Even though our season has been mired in frustration and unfulfilled high expectations once again I think we all look to this game for some degree of inspiration. Here’s hoping Coach N can inspire our current team to play man-for-man, with a bit of pride and for once, a sense of urgency. I think the fact that we are already backing up into the conference final (thanks to ASU and Utah) should be reason enough for us to summon the desire to win out of sheer pride. If I were a player, I truly would not want to lose this game and I’d love to prove we belong in the Pac-12 championship game (despite our record).

So, just a couple hours before kickoff, let’s summon the spirit and the winning record of those players who beat $C, and who in some instances DOMINATED them. A few alums on this site have repeatedly mentioned John Barnes whose performance in 1992, will forever be memorialized. If you were at the Rose Bowl that night, when our fourth/fifth string QB, surprised EVERYONE in attendance with a game of a lifetime, it is etched in your brain – that very image of Barnes running the length of the field after hooking up with JJ Stokes time and time again, against what had been a pretty competitive USC team (against a very crippled and frustrating UCLA squad; remember, we had 3-4 QBs hurt that season thus the reason for Barnes’ entry). But we won the game, this despite being down two TDs going into the 4th quarter. That game alone tells you that anything can happen in this match tonight, despite current records, Heisman candidacies, bulletin board material, and mediocre seasons due to bad coaching, underperformance or a bad culture. I remember 1989, probably one of the worst seasons in our history, a game where we were supposed to be CRUSHED. What happened? SC tied us late in the game at the Coliseum -- the last tie in the series. Recall Karl Morgan sacking the SC QB in the first game of the rivalry at the Rose Bowl in 1982, and winning 20-19. Morgan upsetting the TrOJans’ chance of going ahead with no time left on the clock. How about Marvin Goodwin picking off Rob Johnson in the endzone at the Coliseum in 1993 to clinch a Rose Bowl berth? Again, if you were there, one of those magical moments never forgotten. There’s always the Gary Beban comeback in 1965 (when ‘the Great One’ was a sophomore) when down by 10, with 4 minutes to play, the Bruins score 14 unanswered points to win 20-16 and head to the Rose Bowl. The 1996 game at the Rose Bowl was epic: down by 17 with six to play and winning in double OT. Stunning them and slapping them silly in the course of about 10 minutes. I was sitting right behind the SC bench and watched those clowns pout as the game wore on and as Skip Hicks nailed them to the wall. And of course there’s the #14-ranked Bruins overcoming EIGHT lost fumbles in the 1975 game and winning 25-22 against an unranked $C team. We’d go on to beat #1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl that year.

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If these two teams ever face one another, I want to be right there watching it -- this is assuming Kitten lasts long at $C.  Check out this story on yahoo/rivals.com.  Man do they loathe him.  Don't mess with them southern boys!

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Lane-Kiffin-Tennessee-s-new-public-enemy-No-1;_ylt=AkTdmx6Rs9IW909yMtGx.to5nYcB?urn=ncaaf,213278

But this is so typical of Kiffin, he's not even 35 and his professionalism already REEKS of indiscretions. Mike Garrett really got a winner this time. 

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

If you read the LA papers today, you'll essentially see how the LA (Trojan) Times covers UCLA football, as opposed to others.  The LAT has the basic story and one absurd somewhat detrimental (and now totally debunked. -N) piece by idiot TJ Simers that casts a shadow over the program. I was pissed... they also report on Brian Price's departure and other losses we'll be facing and that's it. We won a bowl game and this is all we get?? 

So I went to the LA Daily news site and ran into a handful of very nice stories and coverage of our Bruins in DC. The best one, a very well-written and hopeful, optimistic piece was the following one from Jill Painter:

The Bruins are on to something under Rick Neuheisel.

UCLA's got swagger.

The bowl win gave UCLA its first winning season (7-6) since 2006 and first under Neuheisel. The EagleBank Bowl isn't the Rose Bowl or a BCS bowl, but it provided every avenue for UCLA to flaunt its progress and its toughness.

And that counts for something.

The Bruins showed heart. They showed guts. And they had it all on display in a part of the country that must think USC is the only college football team west of Colorado.

