SB Nation - Brigham Harwell

UCLA Roundtable

TwistNHook — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:00:11 -0000

via api.ning.com

TwistNHook: Can we finally win a game in LA? Finally? Please. Pretty please. With ice cream on top!
But I feel good about this year. I feel like this is our year to take care of business in LA. Let's do this thing!

Avinash: The one thing that should worry us is UCLA is going to be very unpredictable this season. Their quarterback situation will be better with Prince or Craft lacing it up, but given it's Price's first year back there he'll throw clunkers. Their defense was very formidable last season, and only crumbled when UCLA's offense gave up interceptions galore. However, their offensive line is very young, which could be well exploited by our 3-4 D.

Nevertheless, cross your fingers we cross the Bruins on a down week.

HydroTech: The UCLA game scares me. I think UCLA is sort of like a sleeping giant. While UCLA does have a goofball at the helm in CRN, they have Norm Chow to lead their offense. And with them landing pretty good recruiting classes year after year, it's not like they're lacking in talent. So I think once they get themselves organized and put together, they're going to be a tough team. I'm not really sure if this is the year that they'll actually become a team that will finish in the top half of the conference, but I think that they're not too far away from finishing in the top half of the conference.

As for the game being in L.A., well, that little fact right there makes me worried sick that we might lose. I don't believe Tedford is cursed or anything and that he can't win a game in L.A. But I think that hostile crowds, against solid opponents is always a recipe for a loss. I could see Cal destroying UCLA, and Cal also losing to UCLA.

Ragnarok: Honestly, I've never associated the words "Rose Bowl" and "hostile crowds" before. UCLA's always had talent, even during the darkest hours of the Karl Dorrell regime, but I'm still a little shocked that the Bears haven't managed to pull one out down there since 1999 (didn't we end up forfeiting that victory or something?)

TwistNHook: We'll get a chance to see the stuff UCLA is made of early in the year. UCLA travels to Tennessee. Cal fans know the brutality of that place. If they can hold their own there, could make for a boost to UCLA's morale and springboard to further success. If not, who knows?

Then again, Cal got crushed in 2006 there and had a great rest of the season. So, who knows?

The dirty little secret about UCLA last year was that their defense wasn't half bad. Kevin Craft threw 4 interceptions against Tennessee and the D managed to keep UCLA in that game. Kevin Craft threw 4 interceptions against us! And it wasn't like we were destroying them (at least up until the 4th quarter).

Their D is led by Alterraun Verner, who led the nation in passes defensed, last year.

Also, he's smart as he was named All-Academic Pac10. So, keep your eyes on him. He'll probably lock down our best receiver, (name yet to be determined). I'm not sure why this is all italics and I cannot fix it. Triple le sigh!

Avinash: Verner singlehandedly killed us in 2007. Those two picks haunt the hell out of me.

HydroTech: You're blaming Turner? Most fans would blame Longshore. He's responsible for INTs, the swine flu, and tectonic plate movement!

TwistNHook: Here is another person who could kill Cal on the D. Brian Price:

via media.dailybruin.com

Last season Price started in all 12 games for the Bruins, leading the team with 14.0 tackles for loss en route to a first-team All-Pac-10 selection by the conference’s coaches.

Helping Price last year was the presence of defensive tackle Brigham Harwell, whom Price referred to as the big brother for the entire team. He said Harwell provided the Bruins with leadership, wisdom, passion and a force up the middle.

Now that Harwell has departed, senior Jerzy Siewierski takes over his position at defensive tackle. And now the leadership role falls to Price.

"I think he’s become a leader and he’s leading by example," defensive line coach Todd Howard said. "He’s become more vocal. ... His freshman year, we had Bruce Davis and Kevin Brown. Obviously those were the leaders. And then last year Brigham was the leader. This year we’re looking at him and Jerzy and (Korey Bosworth) – those guys are pretty much the leaders of the defense."

According to Price, everyone is trying to learn how to be that vocal presence needed on the defensive line and the team as a whole.

"Everyone knows when you have a feeling when you have to step up into a role," Price said. "I felt it was my time to be that vocal leader on the D-line."

Siewierski said he believes Price is one of the best players he has ever played with, and what makes Price so effective is his explosive first step.

I remember Brian Price murdering us last year (box score). He led the team with 14.5 tackles for loss last season. He had 5 tackles against us, including 3 for loss and a sack. We need to keep an eye on him.

