SB Nation User Blog: bucknellbruin

Bruins Back in Top 10

bucknellbruin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:12:54 -0000

Bruins Back in Top 10

Louisville and Michigan State both had bad losses this week so we moved past them from #11 to #9

Great Article on Ariza

bucknellbruin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:51:32 -0000

Great Article on Ariza

J.A. Adande (IMO one of the best writers out there) talks about how Ariza's impact goes beyond the box score - again, just what we've come to expect from our Bruins. Keep it up Trevor!

Dragovic Arrested

bucknellbruin — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 04:14:38 -0000

Dragovic Arrested

This doesn't look too good. Hopefully there was a misunderstanding but I don't like seeing our guys acting like Trojans...

Dean considering transfer?

bucknellbruin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:13:52 -0000

Dean considering transfer?

Uh oh. Hopefully this turns into nothing. I'd hate to lose such a talented player without seeing what he could do.

Olson's Stroke Led to Retirement

bucknellbruin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:46:49 -0000

Olson's Stroke Led to Retirement

Well, I guess this makes it a bit more understandable about his sudden departure. I still don't get why he waited so long to announce...but all the same. I respect Olson a lot, and let me be the first to wish him well. Get better Coach

The Willingham Era Is Officially (Almost) Over

bucknellbruin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:05:27 -0000

The Willingham Era Is Officially (Almost) Over

What a failure this turned out to be. Guess ND was justified in letting Ty go.

Forcier or Craft?

bucknellbruin — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 06:16:56 -0000

The question of the day - and of the last few weeks - is what to do about the quarterback situation. We've all had our moments (including CRN, and probably Chow at some point) of wanting Craft gone. He's made some incredibly bone-headed plays, and hurt us big time against Cal. Yet at the same time, without him under center we probably lose to Tennessee and Stanford. He's led us on two incredible fourth quarter comebacks, and I think all of BN appreciates him and his toughness. Every time we want to bench him, he seems to prove us wrong. That's what's made it so hard to go to Forcier.

Now, I think we can all agree that Craft is a better passer than Forcier. If Forcier was a better passer, he would be the starter due to his mobility. But because of our lack of a running game, it forces Craft to be better than he actually is. When watching teams such as Texas, Oklahoma, etc, do you ever notice how open the receivers are? Sure, Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and co. are great QB's, but I'm guessing with the time those guys get, and the wide open targets they throw to, KC would put up pretty impressive numbers as well.

But clearly, we're not Texas or Oklahoma when it comes to offense. And the difference is the running game. Texas and OU have great running attacks to go with their QB's. By spreading the field, combined with the threat of the run, teams are forced to drop safeties, in the box and single cover the wide receievers. McCoy and Bradford then have all day to sit back and pick apart single coverages.

Since we don't have a running game, we need a way to take pressure off of our QB's arm. And the only way to do that is to bring safeties into the box, and to force linebackers closer to the line. And to do that, we need a running attack with a pulse. That's why Forcier needs a shot. True, he's a less accurate passer. But with the added dimension he brings, he won't have to be as accurate. With the threat of his legs, the WR's will see more one-on-one coverage, and there will be less safety help. I think we can agree that the WR's have impressed this year, and I for one am confident that they can beat single coverage - at least well enough to give the QB a good lane to throw the ball.

The point of all this is that we're not getting the job done on offense. And while it's not all KC's fault, his skill set isn't right for our personel. We need the threat of a running game - however we can get it. Forcier provides us with that. And I'm confident enough in his arm (after all, he was a top 20 QB recruit) to believe that he can complete passes with at least the same efficiency as KC if he has 1) more time, and 2) less coverage on the WRs.

So that's my view. I personally really like KC, and I love all that he's given to the team this year. He's one of the toughest guys I've ever seen play the QB position. It's really really hard to want him on the bench. But the fact is that we need to try something different. At the very least, Forcier will give us something different on offense - something I think we're all looking for.

Either way, I'll support CRN and Chow. But I really hope that Forcier at least gets a shot in a game; not just in practice.

Go Bruins!

Poll

Who should start at QB against Oregon State?

Kevin Craft

53 votes

Chris Forcier

57 votes

Osaar Rasshan

11 votes

Other

4 votes

125 votes | Poll has closed

OL Hasiak Commits

bucknellbruin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:08:38 -0000

OL Hasiak Commits

We needed this commitment. Hopefully he sticks with us.

Aggression Comes With a Price

bucknellbruin — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:02 -0000

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Everyone think back to this play three years ago: 4th and 2, 6:00 left, UCLA down 40-28 to Cal on their own 42. Out comes the punt team. Boos are raining down on Dorrell, and what does he do? Fakes the punt.

This was maybe the only time I truly saw and appreciated Dorrell taking a chance and mixing it up a little. As we all know, Jarrad Page ran the fake punt for 38 yards and we came back to beat Cal 47-40. After the game, Bruin fans everywhere were complimenting KD for the gutsy fake punt call.

Well here's a scenario. What if it hadn't worked? What if Page had been stuffed at the line for no gain? The fans would've been irate, asking KD why he didn't just line up and do some sort of PA bootleg that had worked for us all season long. With guys like Olson, MJD, and Lewis, why not just flat out go for it?

The answer to this is because sometimes a coach HAS to mix it up. Cal was clearly not expecting the fake punt, and were clearly not expecting a coach like KD to pull it out.

So where does this all fit in with last night? It's simple: we cannot blame Neuheisel for risking a mid-game onside kick.

Think about what happens if it works. Best case, we go 60 yards again and tie it up, taking ALL of the momentum and life out of raucous Autzen Stadium. Worst case (besides a Craft INT), we go 3 and out and Perez pins them back at their 20 - just where they would've been with a deep kick.

But of course, that didn't happen. The ball took a strange sideways bounce that only a football could take, and bounced straight out of bounds. So now Oregon has the ball on our 40 yard line. Out come the boo birds to blame Neuheisel, calling him an idiot and asking why he would take that risk when he didn't have to. So here's my question for everyone that says that: You want Karl Dorrell back? Because there is NO way KD calls for that onside kick. He would've kicked it deep, and seeing how Oregon's offense went 40 yards with zero effort seems to me they probably could've gotten 40 additional ones of top of it. Clearly, we'll never know what would've happened if we had kicked it deep. But when a less talented team is in the game with a more talented team, it's up to the coaches to CREATE situations that favor us. And thats what CRN tried to do.

The point of all this is that being aggressive comes with risk. For all of you that complained about KD and are now complaining about CRN - hate to break it to you, but you have to have one or the other. Either the tightly zipped Dorrell, or the wide open Neuheisel. Criticizing aggression after 5 years of criticizing conservative calls doesn't work. If we want an aggressive team and HC (which we ALL did a few months ago), we have to accept that there will be times when a play goes wrong. Just like going for it on 4th and 1 instead of punting it, just like accepting a holding penalty on 3rd and 12, CRN is showing that he has faith in his team and is willing to take a risk. And no matter the result, I'd take that over a coach that called plays even a 6 year old could've predicted.

Poll

Did CRN make the right call with the onside kick?

Yes

232 votes

No

79 votes

Not Sure - that's why I'm not a coach

84 votes

395 votes | Poll has closed

(Another) Possible SC Violation

bucknellbruin — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:46:59 -0000

(Another) Possible SC Violation

Dohn reporting that Cheaty Petey went to see a HS player one too many times this year - a player that both the Bruins and Trojans have offered.