UCLA won on the East Coast in 30-something degree weather with a windchill of 18 degrees. The Bruins aren't as soft as their baby blue school color and 90210-like zip code might indicate.

"I know people thought the West Coast Cali boys were going to be soft," senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. "I'm not going to lie, it was cold. We fought hard. You can never say we're soft. We were down 21-7, and you never see us quit."

Their plane ride back to Los Angeles late Tuesday night surely was one big party.

Read the rest of it here.

You'll feel good about our program after reading it. Something nice in the local press--for a change. Kudos to the LADN... but we should limit the attention we give the Trojan Times, as a result of this lack of coverage and lack of respect.  Enjoy the story.

Go Bruins!!

If you haven't seen this video of the 1997 UCLA-$C game, here is another shot:

All I have to say is AMAZING. An amazing and spirited Cade McNown who dominated the game, easily averting 4-5 sacks only to make BIG plays instead.  HUGE plays. This is the last time we beat the TrOJies in the Coliseum, a whole 12 years ago (embarrassingly enough).   In this clip you'll see a very pumped up Bruin team coming out of the tunnel, a team in the middle of a TWENTY (yes, you read correctly) game winning streak (1997-98) in addition to one of the better backs in our history who is often forgotten:  Skip Hicks!  This was win # 7 in the eight-game winning streak against $C.  That was a solid-solid team that got into SC's head as the years went by... We should have won 10-in-a-row against these clowns.  In case you don't remember, Cade never lost to U$C...

therefore WE SUMMON THE SPIRIT OF CADE onto Kevin Prince. May a NEW streak commence tonight!

Go Bruins!

 

Bumped. Here is Rahim and co. bringing Christmas home early tonight. GO BRUINS. -N

Photo Credit: Telemachus

Ok, the day has arrived.  The day some of us wait for all year long. For me, I almost feel like a 6-year old again on Xmas morning.  Why? Because the thought of having the chance to beat these guys is upon us... and if we do, man, those bragging rights, that bell, that Bruin pride feels so good, so very fulfilling.  That being said, as diehards, we should expect to win tonight and ultimately shouldn't be surprised if we pull it off. That's not just wishful thinking here, because this isn't the same TrOJan team of 2005 or 2006 which vied for the national championship both times.

Fact is, this is an OVERRATED $C team that's already lost three times (twice in abysmal fashion).  The fact that this will be played at the Coliseum should simply be MORE of a motivator for our team. So, how/why can we beat the TrOJies??

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Heard that?? Listen carefully.  That THUD (!) you just heard is the impact heard across the Pac-10 today.  U$C just hit the turf, and they hit it HARD.  That sound is called parity, as in near-parity between the Bruins and Trojans.  I'm trying not to get ahead of myself here, as we still have to play ASU next week before we face $C on the 28th, but it's hard not to look ahead at what will be a great showdown between a program that is coming back down to Earth after a long and successful run (thanks to a lot of help, thanks to Cheaty Petey's ways... but I digress) and another program that is on its way up (US).  Point is, momentum is now on our side to possibly win out.  SC now finds itself quite demoralized, probably playing for nothing but pride at this point, and/or for probably a meaningless bowl game.  We, on the other hand, could very well be playing towards a 7-5 and possibly 8-5 season...  After being 3-5 two weeks ago, could any of us have predicted the mere POSSIBILITY of such a finish? Raise your hands if you even fathomed the thought. Hard to believe we could have this kind of momentum after beating both Washington schools, but regardless of that fact, the Bruins are a team on the rise, a young team discovering itself, and more importantly, a team that has finally realized its QB is the real deal (!). 

Fellow Bruins, we have a lot to be excited about, not just for what remains this season, but possibly even the next three years!. The way Kevin Prince is playing right now, we have a shot at winning out this year. And that would make for a very successful 2009.