HydroTech: Yes, I remember Price having a pretty good game against us last year. He's a pretty quick and powerful guy. He'll probably command extra attention from our OL. Cal might counter a fierce Price pass rush with screens, quick passes, and with moving pockets.

TwistNHook: Really? Screens? You expect Cal to call screens?

I know it's a long ways away, but I, for one, look forward to the LA Times in depth 2018 expose on that successful 2011 UCLA team. Such a lack of institutional control, UCLA had over that 2011 team. But I guess the Rose Bowl trip made up for it, right? Too bad UCLA has yet to recover from the pesky success of the Neuheisal era.

Avinash: Keep in mind this is also a very different UCLA team. No Karl Dorrell. No Dewayne Walker. No matter how much certain parties griped about the first, these guys always managed to come up with a strong gameplan that kept the games tight, even at Cal (every game from 2004 to 2007 was in reasonable doubt deep into the 2nd half).

Not sure what to make of Neuheisel yet. It's way too early to judge his merits or the new guys he's installed. Any thoughts on their coaching?

TwistNHook: Honestly, I think Neuheezy did a pretty decent job last year. The cupboard was bare. Really bare. And they had a decent defense and managed to knock off Tennessee. I'm sure there are many UCLA fans who were not enamored with last year, but the future does look bright.

Plus, Neuhizzle is bringing the sex-ay back, one sweater vest at a time. You think he and Tressel could have a sweater vest off. LOWEST CUT WINS!

UCLA is having some injury problems. Not huge things, but worrying nonetheless:

Christian Ramirez's hamstring injury has opened the door for UCLA's talented young running backs.

Even though Ramirez, a redshirt junior, didn't practice much in the spring because of hamstring issues, he had the inside track on the starting tailback job.

Ramirez has been slowed the past week with the injury and had limited carries, meaning more chances for sophomore Derrick Coleman and redshirt freshmen Jonathan Franklin and Milton Knox. All have had solid camps, and all could play a part in UCLA's running game this season.

And then also:

Neuheisel shut down redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince's workload in Friday's morning practice, and Prince didn't do much in the afternoon practice because of a sore right arm. Prince is expected to play in today's scrimmage.

"I'm not worried at all," Prince said.

Said Neuheisel: "That's to be expected on Day 13 of camp, and you're throwing as much as he's been throwing, you're arm gets a little dead. We've got to monitor that and keep him on a pitch count."

In the long run, these injuries probably will not mean much. But if UCLA's thin offensive talent level is already thinned further by injury, it could take every sweater vest in Neuhussy's wardrobe to win this year.

But I guess as long as Kevin Prince throws fewer than 4 interceptions a game, they'll be OK.

HydroTech: I think this might be the year that Cal *finally* gets a win in L.A. So I'm saying we'll win by 14 or so.

Avinash: If we beat USC, I believe we win handily against UCLA. If we lose, we're going to struggle. Even with the bye week, it's easy to lose confidence if we fall short of expectations.

TwistNHook: I agree that we could hit this UCLA game in the middle of a bad, bad place. If we lose to Minn, Oregon, and USC, we could head down to UCLA with thoughts of the 2007 Cal-lapse dancing in our heads.

Hopefully, a stout defense and an explosive running game coupled with a passable passing offense (see what I did there?) and sneaky good special teams can lead to our first LA victory, independent of previous games' results. I say Cal 28-10.

Ragnarok: Wow. Now that's a downer scenario if I've ever heard one. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Bears gotta win this one. They just gotta. I can't go down to LA only to see the Bears lose for a 9th straight time. 8 is enough!

"Several people unfortunately rejected from UC Los Angeles" via www.geniusintelligence.com

HydroTech: Ragnarok, perhaps you are the problem. You're the curse. You're why we cannot win in L.A.! You must not go!

TwistNHook: SOMEBODY STOP THAT MAN! AND HIS WIFE! AND THE 8 OTHER FRIENDS WHO ALWAYS GO WITH THEM! AND SPECIAL TEAMS/TIGHT END COACH PETE ALAMAR!

IT'S THE ONLY WAY!

Poll

How do you think Cal will do against UCLA?

