Ball. Then on to next season, culminating finally in the Rose Bowl next year.

EVERY WAKING MOMENT between now and kickoff at the Rose Bowl 365 days from now, the focus needs to be KICKING SCs ASS!

Well we have 370 days more to go but everyone here should get the point.

We will find out about our bowl outlook very soon. I am not all that anxious to figure it out. If someone wants to do it, go for it. If we get into one, I hope our guys can do everything they can to take advantage of those two weeks of practices and send of kids like ATV, Carter and Brian Price (after all the heartbreaks he has been through in his life he more than anyone deserves a great life thanks to the financial security in the NFL) off to a great note.

Rest of the Bruin athletes, students, alums and fans, we all need to ready for next season. We have 370 days. We need to make sure those images like the one above in closing mins is burnt into our collective Bruin conscious for rest of our lives.

GO BRUINS.

Not Our Night: Bruins Come Up Short Against (SPTR Blessed) Classless Trojans

Nestor — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:53:02 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

17 days ago: USC running back Allen Bradford, left, dives just short of the end zone as UCLA safety Tony Dye knocks him out of bounds during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Los Angeles. Bradford scored one play later. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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The final score was ~~21-7~~ 28-7 in favor of the bad guys tonight. Not surprisingly Chetey Petey being the hypocritical, SCumbag that he is poured it on when the game was already decided with a long bomb to the endzone (I wonder if Pom Pom's lapdogs - Bill Splashme or the TJ Slimers - will be crying about sportsmanship tomorrow). There is not much to say about that TD at this point because we know Chetey's true colors and what a classless jerk throughout his stained, corruption tainted career in South Central. What goes around, comes around and we will leave it that

Anway, as for the game, here is the box score from tonight's ball game in which the Bruins got killed by two crushing turnover that turned out to be the difference makers. The Bruin defense came out inspired playing their best half of the season and then continued it throughout the game gutting out a performance in which they held the Trojan offense to 14 points. I am not going to count the last 7 given at that point our defense didn't think the Trojies would be that classless even by their standards.

Mad props to Brian Price, Reggie Carter, Akeem Ayers, ATV, Kevin Craft, Chane Moline who gave everything they had today. The defense held the Trojies to less than 300 yards (not going to count that BS 48 yard bomb) and kept us in the game. While Kevin Craft came in and gave it everything he had to give us a legit chance when we closed it within 7. More after the jump.

The difference tonight was turnovers and mistakes. Bruins turned over the ball 4 times leading to 14 Trojan points and also killing a promising drive at the end of the first half. Prince came out looking erratic, overthrowing his receivers and then throwing a pick-6. Then in the second half he was undone by costly mistakes by his senior team-mate - Logan Paulsen (who has been making those mistakes all year) - that completely killed any sense of offensive momentum early on. He then got banged up by the Trojan defense, which led to his second pick (throwing with a bad shoulder).

Of course Bruins also got hosed (which seems to be a tradition against us in this particular game) by clueless refs that missed Mays' late hit, managed to get lobbied by Pom Pom to turn over a Rosario catch, and then completely blow a call on lateral which Jet Ski advanced for 26 yards. Depsite all the TOs and the surreal SPTRing, somehow the Bruins kept gutting it out thanks to gutsy peformance by the Bruin offense which under Kevin Craft closed it with 7 (7-14) with about 5 mins left in the game.

Still it just wasn't enough at the end. Our defense played prevent in the drive that really mattered and the Trojans used the cushion our DBs gave them to drive it down for a TD and put the game out of reach. As I mentioned up top, the Trojies went on to probably make the most classless move in this series, and a hypocrtical one given all the crying they did with Harbaugh's 2 point coversion just 2 weeks.

Obviously, there are strateiges on our coaches' part we can question. Off the top of my head, I don't get why we keep seeing Moline in Cheetah formation, and why we didn't see more speed from our side in the form of Jet Ski, Knox and Thigpen (although JetSki's fumble kined of answer that question).