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Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Like everyone else on this site, I have been LIVID the last 36 hours.  My worst fears when we were 3-0 (WAY back when) have been realized.  Back then, when I looked at the schedule and saw that we had three tough games ahead, for a split second I thought '3-3'.  I was ashamed to think it then, but here we are, about a month later, staring at a four-game losing streak (an out-of-control 3-4 record) and a potential three or four more losses in 2009.  I hated being pessimistic in that one instant, but that is, I suppose, what a culture of mediocrity breeds (the last few years -- a handful of Donahue years too):  Doubt.

That being said, however, I believe we still should look at this season, and Neuheisel's focus on turning this thing around, with a bit of perspective.  We are very very young and extremely inexperienced and that has less to do with what Coach Neuheisel is doing than with the program he inherited, which as we know -- especially now -- was an absolute mess. This isn't to say we should excuse CRN entirely, there have been a few questionable decisions made by CRN thus far in addition to more than a few concerns that I believe start with the head coach (platooning three QB's? a seemingly less-than-passionate approach to a few games? an inconsistent and undisciplined Defense?) 

After this past Saturday's loss in the desert (yet again -- when was the last time we actually won in Tucson??), I have forced myself to take a step back, look at the big picture and not panic.  I took the time to read most of the posts here at Bruins Nation and the overall theme and mood is obviously utter frustration. Who can blame us?? We seem to be mired in a perpetual black hole of medocrity, with nothing on the horizon to provide us with any kind of hope. It's gotten so bad that we're even looking at NEXT year's schedule, and already making dire predictions (0-3? 1-6?). Let's acknowledge, however, without making any excuses, that our team is ridiculously young, green, in every sense of the word. I think that can only mean that we can only go up from here, as crazy as that sounds.  We need to remember a few things, however...

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This is a slight reiteration of UCLA 13_USC 9's post ('Past, Present, Future: A Quick Outline' )yesterday (5 Oct.)  Great points, all of them. But I'm going to add a few here, and in the process, raise the bar a bit and go out on a limb and say we should EXPECT our Bruins to win this week against Oregon at the Rose Bowl.  If that happens, we have every reason to believe we're now in the upper echelon of the Pac-10, and on our way to that status nationally.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am a realist most of the time and like many of you --deep down -- probably believe a 7-6 season (8-4?) along with a Bowl invite (and subsequent Bowl win) would be a success.  I think most of us are in agreement there.  Anything sub-.500  would be all-too-reminiscent of the Dorrell era and would leave us enormously frustrated, so naturally, at worst, 7-6 is somewhat acceptable given the parity that exists in the Pac-10 today. Most of us think that our return to greatness should occur incrementally -- that is, after all, what Coach Neuheisel has preached and what any sensible fan should expect, esp. after a 4-8 season, with a very young team. 

However, IF we win on Saturday, there is an awful lot of damage we can do the remainder of the year and it will send a strong message to the rest of the conference. If Kevin Prince returns this weekend -- and all indications are that he will -- this game becomes that much more vital to the team and to the season.

Why is this game so important?

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Bumped. GO BRUINS. - N

Yes, the immediate reaction this morning to the temporary loss of Prince is disheartening -- to say the least. The kid was doing very well; he may not have been lighting it up statistically but he was indeed leading and he wasn't committing major mistakes that were giving games away. This, after not having played since high school two entire years ago.  The kid earned the starting job and now he has to deal with this injury. Sad and definitely not what we needed, esp. after two solid wins. However, with this loss comes new opportunity for this young team.

We have no choice but to move on and focus on KSU this Saturday. And that means true Frosh Brehaut should be at the helm. The kid is our #2 guy and left h.s. early to get here, and he's extremely talented. We may very well discover that he's even better than Barkley over at $C (who looks like he's about 13, by the way).  

Brehaut and our team will be better off by getting some time to play together. Given how injury prone our QBs have been in recent years (due to bad luck and not necessarily poor recruiting, at least I would say), it is probably a good thing that our #2 guy get some experience, esp. against Kansas State and at home, no less. This will also allow us to at the very least TRY to re-establish a solid running game -- if anything it looks like we have some pretty good talent back there once again in Franklin, Knox and Coleman (if Moline can stay healthy, maybe we can add him to the list as well). 