Big win

94 votes

Close win

89 votes

Close loss

61 votes

Big loss

24 votes

268 votes | Poll has closed

Defensive Line Reset: Coaches Dealing With Depth Concerns

Nestor — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:06:09 -0000

Now that we have gone through the LBing position let’s shift our attention to the defensive frontline. Before we even get through the depth chart we have got some brand new shift in personnel in light of injuries to back up tackles Reggie Stokes and Jess Ward. If you didn't read through the injury post, Reggie Stokes is out indefinitely because of a torn cartilage while Jess Ward is probably going to be out 2-3 weeks with a sprained MCL. As a result coaches made some immediate changes yesterday moving OL Sean Sheller and Connor Bradford to defense. Here is the reset from the LA Times:

"Part of it was in the event of an emergency, and part of it was we have the luxury of time to take a look," UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel said about the Sheller and Bradford moves.

Ward, who has played in 24 games, was expected to be the team's No. 3 defensive tackle. Sheller will play defensive tackle.

"Hopefully, we can bring him up to speed so he can play 15, 20 snaps for us," defensive line coach Todd Howard said.

Will be interested from hearing from the practice goers in the coming days how Sheller and Bradford are performing with their new unit. So basically, just like the situation at LB the same themes are also in play on the defensive frontline where we have solid talent at the starting positions, but have depth related concerns that will stretch beyond this season.

Obviously, the guy who will be anchoring this unit will be superstar Junior Brian Price (6-2, 300). We don’t need to go through what Brian can do over here at BN. He is on pretty much every pre season award watch list. If the kid can stay healthy (knocking on wood) through his junior year and continue to develop the way he has first two years, he would have a strong shot at that award along with having the opportunity to be a first round NFL pick next season. Yeah, I know. We would all like for him to come back for one more year after this season. But I am not going to hold my breath and instead am planning to enjoy watching number 92’s every snap his junior year in Westwood. As Reggie Carter noted to the LA Times there are not many OLs in the country, who has the ability to block Brian:

"I would like to see someone block Brian Price for a while," Carter said at the Pacific 10 Conference’s media day. "I have never seen that."

Ted Miller from ESPN's Pac-10 blog wrote how Brian is on a mission in 2009:

"Every player thinks about one day playing there (NFL) but I'm just thinking about this season," he said.

In a revelation that will surprise no one, Price said he and his teammates are not big fans of last season, when the Bruins went 4-8. The defense was generally good, but the numbers were hardly spectacular because the woeful offense provided little help.

"That's all we talked about this summer -- 4-8," he said. "We've got to get UCLA back."

Now Brian should be able to wreak havoc in the opponent’s backfield if he gets some help from his team-mates on the frontline. And right now the way that line is shaping up, it has the look of emerging as a solid one at least among the starting group. More on them after the jump.

Last year Brian had a great partner in senior Brigham Harwell who had a solid career at UCLA. Now that Harwell is gone it will be Jerzy Siewierski’s - 6-2/296 monster’s – turn to step up. Jerzy has all the potential in the world. Both Foster in his writeup and captainqtp in his upgrade-downgrade series mentioned Coach Howard’s reference to his athletic prowess of having the ability to dunk a basketball. That seems like a fairly scary proposition. If he can exert his own version of pressure down in the trenches, it will be incredibly helpful to Brian Price, who I am sure might be drawing double teams if he develops along his projected potential. So Jerzy’s contribution this year will be key. More on Brian and Jerzy’s team-mates on the defensive frontline after the jump.

Price and Jerzy will be flanked by two solid athletes in Korey Bosworth and Datone Jones. Coach Howard in his pre camp interview with Bruin Report Online (BRO) sounded excited about both of these youngsters:

On what he saw in Bosworth that translated to the d-line, to end:

"He just could run, and he was flexible. When you get guys like that, that’s your recipe. How do you not play guys like that? How do you not play guys like that? You don’t want guys that you look at on film who aren’t hustling, don’t look like they love football, they aren’t hustling, they’re walking. And then you’ve got a guy like Boz? This is all you need. You don’t talk about what he can’t do. This is all you need to do. If he can run, and his aggression and his attitude are like this on the football field, you let those guys play. They’re going to win more than they lose. I just like guys that like to fly around. You may not know what to do, but you can at least chase the ball like it’s a piece of meat and you haven’t had anything to eat."

On Jones and his future at UCLA:

"He’s hungry. He does what you ask him to do. If I were to tell Datone, ‘Hey, man, when you get up in the morning do 10 jumping jacks,’ he would get up and do 10 jumping jacks. That’s the kind of guy that he is. He’s a hungry player and I think he has a chance to be better than any end I’ve coached since I’ve been here. That kind of lets you know what I think of him."