Anyway, at the end this wasn't our night. As for the immediate future, I am not losing sleep tonight over whether we will make a bowl game. I hope we will but will let it all playout. However, I can definitely sense tonight how the team has taken a legit step forward, improving upon the season from last year. That much was clear otherwise the Trojies wouldn't have felt compelled to make that classless move at the end. They are clearly a little worried. The way those SCumbags behaved at the end of the game, you've got to believe karma will have a way of evening up the scores in the long run.

That said ... I will leave it to you to thread the night away. Post your quick fire takes in the comment threads. If you have extensive reflections to share, fire them up in the FanPosts. Thanks again for a great regular season. Let's do it again.

GO BRUINS.

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

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

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

He is really relaxed folks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Price then observed:

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

LOL, and he also added:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: UCLA-U$C* = "Not That Big A Deal" For Trojan Safety Taylor Mays

Nestor — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:52:01 -0000

More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

Apparently this weekend's game is "not that a big a deal" for ~~Thorpe award finalist~~ Taylor Mays

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So it sounds like the Beat $C* bonfire (despite the poorly planned timing) turned out all right. Some good comments on the experience here, here and here. If you were there and took pictures and video, would love to see via fanposts or fanshots. It will get rest of us - who are away from LA - even more jacked up for Saturday.

Apparently all of this emotion and build up around this game don't mean all that much for marquee defensive player from cross town Mr. Taylor Mays. Found it in the Trojan beat report in today's LA Times (emphasis added):

Mays said the Trojans were "where we need to be" as they resumed practice. This will be Mays' fourth USC-UCLA game, but the Seattle native and son of a former Washington lineman remains more familiar with the Washington-Washington State rivalry.

"I didn't grow up a fan of USC or UCLA so it's not that big a deal to me. I know more about the Apple Cup," he said.

Well then. Not sure what to say in response to Mr. Mays. Apparently even though this game or the history around is "not that big a deal" to Mr. Mays, per the LAT report he might have "extra motivation" this weekend because he wasn't name as one of the finalist for the Thorpe Award, presented annually to college football's top defensive back. Apparently just because someone is a superstar from Chetey's program, it automatically entitles them to get slotted as one of the finalists for prestigious post-season awards.

Well we have no doubt Mays and his team-mates are going to come out (head) hunting on Saturday. They are going to come out breathing fire despite the typical Trojan bites they are serving up in the press this game week. Chetey knows that he cannot afford to lose this game because if he chokes on Saturday ... well the picture will not be pretty (plus who knows those NCAA "inspectors" enjoying the campus cafetaria in South Central might just feel a tad bit emboldended if their beloved Trojans look a little more vulnerable). So yeah, they are going to be in a desperate state of mind. As for our guys, our seniors know how special this game can be (remembering 13-9) and they are channeling in different approaches to get the young pups ready for hopefully what will be the game of their lives. More on the mindset of our seniors and our head coach after the jump.

Chane Moline remembers what it felt like when he was at the Rose Bowl in 2006:

"I thought I knew how huge it was, then I played at the Rose Bowl that day," Moline said. "That was an eye-opening experience."

Reggie Carter had his special moments from the waning moments of the game:

"That was probably the first time I've cried because I was happy," Carter said. "It was a minute left, we got the pick and the game wasn't over yet and we're at the game crying. I couldn't stop. I'm thinking, `It's not over yet,' then once that clock set zero, it was unbelievable. I started to breathe again."

Most importantly ATV recalls what it took for the Bruins to actually win that game:

We didn't turn the ball over, we played sound defense, they went for it a couple times and we came up with big stops," Verner recalls. "As a whole, we played smart. We did enough to win that game."

Bruins will have to replicate that formual again this Saturday if they want to compete and pull out a huge upset (which I believe they are capable of). As discussed yesterday we will need our defensive guys to stiffen up early. We can't be in the feeling out mode we have been in to start games all season. I really hope Chuck Bullough instead of waiting to adjust against the Trojan offense, will come out and attack early with throwing different looks from our base defense.

We can't allow Barkely to get comfortable. Just can't do that. I'd also like to continue to see us bringing Akeem around the edge and perhaps do the same with Price at the end as well, so that we can contain McKnight explosions to the outside. Also, speaking of containing Trojan weapons, Klein (from the LAT) has the following update on Trojan receiver Damien Williams:

Receiver Damian Williams tested his injured right ankle with some light jogging, but remains doubtful for UCLA.