Norm Chow is probably the perfect guy to have in our corner during times like these, because he's such a great teacher (as is Coach Rick).  There was one scene during the game on Sat. where Coach Neuheisel was animated on the sidelines talking to all THREE of his QBs on the sideline... he was involving all of them and he looked genuinely like a teacher, like a counselor, almost like a big brother (Dorrell never looked that interested whenever on the sidelines, as you all recall -- night and day comparison with Coach N.), exhibiting patience, emphasis, and just genuine passion. It was great!  These next few weeks, I am certain, Chow will take some time to cultivate a real learning environment and set up a gameplan where our next QB will be allowed to move cautiously, but smartly, as he attempts to guide the team.

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Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Now that we're 2-0 and have momentum on our side -- esp. as we face a team like Kansas St. -- it is VITAL that we take one game at a time. Yes, that means taking KSU seriously next week, even if we are at home and even if
KSU lost today to the likes of Louisiana-Lafayette.  Next week is important because it allows us to do the following:   1) win a game and pad our stats; 2)  win a game in SERIOUS fashion, and that means taking them to the cleaners, by pretending this is SC or Cal or some other tough team we'll be facing; 3)  creates a setting  where Prince and our bevy of sophomores and freshmen can gain some added confidence.

If we take KSU lightly, we may lose our momentum, and God forbid, we may even lose. These types of upsets happen all the time. 

After beating TN, we may even crack the top 25 this week... that's important for our program... if we build this type of momentum, this not only helps recruiting, but it begins to build this one-game-at-a-time momentum we need... our schedule won't get any easier as we enter conference play where anyone can unseat anyone on any given Saturday.

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Why so obvious?  

1- Not just head coaching experience, but SUCCESSFUL head coaching experience -- both at the college and pro levels.

2- He's young and EXPERIENCED, (as opposed to what Dorrell was or what Dwayne Walker is).

3- He's an alum who brings fire (possibly MORE fire) than that idiot at U$C. He wasn't just a receiver, but a leading, successful QB who reached the pinnacle as a Bruin player (barring a national championship).

4- He has an offensive mindset that's been missing from Westwood for YEARS. He could have lit this program up had Donahue not ignored him years back.

5- He's made mistakes and can reasonably argue he's learned from them. We all commit errors and most of us learn lessons from these very errors every day of our lives. Here, we have a SEASONED Rick Neuheisel who knows not to repeat the transgressions from his past. That's a commodity, NOT a LIABILITY! Plus, it's already been noted and proven (in court, no less) that his past errors weren't all that bad to begin with. Arguably less controversial than Harrick's indiscretions. If anything, a coach with Neuheisel's past almost ensures we have a clean program in the future. Also, RN isn't dumb. He'd be stupid to try anything fishy, esp. since he'd be living out his dream job.

6- He WANTS TO COACH FOR US (remind you of Howland somewhat?)!

7- As Bruin Blue, Nestor and others on this blog have noted, his record speaks for itself:

'His teams have finished in the Top Ten three times in his eight years.  He has played in three BCS games, winning them all. He has a Pac-10 winning record of 23-9,.  He won all four Apple Cup games against rival Washington State.'  

If that's not convincing, I don't know what is.

8- A little bit of flair, of independence, is important and it goes a long, long way. Do we want some lackey who kisses the chancellor's and the AD's ass? I don't see Neuheisel doing this ever...  This type of independence, this type of verve will attract top-notch recruits.

9- He's a player's coach. Troy Aikman, who was successful at UCLA and enormously successful in the NFL knows what he's saying. Aikman rarely speaks out on such matters, if he's recommending RN, the administration should listen.

10-  Leach? June Jones? C'mon, who are we kidding! Texas Tech and Hawaii?  Al Golden at TEMPLE?  Mike Riley? John Harbaugh? Norm Chow? Neuheisel is a steal compared to all of these... Last I checked Hawaii is still not a football powerhouse... Bellotti might have been the only reasonable alternative... Other than that, we're hanging on to the only negative on RN's resume... focus on what is important here. We're about to let a gem slip away because our priorities are misplaced. Hire Rick Neuheisel!