On what Jones has to do to become that dominant player:

"Just get the experience. We’ll see this year what he’s going to be. I mean, you can talk about potential all you want. Until we see this year how he approaches the games and how he produces, that’s going to tell you. Damien Holmes is not far behind. He might not be as gifted as Datone is, but he listens. He studies. He understands what’s going on."

So after the starting lineup up Bosworth, Price, Siewierski, and Jones, depth becomes a question mark for the Bruins. Few weeks ago the LA Times noted how the coaches were going to look to Jess Ward and little used David Carter for depth. Obviously now David Carter is going to be a key figure in this depth chart. From the LA Times:

[T]he weight of the defensive tackle depth falls mainly on David Carter, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior.

Carter was converted from defensive end during the off-season with UCLA needing more bodies inside. That concern was heightened when Brandon Warner, a transfer from Compton College, didn't get into UCLA because of transcript issues. The move required Carter to gain 30 pounds.

"When you're on edge, a lot time you're the contain guy, you have to be athletic," Howard said. "Inside, you're going against more beef."

Carter was more than willing and began to rework his game.

"It definitely involves different techniques," Carter said. "You have to move your feet differently and learn how to play with the big boys."

Bradford will play defensive end, which is also down in numbers.

Per Coach Howard few weeks ago Holmes "made big strides since last fall." So he is going to be counted on to back up the DE position.

Coach Howard in his BRO interview also indicated he was going to closely monitor how incoming freshman Keenan Graham (who ran a 4.56) performs in the special teams. His plan was also to keep an eye on Iuta Tepa.

Our main hope right now is for these kids to stay healthy because we don’t have a lot of depth. If they can stay healthy, I feel good about these guys feeding off the drive and hunger of Brian Price, who has certainly proved himself both on and off the field in his total dedication of being a Bruin.

I also think the first game of the season is going to be telling (I am not going to look ahead to the Tennessee game … no way). We will have to see how this unit comes out and sets the tone on against the Aztec rushing attack and the pressure they are able to generate on the QB from the get go. If they come out and make a statement in that very first game, I think it will serve as a building block for rest of the season.

These guys will have their hands full all year long going up against lightning quick, game breakers in a number of Pac-10 squads. While the line has been steady last few years under Walker, they have had rough times against teams with quick backs and receivers. Moreover, they haven’t been able to generate the kind of pressure on QBs Davis and Hickman were able to do couple of years ago. So it will be up to Jerzy, Bosworth and Jones and rest of the guys in the depth chart to rise to Price’s level at least in terms of effort and determination, so that we can see the kind of intensity we experienced during 13-9, not just for big games but for every game through the coming season. We are going to need that if the team wants to take the next step by going bowling this season

We will wrap our look through the defense by going over the defensive backs rosters in the next few days.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: ATV Aces It & More Notes On Our Frontlines

Nestor — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:20:22 -0000

Well it's kind of tough to pivot back to football after my previous post. But I have in pretty good authority is that is exactly what EZ would do (and I know he was reading this blog religiously every am especially during those brutal Dorrell years). We will start with someone who has reminded all of us what Bruin student athletes are all about: ATV. I guess I thought ATV was done with blogging this past week since school was winding down but I was wrong. He has one more update from his 2009 summer with the following note on how did in that Romanian class he took. He aced it:

Today I found out I received an A in the class. That means all the five hour days every day for six weeks paid off. I am done with my foreign language requirement now and have just nine more classes until I have earned my BA from UCLA

What else did you expect right? Well while his chances of success on the football field is pretty good as well this year, there is one game in which he has been coming out on the losing end. Apparently his girlfiend has been running laps around him in pool. You will have to read the full details here.

Moving on let's talk about ATV's team-mates on both sides of the line. More after the jump.

We will pick up where we left off yesterday: the OL. Al Balderas from the OC Register posted few interesting comments from our OL about why they are expecting a better season this year:

"We were pretty light up front last year as a whole, so that created mismatches for us," lineman Nick Ekbatani said in an e-mail. "I don’t believe that will be a problem for us this season. Guys have worked hard and coach Linn has done a tremendous job helping us get stronger.

"It was as if there was a new culture created this offseason in the weight room and on the field. I know these gains will allow us to create some mismatches this year, as opposed to being mismatched."

That’s not all.

Sophomore Jeff Baca and senior Micah Kia gained experience from last season, and redshirt sophomore (and transfer from Colorado) Kai Maiava should compete for a starting spot on the O-line.