Williams, who sat out against Stanford, spent the weekend watching TV, icing his ankle and stretching during commercials. He said he felt pain Monday, "but it wasn't, like, excruciating."

"I don't want to get my hopes up and not play," said Williams, USC's leading receiver and punt returner. "I'd rather say I'm not playing and then play. . . . You never know."

Coach Pete Carroll wants to believe that Williams will be on the field against the Bruins. The junior played through a hamstring strain against Oregon and Arizona State before suffering a high ankle sprain against the Sun Devils.

"He's the kind of guy that will find a way," Carroll said, comparing Williams to NFL veterans. "It takes experience and a kind of wherewithal to realize you don't have to be 100% to play. Damian's a little bit like that."

So to translate Chetey's sweet talk - Damien is going to play. He will be in there (even if he is not feeling healthy). Petey wants him in because after all it's a must win game for Pom Pom.

Meanwhile, CRN sounds pretty relaxed heading into Saturday. He knows he has already met the baseline expectations for this season that will help him to close out on a strong on the recruiting trail. He also knows he and his team doesn't have much to lose this Saturday:

"You talk about signature wins after you have them. Those are things you go back to," he said. "I don't think you ever talk about that on the front side. You're working your tail off to do your best every game. Who knows what will happen?

"All I know is we're going to play our best. We're going to prepare our best. Hopefully, it will be good enough. If it's not, we'll get ready the next chance. Some other game will have to be the signature win."

Sounds about right. An upset in this game will of course will more than just a rocket boost for the UCLA football program. It will effectively turn the table on recruiting dynamic for a while. Yet the heat is really on Southern Cal because if they cannot hold serve in this game after the kind of season they have had ... well as I said we will leave the Trojies to imagine those consequences.

Lastly, just in case there was any doubt, here is the report from Jon Gold on UCLA wearing its home uniforms this weekend:

UCLA will wear its home jerseys at the Coliseum on Saturday, part of an agreement USC head coach Pete Carroll made before last season's game that led to a rule change by the NCAA.

Last season, the Trojans wore their cardinal and gold jerseys in the Rose Bowl and were penalized with one stripped time out, while Neuheisel quickly evened the score by calling a timeout of his own.

After the season, the NCAA decided to lift the rule that required visiting teams to wear white, making it a game-by-game decision by individual conferences.

Carter, though, remains color-blind.

"Cardinal, blue, red orange, I don't care what I'm wearing," Carter said with a smile. "It's great to be wearing our home jerseys. But if we wear yellow jerseys, I'd be OK as long as I could hit somebody."

Gotta love Reggie's passion. It is going to be something special watching the UCLA play in that setting in Bruin blue. Then again apparently all of this "not that big a deal" for Mr. Taylor Mays.

GO BRUINS.

Plus 2: Bruin Defense Throttles ASU To Deliver UCLA's 6th Win In Neuheisel's 2nd Season in Westwood

Nestor — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:52:45 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Akeem - the Missile - Ayers celebrates his TD. He had another spectacular weekend in UCLA blue.

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Flashback to October 25 of this season when following a deflating loss against Arizona, we put up the following laying out how Rick Neuheisel had to deliver 6 wins this season:

All I can say at this point, I am going to wait and see whether the coaches can deliver 6 wins. I still think we have a shot of getting to 6 wins by taking care of business against Washington and Arizona State at home, and then executing our game play against (what I think will be an inspired Cougar bunch) Washington State in Pullman. If Rick Neuheisel wants to make a tangible case that UCLA football is headed towards right direction under his leadership, he needs to get us those three wins in 2009 and then build on it with at least 7 wins (and a victory over Southern Cal) in 2010. He has to get it done.

Well heading into that special game of the regular season (no reason to calling that game against the Trojies big, we will just call it special), it looks like Rick Neuheisel has gotten it done. His team delivered that 6th win (becoming bowl eligble), by slugging out Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 23-13. Here is the box score. Well here is our official thank you coach for getting that done.