Plaschke's article in today's LA Times emphasizes this lack of a priority given ucla football. Terry Donahue's quote says it best, and exemplifies what is wrong with our program, our history and the thinking that has been engrained in our collective psyche for decades.

Says Donahue:  "'USC is the football school, UCLA is the basketball school, we all know that," Donahue said before pausing. 'But UCLA is still a great institution that can get great players from across the country.'"  

That, fellow alums is what's wrong with UCLA football.

This supposed inferiority complex that LA Times beat writers and everyone else ascribe to us. USC may have more championships in football, but some of us don't EXPECT it EVER to be that way. I for one don't have an inferiority complex.

If we hire Neuheisel now, it'll be the first step in forever vanquishing that supposed $C shadow looming over us. We may be tired of alums right now thanks to Dorrell, but here's one alum that could take us to the promised land. To me, it's simply crystal clear, I don't understand why DG doesn't see it that way.

For this reason, I say again... the Obvious pick:  Rick Neuheisel.  

That's right, START OSAAR RASSHAN at QB this Saturday...!

Already, Dorrell is proving our point, that he simply is not a good coach and that he should be gone come Monday, 3 December.

He's about to play Ben Olson or Pat Cowan... two hobbled players at the moment if there ever were any. Ben isn't mobile because his knee is tender. He's supposed to stand in the pocket and deliver against a heavy $C pass rush how? By throwing to our healthy receiving corps ???(oh, that's right, they're also hurt... and/or underperforming) He didn't fare too well against `mighty' Notre Dame, arguably one of the worst teams in the COUNTRY and he's supposed to give us a better chance to win against one of the better (or hottest at the moment) defenses in the country on THEIR home turf? Again, HOW is this supposed to happen??

Don't get me wrong, I like Ben (SPJ), but he's clearly not healthy and Dorrell is risking his long-term health by possibly throwing him out there against a hungry SC defense at home. Sure, Ben did `ok' against Oregon at the Rose Bowl Saturday - against a demoralized Oregon D no less - his ability to generate something was clear, but even that was limited.

But completing 40% of your passes, for a mere 60 yards in one HALF with no TDs and one pick isn't gonna cut it against $Cum... Yes, kudos to Ben for showing up, for being ready to take the reins, but in reality, let's not kid ourselves, he probably shouldn't have played and definitely shouldn't this Saturday.

Next? Pat Cowan!  Nope. We can't let him play. Yes, he's one of the few catalysts we have, for that alone he should be allowed to play, but in reality SHOULD he play? No. He's also NOT HEALTHY. This kid has heart, he's beaten SC already, somehow he manages to bring life to this vaunted `West Coast' offense (utter the phrase `west coast offense' with as much seriousness as you can muster), but is it likely he'll be able to do so against the Spoiled Children Trojans? No. He's had not one, not two, but THREE injuries this season. All serious for a QB who is as mobile as he is. Cowan's first two injuries were serious, but he was able to come back because he was needed. He wasn't healthy either time he returned, but he did. His third injury? A collapsed lung.  This isn't a strained calf or tight back, this affects his breathing. This kid was in the ER three weeks ago! And Dorrell is considering throwing him in there against SC's defense?  Is he nuts? That alone should be grounds for firing KD.

Cowan, God bless him, is one hit away from being back in the ER. One vicious hit, a blindsided hit by an $C LB and he's done. Why jeopardize him for next year or even his own health?  Don't get me wrong, if Cowan is cleared by UCLA doctors, then I guess it's reasonable... but this kid doesn't deserve the beating he COULD get if he plays. For what? To save Dorrell's season?

My point? Yes, play Rasshan!

I've read a couple accounts already that Rasshan was held back on Saturday against the Ducks. Sure, he was 0 for seven with one pick. He was allowed to run once, I believe, gaining one of the two first downs the Bruins got in the first half... Why did KD and that 'lethal' Off. Coordinator of his unleash this kid and let him run?  He's a weapon now, primarily because he's a virtual unknown. Look at what he almost did against AZ? Look at what he did against ASU? Those were the first two games he's ever PLAYED at this level... he had never touched the ball prior to Nov. 2007 in two years in the program! Now he's being hung out to dry because he didn't complete a pass in one half on Saturday?  Not because he couldn't but because they likely didn't design plays for him... The kid is talented on SOME level AND, he's HEALTHY.  He's also a mystery to the opponent, SC in this case.