"I thought guys like (redshirt juniors) Jake Dean and Brandon Bennett showed some noticeable improvement (at spring camp), Ekbatani added.

Well I know everyone is feeling optimistic. So am I. When the new depth chart comes out we will have to match up the weights from this past spring with August. We will probably see some gains. However, I am still going to remain a bit skeptical because I feel like I have read this kind of feel good off-season story every year. My biggest question right now around this unit is toughness and it will be interesting to see how they come out in the first few games.

It seems like Coach Todd Howard is striking the same note with regards to cautious optimis while talking about his students - linemen from other side of the ball. He gave a very interesting interview to Robert Kuwada from Bruin Report Online (formerly the UCLA beat writer for the OC Register) sounding off about this year's DL. Since the article is not behind a subscription firewall here is an excerpt on Howard's cautious optimism:

"I’m always optimistic and I always think the new group is going to do better than the group previously, though that remains to be seen."

That does remain to be seen, but, for the record, Howard believes this defensive line can be very good, the ends just as productive as Bruce Davis and Justin Hickman were in his first year in Westwood when they tied for fourth in the nation in sacks and earned All-American honors.

"The guys that I have this year I think have a chance to be as good as those two guys," Howard said, of Bosworth and sophomore Datone Jones.

"I think both of them will have a shot at double-digit sacks. If they can stay healthy throughout the 12 games and hopefully a bowl game, they will get double-digit sacks. You’ve got Datone, who is bigger than Hickman and faster the Hickman. He’s a sophomore, so that’s the only thing – you have to see if it clicks for him, but he’s working hard.

"Then you have Korey Boz, who is every bit as fast as Bruce Davis was. He’s stronger than Bruce Davis. He might not be as flexible as Bruce Davis, but that was something I told him at the end of the spring that he needed to work on. I felt like had he not had a few misses here and there, he would have had double-digit sacks last year …as it was, he had 7 ½.

"I think a guy like Brian Price should get seven or eight inside. And Jerzy (Siewierski) has a better finesse game than Brigham Harwell, and he might be the best athlete of all them."

You can read rest of the interview with Howard here.

It is going to be a treat to see these guys go up against each other for few weeks starting next Monday. While I am going to wait for now to get completely optimistic about this coming soon, I am looking forward to reading about the competiton that is going to take place in Spaulding. It is going to be fierce for the first time in a very long time in Westwood.

GO BRUINS.

Walker's "The Cage": holds Quizz almost exactly to his career average

CV3000 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:06 -0000

If you're anything like me, then you've seen and heard a lot of different opinions about football defensive strategy over the years. Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Blitz, Nickel, Dime, Dog, Man, Zone, Twist, Stunt, Slide, Bump and Run are just a few of the many terms that defensive coaches use to describe their techniques for dealing with opposing teams' offenses.

However, this week I heard a new one. Indeed, I heard about The Cage. Have you not heard about The Cage, my friends?

Can you resist the luxurious chest hair, dreamy eyes and implausible Oscar winning acting of DeWayne Walker's The Cage? via hitdawall.files.wordpress.com

Yes, according to the Los Angeles Times DeWayne Walker's strategy for "containing" Quizz was to spring The Cage on The Orange Jesus during the Beavers game at the Rose Bowl today.

Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker says his front seven needs to build a cage. Each defender represents a section of the fence, assigned to a particular gap. Each must hold his ground, control that gap, and not just chase the ball.

So far, this is like a really obvious metaphor for a fence.

"We can't let him out of the cage," Walker said of Rodgers. "You give him any creases, man, he's going to find those creases."

"Quizz Rodgers: finds enough creases to make an *origami Beaver." via news.cnet.com

After practice on a recent evening, tackle Brigham Harwell demonstrated the necessary technique.

At the snap, he engages the blocker head-on and hopefully pushes a yard or two into the backfield. If he leans to peak around his man, Rodgers might fly past on the other side. So he must wait and rely on peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of the tailback flashing by to the left or right.

Who knows, maybe it could have worked? But it just sounds like they're going to defend every running down like you do when you're rushing the passer, but actually expecting to defend against a draw. Had DeWayne seen any film on what Quizz can do when all the gaps are closed? Doesn't it seem like that's exactly what Quizz would want; an entire defense just standing around and waiting for him to juke all 11 of them? OH NO! Not the Briar Patch! It didn't seem to matter.