In his second season in Westwood, Neuheisel has now established tangible signs of improvement by winning 2 more games, and showing progress in number of different aspects of the team (not including his fantastic recruit effort to date). In other words Neuehisel now has "plus 2 factor" to pitch to more recruits and fire up the alumni/student base in Bruin Naiton. Not only that. During the three game win streak this November, Rick Neuheisel's program proved to rest of the world, despite the constant negativity and hit jobs from the traditional media, his players and coaches never gave up on each other.

Bruins kept fighting, scratching and clawing away, showing the relentless optimism and tenacity of their head coach in the face of skepticism from most of outside world not bleeding Bruin blue and gold. That is something everyone in this community and the greater Bruin family should be proud of towards the waning weeks of Neheisel's second season in Westwood. More on the game and thoughts on "Beat $C*" game week after the jump.

So the Bruins get it done on senior day riding the efforts of ATV, Akeem Ayers, Chane Moline, Reggie Carter and Brian Price. 17 of our 23 points came courtesy of explosive efforts of our inspired defense. Here is our box score. As mentioned in the second half thread, it was ATV setting the tone with his pick 6 and fumble recovery. Then it was Akeem Ayers and Brian Price teaming up to blow up the Sun Devil offense. Price and Ayers were nothing short of spectacular. What Price did was even more special made by the fact that it was probably his last game at the Rose Bowl.

On the offensive side, Bruins were able to move the ball against Arizona State's vaunted defense. However, just when it looked like they were getting in rhythm they kept coming just a little short because of self inflicted mistakes and penalties (as a team today we were penalized a whooping 11 times for 100 yards). Still we got a decent effort from Kevin Prince who did manage the game well, by picking up some tough and gutty yards on the ground. And it was Chane - the Train - Moline, who helped us eat the clocking by grinding out 84 yards in 25 carries. Not bad for his last game in the Rose Bowl.

Bruins now of course get ready for Petey's bunch who has had a week to lick their wounds after getting embarrassed and humiliated by the Trees a the Mosoleum. There is no doubt Chetey is going to have his boys fired up as he knows that if he somehow chokes against UCLA as the underdogs, his illegal (allegedly) empire officially crumble in the City of Angels.

This week is going to be fun getting ready to play the most scandalous and (allegedly) corrupt program in college athletics (and an underachieving bunch in recent seasons). There is no doubt the Bruins will have a great week practice building on the positive vibes from today and a 3-0 record in November. We still have a lot to work on. We have to clean up our mistakes on offense. We still can be more polished with our special teams and we will continue to come up with ways of being creative on defense (as we have seen some hints of it in last couple of weeks).

Of course will we have lot more on this in game as we get ready for an amazing game week. It is going to be fun. It is going to be emotional and it is going to blow up this place with anticipation. With that let's get the post game senior day victory party started. If you have quick thoughts, takes fire them up here. If you have detailed observations and reflections you want to share, please put them in fanposts. I will leave with this quick thought... BEAT $C*.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Arizona State Corner Back: "[W]e Will Beat UCLA" (And Other Game Week Notes)

Nestor — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:33 -0000

We have talked a lot about how big this Saturday's game is for UCLA. On the other side ASU is treating the game with same sense of urgency. They are also getting a little fired up about rest of their season starting with UCLA:

"To take the fall that we have been taking for the last couple of weeks, we are doing pretty good," the redshirt freshman cornerback (Devon Carr) said Tuesday. "I still haven't seen anyone walking around the halls moping. … I still see positive energy within my team. I believe we will beat UCLA."

Carr is not the only one who thinks so. ASU players came off the practice field Tuesday giddy after coach Dennis Erickson's we-have-something-to-play-for speech.

"We got a two-game season," Erickson said, referring to Saturday's game in Pasadena, Calif., and the next week against Arizona. "Our kids have a lot of pride."

Good for the Sun Devils. I have no doubt those guys are going to be breathing fire when they come out on the field on Saturday. At the same time I also think our guys are going to remember what took place last time UCLA took on ASU:

UCLA held Arizona State to 122 yards last season but lost, 34-9, when the Sun Devils returned three interceptions and one fumble for touchdowns at Tempe. "It was a hard film to watch this week," Neuheisel said.