At this point, we don't have healthy or stellar receivers ready to catch passes anywhere and everywhere on the field.  Our two starters are hurt and IMMOBILE.  Our defense is a good one, but we can't count on them to shut down SC for a second year in a row, not the way this D has played (inconsistently) all year. They may show up, they may not. Or, they may simply be unmanned or outplayed. We have to come up with some type of `weapon' some type of `look' on offense. Our running game (also hobbled, surprise surprise) can probably hold its own for a bit, but it won't be able to dominate the game in any way.  The leadership, the victory can only come from the QB position, and the only ONE who MIGHT be able to do something is Osaar Rasshan.  Think a young Donovan McNabb, Kordell Stewart in his prime, or even a seasoned Dennis Dixon up at Oregon. Rasshan hasn't been given the real opportunity to let it fly... why not give it to him now? Who in their right mind thinks SPJ can deliver a win this Saturday? Not me. Cowan? Maybe, but why risk his health?

A couple years ago (2003), I remember seeing not Ben, but DREW Olson play against SC... he was getting CREAMED on every play, and he was about as mobile (even when healthy) as that Tommy Trojan statue on the SUC campus. It was sad to watch. Go on U-tube and re-live that horrible 2003 loss at the Coliseum, where the score was 40-2 by the third quarter, when young Drew couldn't get a damn thing done against a defense having fun with him, literally toying with him. That will be the current Ben Olson this Saturday.  Pat Cowan will be able to limp his way out of the pocket, but what happens when he gets drilled? Or can't go downfield because the coverage is tight?

Play Osaar this Saturday. We may be in for some type of surprise... if anything platoon him and bring him in for lots of gimmick plays just to keep Petey and his thugs somewhat confused.

At this point, KD has nothing to lose, he may as well let his most healthy but unproven (meaning there's LOTS to still prove) QB play. If he sucks that badly, yank him after the half and try something else. To NOT play OR just because Olson and Cowan are barely `healthy' is simply wrong... no, it's dumb and it's selfish of a coach, who is arguably on his way out to do so.

BEAT $C!!! Go Bruins!.

We have to Beat SC next week, not to prove we can beat them because of Dorrell, but IN SPITE of Dorrell.

Clearly, this season has been wasted (even if we do make it to the Rose Bowl, because our expectations were much higher this season, that cannot be denied by any of us)... the lackluster BYU victory, the Utah embarrassment, the Notre Dame debacle, and of course the losses to Wazzu, AZ, and a vastly overrated ASU team. Yes, we managed to beat Cal and Oregon, but they too have proven to be mediocre, Cal certainly, Oregon probably less so because they got hit hard by the injury bug to some of their best players on their roster... and, wins against Stanford, OSU, and Washington were nothing really special.

It's hard to give credit to Pac-10 teams for being so 'competitive' (or is it a case that our conference is ripe with chokers, sure, parity too, but more like INCONSISTENCY, more so than any other division in football??)... we've proven to be the quintessential Pac-10 program in 2007:  chokers!

The status of the Pac-10 is more of a reason for Dorrell to have blossomed this year, esp. with 20+ returning seniors... Given the weaknesses of SUC, Oregon, ASU (as always) and Cal (somewhat surprising choke, but then again, it IS Cal), this really should have been THE YEAR we cleaned house and shined the spotlight on ourselves, on our program, across the country. Instead we're an oh-so-mediocre 6-5 heading into SC week. That alone is reason enough to hire a new coach, and move the program in a new direction -- injuries or not.  

That being said, we have to beat SC next week. We spoiled their national championship hopes last year (yes, we can now admit it was a game for the ages, again, not because of Dorrell, but in spite of him), we should do so head-on this year by spoiling their potential Rose Bowl appearance. Whatever the seniors decided on today against the Ducks, they have to do again NEXT week against $C.

they need to play the highlights of last year's game and do something to motivate one another.
They can beat SC if they really want to, it's certainly not out of the question.