"It happens so quickly," Harwell said. "Off the ball. One-two. When he commits, you try to rip off the block and make the tackle."

"UCLA's defensive strategy involves a little one-two, one-two with a pair of skilled dancing bears like this."

That was DeWayne Walker's strategy for today in a nutshell. 140 yards on the ground, 8 more through the air; we're not saying it didn't work, but--it didn't exactly work. Will anyone--ever--be able to contain Quizz?

"Quizz, WAIT! Why are you running away from The Cage? Was it something The Cage said? Can't we work this out?" via hitdawall.files.wordpress.com

*By the way, the origami Beaver was made out of a single sheet of paper--even including the tail!

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.

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.

Dealing With Reality: Bouncing Back With Basics

Nestor — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:06:44 -0000

So where to pick up the day after?

All off season we had been mentally preparing ourselves for a very tough season during Rick Neuheisel’s first year at UCLA. There were a number of outsiders who mocked those pre-season projections asserting that somehow we were low balling the expectations game to protect a first year coach. What we saw yesterday was a realization of all the warning signs we flashed this off season based on our thorough analysis of our entire roster. Sure the jolt of 0-59 was beyond jarring:

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

However, the kind of low we are all collectively experiencing this morning, shouldn’t have been a surprise to any knowledgeable Bruin football fan who has been following this program on a day to day basis for last few years. This was coming and there wasn’t much even the best coaching combination in the country could do about it.

The victory against Tennessee was magical. No doubt. But there was a reason we posted this warning sign moments after that missed Volunteer OT kick at the Rose Bowl (emphasis added):

Tonight is just a start. We are experiencing the kind of high we haven't experienced since 13-9. We know there are tough times ahead. We are going to experience our share of adversity. It is going to happen.

So it has happened. Within 2 weeks, the reality around UCLA football has brought everyone back crashing to earth. The question is how everyone is going to react?

Well, a good place to start would be not to get into any kind of blame game and recognize the reality that right now we don’t have the horses to compete at an elite level. Please note that when I make that assertion it’s not meant to be an attack on any of our players in the team. I have no doubt these kids are doing everything they can and will do everything they can to help the new regime build a foundation for the long term future of this program. But that doesn’t preclude us from making the observation that right now we don’t have the talent and experience to compete at the top level of the Pac-10 conference or even the MWC.

Let’s take our defense for example. Over here we have been critical and difficult on DeWayne Walker and have raised questions about his ability to scheme against the spread offense. Yet, today I am not sure it would be wise to single him out for failing to properly scheme against BYU’s lethal passing attack. Let’s go back to the discussion we had on stopping spread type of offense before the Tennessee game:

The most effective way to stop spread offense is to have speedy defenders who can offset any mismatches spread OCs try to create with their skill position players. So what can a DC like Walker do to spread the effective passing attack of Max Hall? He can compete when he can field a defense with speedy LBs and a fast and athletic defensive secondary. Does he have that? Well again just look through our roster. Walker is working with 3 new starters in his defensive backfield and his experience safety Lockett was getting in his first action of the season. At LB with all due respect to Bosworth and Hale (who are playing their hearts out), Walker has a blue chipper in Reggie Carter who is playing a new position at Mike, replacing the experience and brain of last two year’s unit in Christian Taylor.

I guess the question here could be is why did our DBs give Cougars receivers so much cushion? From Dohn:

Collie matched a career-high with 10 receptions - all in the first half - and scored two touchdowns as quarterback Max Hall picked apart UCLA's secondary, Verner in particular, en route to No. 18 BYU's 59-0 thrashing of the Bruins on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"It was a shocker," Walker said. "We've got to get (Verner) going. I'm just as shocked as you guys. I thought he could handle (Collie).

"That was our whole game plan going in, and it didn't work out that way."

Walker said he did not want Verner to give Collie much of a cushion at the line of scrimmage, but time and again Verner lined up 10 yards off the line of scrimmage.

It allowed Hall to constantly complete short passes to Collie, and kept UCLA's defensive line and blitzing linebackers from pressuring Hall. He finished 27 of 35 for 271 yards and seven touchdowns, and was a big reason the Cougars were 13 of 17 converting third downs.

"I played off too much," Verner said. "They were doing short routes most of the game, taking 5- or 6- or 8-yard gains all day. I played too far off him and gave him too much room to make catches. That type of guy you have to get up and try to take their space away and make them go over the top on you.

"I didn't do that in the beginning, and I tried to change it up at the end."