Painful indeed. It will be awesome if our defense can match the performance from last year's effort against ASU. This time the Sun Devils will have a different QB though and right now even though Erickson is being coy about it signs point to Sam Szakacsy as the starter for Saturday. Again, I said it yesterday and I will reinforce it again this am. This is a huge game for Chuck Bullough. We need his defense to come through and make a statement on Saturday with a strong performance from start to finish.

The numbers we put up against Washington State were nice. However, we also have to be realistic about putting up "good" numbers against a team like the Cougars. Doesn't really count for much except for gaiining some measure of confidence and sense of momentum. To hold on to that momentum, we need our defense to play with the same sense of aggression they did during the second half against Jake Locker and the Huskies when they were bringing pressure from different directions. More after the jump.

Aaron Hester is one of the defensive players who is looking to make a contribution on Sat. He has been woofing it up a bit during practice this week:

UCLA defensive back Aaron Hester locked down wide receiver Nelson Rosario in practice Wednesday, then let the world know.

"Oh no, no sir, I'm all over that," Hester screamed.

Standing on the sidelines, tailback Damien Thigpen chuckled and said, "He thinks he's Deion Sanders."

There may be no better way to judge whether Hester is ready to play than to hear him at practice. His season has been one of disappointment, first a fractured fibula in the season opener and the waiting for a chance upon his return.

But Hester appeared fit and ready in practice.

"I feel just like I felt in training camp, exactly the same" said Hester, a redshirt freshman. "No pain. My confidence is back. I'm just out here trying to make some plays."

Hester is once again getting antsy about mixing it up on the field:

"I've been showing them this week in practice," Hester said. "I've been flying around making plays, making big hits. It's up to the coaches now. All I can do is play football and all they can do is put me in or not. I was the original starter here; I haven't forgot how to play football."

I like the kid's passion and enthusiasm but I am also going to trust the coaches on this one. The coaches were clearly making the right decision when they held out Hester and taking extra precaution to make sure he was completely healthy. I am pretty sure Hester will make his mark before he is done in Westwood but I am willing to be patient to make sure when he gets in, he is not only confident but fully healed and healthy. Either way, whoever is in at CB on Saturday will need to be physical. Especially if we have a QB like Samson Szakacsy, who can gain yards through scrambling, we are going to need our defensive backs not only provide tight coverage but also provide also recover and provide solid run support.

Speaking of QBs, Kevin Prince and the Bruin offense are showing lot of (deserved) respect for ASU defense:

"They just play real sound football," Prince said of the Sun Devils. "They don't do anything too crazy, or anything. They have their share of blitzes and all that but they just play really sound and fundamental football."

Prince's backfield team-mate called them the "best defense" in the Pac:

"They're the best defense in the Pac-10 right now, and their run defense is outstanding," said Chane Moline, who ran for three touchdowns last week. "Being a running back and fullback, it's a big challenge for us to go out there and start running the ball so the passing game will open up. We've got to go out there and execute, not shoot ourselves in the foot. Hopefully the running backs can break a couple of tackles and the wide receivers can make some big plays for us."

The key here will be not killing ourselves with self inflicted mistakes (Hello Mr. Paulsen, it's your last home game!).

Our offense a lot of fun to watch last two weekends (since didn't really get to watch that fourth quarter against Oregon State LIVE). This Saturday we will find out what kind of progression this offense has made against a legt defense from this conference. I think they also know the opportunity they have to gain a measure of validation to finish the season and also set themselves up for a great future. That will have to start with not just making solid plays but also emhasizing execution of little details on all facets of our offense.

Right now I am anxious to see how our offense performs against ASU. I haven't had this kind of excited (can't wait to watch them again) feeling about our offense in years. Hopefully they will take another significant step forward by getting us a victory on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA 43, Washington State 7

Grady. — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:07:28 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

WSU just made this man look like Peyton Manning and pre-dogfight Mike Vick.

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Ugh.

Just awards tonight.

Player of the Game: Kevin Lopina. 7/14, 102 yds, 1 TD versus 0 INT. Also 33 yards on 4 rushing attempts, and we'll forget about his fumble momentarily.

Unsung Hero: Jeffrey Solomon earns his first award by being the only Cougar to reach the end zone, and the only receiver to catch more than one pass. Finished with two receptions for 54 yards.

It was over when... Chane Moline capped off the Marshall Lobbestael interceptionfest with a two yard run to put the Bruins up 14-0. With 5:16 left to play in the first.

Play of the Game: The 46-yard Lopina to Solomon touchdown pass. I can't remember anything else positive happening in this game.

Lowlight of the Game: The absolutely unacceptable 68 yard touchdown run by UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince. Like I typed from the stadium in the gamethread, sometimes it's like Paul Wulff wants me be in favor of firing him.

Stat of the Game: Total yards: UCLA 557, WSU 180. And this was not in Southern California weather.

Bruins BLAST Washington State, Gaining Confidence Down The Stretch

Nestor — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:19:31 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

Kevin Prince becomes the only second freshman UCLA QB to pass for 3 300+ yard game (following Tommy Maddox)

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What an amazing Saturday. Bruins get a confidence building blow out win on the road, while the Trojies across town get humiliated and see their "empire" come crumbling down.

So the Bruins are now 2-0 in November (which could potentially become a month to remember) keeping their post-season hopes alive heading into a crucial last home game of the season. The final score was 43-7. Here is the box score. The Bruins went up by a score of 29-0 at half time but they could have been up by higher margin if not for some sloppy penalties and couple of fumbles.

The MVP of this evening's game was none other than Kevin Prince. He had a spectacular day throwing for 330 yards and 1 TD, completing 26 of his 39 attempts. Oh he also had 68 yard TD run in the first half making him the leading rusher for the team. Kevin Prince's third 300-yard game, made him the only other Bruin freshman QB besides Tommy Maddox with three 300-yard games. If he hadn't gotten knocked out by Donald Butler last weekend, he would have probably done that last weekend. So, suffice to say he might be entering some kind of "zone." Let's keep our fingers crossed. While Prince gets the game ball and was the topline performer for this game, there were many other spectacular Bruin performances today.

Akeem Ayers helped set the tone on defense with 2 interceptions and a sack early. That helped them squash the Wazzu offense from the getgo, grabbing a chokhold of the momentum and not letting it go. Taylor Embree and Nelso Rosario had solid games each piling up over 70 yards in reception. Chane Moline did his part running for 3 TDs, and also leading the team with 7 receptions and 101 yards. Bruins racked up over 550 yards in total offense while holding the Cougars to 180 yards of total offense. So I'd say they did what they had to hold on to the momentum and setting them up for a huge game against Arizona State next weekend with a bowl eligibility on the line.

Now we know Washington State has been struggling mightily this season. Nothing has gone right for them in a tough season for Cougars up in Palouse. You have to give props to their fans who are sticking with their team in such incredibly difficult circumstances. So a UCLA victory over them was pretty much expected heading into this game. That said however, Washington State has been one of those football teams that have given us repeated nightmares up in Palouse. So, you can understand why many of us were a little worried about how the Bruins were going to respond today. Well our guys made a pretty emphatic statement today by blasting them out early. Right now our team - specifically our starting QB - is playing with a lot of confidence and it's a big deal.

All that said we have to remember Washington State is a struggling football program. This was expected. We still have lot of cleaning up to do. We racked up a lot of penalties and had some problems holding on to the ball. JetSki needs to get it together. He has a great future ahead of him but he can't fumble. Period. Same with Terrence Austin who is giving a hard effort but can't fumble on his returns. Despite the dominating numbers by our defense, I think Reggie Carter's health continues to be a concern because he seemed to be missing from most of the action. So we still have lot of work to do and remain a hungry team heading into next weekend.

With that out of the way, let's celebrate a little tonight. As I said up top, this has been a perfect Saturday. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA vs. Washington Report Card

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

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

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

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

Quarterback

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

Running Back/Fullback

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

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

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

Offensive Line

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

Defensive Line

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

Linebackers

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

Defensive Backs

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

Special Teams

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

Coaching

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