I think the fact that our best cover corner felt like he had to give Austin Collie a cushion to effectively cover him tells us all we need to know about the talent level in our defense. This is the kind of reality that might not be pleasant for fan but this is where we are after what has transpired in the recruiting front over last five years. I know we have lot of youngsters who came in this last recruiting class. But football is not basketball where kids can just come in and take over. There are some exceptions but it generally takes 2-3 years for a high school kid to get comfortable in the college game.

The obvious difference in this year’s matchup with Cougars from last year was the absence of Bruce Davis. Davis was a terror who brought the heat on Hall from the outside. There was only so much the combination of Harwell and Price could do. They tried to push from the inside, but the BYU OL was able to neutralize them given the fact that we were not getting any pressure from our DEs and backers. As a result, Hall had enough time in the pocket to write up terms papers and slice up the UCLA secondary. And when Unga was getting outside he was simply bulldozing over our ends and LBers. They were undersized and overmatched.

There was not much Walker could do. Could he have gone for broke time and again by bringing in LB and safety blitzes? I am honestly not sure if that would have worked because as mentioned above he doesn’t have seniors like Davis, Horton or Keyes in the roster. Only thing he can do right now is to try to get back with his players and get them to refocus on the fundamentals for next weekend at the Rose Bowl.

Now let’s shift our attention towards the offense. Again there is not much either Neuheisel or Chow could do yesterday. If you go through the game, I am not sure how much second guessing we can do about their play calling. If anything, they actually tried to be aggressive. They head faked the BYU coaches into taking a TO, when they showed as if they were going for it on 4^th and 1 in our first drive. They mixed in good calls on first downs. Loved those quick outs and bubble screens to WRs on first downs that worked like running play.

But all that didn’t hide the stone cold reality about our OL, which once again generated only 16 yards in 9 carries (See box score). I have always liked the effort the Chane Train gives out there. But he is not really an every down back. We didn’t have Bell out there and Carter got dinged up early on. My main reservation from yesterday was that I wish our coaches had tried out Dean or Franklin out there early. My understanding is that Dean was out there for 1 carry and got hurt (update below). I think it would be good for coaches to get these kids out there lot more (if Dean is healthy) next week and just give them their chances. Because they need something.

As for Craft, again this is a kid who is giving everything they have. He did missed couple of easy passes. But his production was decent (23 for 39, 240 yards, 1 pick). He did what he could to move the chains. Then again we saw the extent of his athleticism when his hailmary pass at the end of the first half fell more than 20 yards short of the end zone. Once again, it’s telling about the talent level of our program when our best QB prospect (including the current kids on the roster) is probably a helicopter ride away from Westwood.

What happened yesterday was a total implosion that’s a result of a decade long roster and recruiting mismanagement in this football program. And the problems on both offense and defense metastasized and spilled over into every facets of the team which we saw in the repeated breakdown of special teams. As painful and dispiriting as it is, there is not much we can do about it.

We already posted CRN’s message re. adversity. As T pointed he has standing when he talks about dealing with adversity given what he has gone through last few years. There is no one better in terms of offering to lead by his own example. He also had this to say about yesterday’s loss:

"We have to get better, and that's across the board," Neuheisel said. "All of us have to get better. This loss is pinned on every one of us. The bottom line is what do we do to fix it?"

I think in terms of fixing the problems, as alluded it will probably start with going back to basics on defense. Same goes for both offense and the special teams. I imagine coaches are going to be working on with basic drills of holding on to the ball. CRN had to say this about our offense:

"Our game is always going to be the same; we're going to have to stay on the field, keep our defense off of it,'' Neuheisel said. "We could not do that. We left our defense out there far too long, and BYU was methodical.''

And that plan falls apart when the offense keeps turning the ball over. For the long term issues silverlakebruin nailed it:

The Key now is to get the troops rallied, play with pride the next 10 games, hope for a .500 season, and one more thing::

ITS ALL ABOUT RECRUITING… CRN MUST HAVE STELLAR RECRUITING THE NEXT TWO SEASONS

Then we will be in a position to be excellent in 2010.

As for injuries here was the update from Don following the game:

Center Micah Reed injured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and it appears he will not be ready for next week against Arizona.
Linebacker Kyle Bosworth injured the MCL in his left knee, and was pulled from the game so not to injure it more.
Running back Raymond Carter has a bruised knee, but said he didn't believe it was serious.
All three will have MRIs Monday or Tuesday.
Running back Aundre Dean sprained his ankle on his only carry and defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski suffered a strained neck. Not sure on either's status for next week until the next few days.

I haven’t seen any updates yet. If you see it, please post it in the comments on the fan shots.

Right now ... we don't need outsider's "pity" or calls for "gut check" who in their cursory interest in writing about our program never really cared to deal with with facts and failed to recognize what our program has gone through this past decade. Let the MSM types cackle all they want. We need to stick together with this team and with each other.

So, I will reiterate what I wrote last night. We saw this play out in Howland’s first couple of years again, again, and again. Under the best coach in college hoops, kids with UCLA stitched in front of their jerseys were getting humiliated at Pauley and on the road in blowout losses to Arizona, Notre Dame, St. Johns and on and on. In fact Howland’s best moment his first season was a close loss against Tubby Smith’s Kentucky team in Anaheim. I remember those days clearly because it makes the taste of success we have experience last three years that much sweeter. Especially sweet for those of us who stay with the team for the entire ride.

So chin up … take a deep breath.

GO BRUINS.

Questions Swirling Around Bruins

Nestor — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:07 -0000

So lot of BYU fans are feeling pretty confident about their games against us on Saturday. They are coming off an emotional win at a tough Pac-10 venue and are now fired up to get over their main obstacle – UCLA – on their road to a BCS bowl game. So can’t really blame them for getting all fired up.

As of Sunday BYU opened up as 9 point favorite over UCLA per the Salt Lake Tribune:

BYU is a nine-point favorite over UCLA in this Saturday's game at LaVell Edwards Stadium, according to this Web site.
I figured the Cougars would be favored between four and six points, but what do I know? I think the betting public will go with UCLA, and wouldn't be surprised to see the point spread drop to around seven by game time.

Not sure where the line is right now. But 7 points seems to be a fairly substantial margin.

Yet according to some BYU fans like byujim, who have been offering some good takes here on BN, Bruins will have a chance to pull out an upset on Saturday:

The way to beat BYU? I’ve been watching long enough that I know how it’s been done. The first is to get them riled up. Emotion works against this Cougar team (they should be more mature due to their age, but a lot of times they aren’t). Get a lot of penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct, holding and false starts. Next, get a good defense in there to stop the run. UCLA has good enough cover corners to stack the box with 9 if they wanted to and effectively take away both dimensions of this game. And lastly, get Craft to play like the second half of the Tennessee game instead of the first!

Well, right now there are big question marks IMO on exactly how Craft is going to play. I know lot of folks are hoping Craft’s second half performance will carry over into Saturday. But I think we will have to wait and see. As we have been tracking practice reports, he can be very streaky.

Also as mentioned this am, it would really help if we can put together a semblance of a running game. I know some folks are wondering why Moline is starting (since Bell is looking “doubtful”) in place of some one like Carter who has the speed to break through. Well, Chow alluded to the fact that Moline is a good “zone runner”. I think another factor we might have to consider that coaches probably think Moline is a better blocker within their protection scheme (See tasser's point here). I think this is probably a significant factor into Chow’s game planning.

Anyway, as Tydides pointed out right now there are lot of questions despite the exhilarating win from labor day re. what our Bruins can bring to the table:

If for no other reason than for their opponent, this is the first road test for a very young team. For better or worse, we had quite a bit of experience last year. What kind of experience we had is up for debate, but it was certainly more than what we have currently. Frankly, if we see a repeat performance of the first half from the Tennessee game, that will likely be game over, and there’s no doubt that our defense will be called upon to shoulder more than its share of the burden, as will probably be the case the rest of the season. The UW game showed that BYU knows how to execute. They are the known quantity. What will the Bruins bring to the table? I think that’s the real question, and I don’t think anyone has the answer to it.

Again here are some of the questions swirling around our team:

Which Craft are we going to see on Saturday: the one from first half or the one who led the glorious comeback in the second?
Will our offense be able to put together some semblance of a running game giving Craft some room to operate and helping us to sustain some long drives?
Will the defense be able to put enough pressure on Hall to get him off rhythm?
Who will win the battle of trenches between BYU's OL v. the UCLA DL (anchored by the Killer B's)?\
Will our LBs be able to contain Pitta?

I am sure you all can think of few more. But just like Tydides right now I don't have the answers.

So I think once again it’s important for all of us to not lose perspective after first game while we wait to find out some of the answers on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.