But let's not let the 'Dorrell factor' affect the fact that we want SC to lose BADLY.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers6nov06,1,4776107.column?coll=la-headlines-sports

Click on the above link for the TJ Simers' piece on the fate of Dorrell. Here's a guy who's picked on KD for years now, and just as the clock is about to run out, he makes an argument that Dorrell should probably stay due to the numerous injuries this year, due to his 'steadiness'... his demeanor, etc.

While no one is denying the rash of injuries this season (after all, we've had FOUR qb's play in the nine games thus far), the 'Dorrell Factor' has been, just that, a factor, a glaring defect for almost five years now...

Enough of the arguments, the second-guessing, the what-if scenarios! It's done! While a nice guy, Dorrell didn't get the job done.

The program needs new life, new blood, a new dawn. Five years is plenty of time to do something. Clearly the 2005 season was 'aberrant', the exception in every way... We've played .500 ball otherwise. If this were FSU, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, or even LSU, Dorrell would have been fired after year # 3, plain and simple.

The time has come. Heads should roll...

Go Bruins!

(and by the way, even if we win out, the Pac-10, the Rose Bowl, SC, etc. KD should still be in the hotseat... losing to Utah, a winless ND team, Wazzu and 'zona - all inexcusable, esp. for team that was expected to contend this year. End it now!

Many of you have already said it this evening:  'wish this was the last game of the season'

... to think we still have another month of this charade called Bruin football. What a joke!

I made an effort NOT to watch this game tonight. Why? Because I KNEW we would lose despite the line in Vegas, BN's confident prediction, the players' promises, etc.  In this case it was a done deal. We were supposed to lose, and the Wazzu players knew it and acted like it and had their way with us yet again. For our team, our coaches to let that happen is crazy. I fault our coaches more than our team, obviously, but geez, guys have SOME pride out there... after a while you have to play with guts with something... we simply (both coaches AND players) don't show up for some of these games... the evidence is how they were practicing as of late, where the players themselves admitted being uninspired...i'm sorry that IS on the coaches, but also on the players... have some pride, gentlemen, have some pride!

At the rate we're going... we'll probably go 2-2 (or 1-3, we have to live up to our standard after all)

... we'll beat AZ, or ASU (take your pick, it really doesn't matter), but won't win both... we'll probably beat Oregon, because for THAT game the team will show up, and Dorrell will pull something out of the hat to eek that one out, and then we'll face a pissed off SC team that KNOWS it can psychologically beat us, and they'll thrash us something like 38-10 (or heck, 38-3 or... why would we even score a TD against them, we can't do it against ND, Utah and Wazzu, what makes us think we could do it against those idiots cross town??)...

Upon facing what we hope will be his final game at the Coliseum, Dorrell will have that deer-in-the-headlights look he always has against every tough team (ahhhem... I mean, EVERY stinkin' game!!!! every team!-- why? because maybe he IS confused!).... He'll 'coach' his little heart out that last practice week and at that game, and then once again walk off the field in defeat, or in confusion or whatever is going on in his mind ... and then, folks, fellow Bruins, he'll be fired within 48 hours... if he isn't ... I want my UCLA diploma back and I'll take my allegiance elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, I want us to win out, but know we can't and won't.  That's what it has come down to... I have absolutely no faith in this coach, this team or this program right now (and that includes Dan Guerrero who should also be on the hot seat, I might add!)....

If another loss or two means this clown and his coterie of coaches is gone, then let's fastforward and end the season now... After all, if we split the next two games.. we'll be 7-5, or hell, if we ONLY win one more, we end up 6-6, which is Dorrell's average record while at ucla... that alone is (or should be, at least we've been told) grounds for dismissal.

What a joke! to think that back in Sept. we thought we had a legitimate contender... Not even close!... think, if we had a decent team, we would be 8-0, atop the pac-10 and probably top three in the country... instead, we have fallen flat on our faces....

in many ways this is worse than Utah and ND.... now we KNOW this season is once again a complete and utter DUD. The last four years in a nutshell, repeated, all...over... again.

Someone wake me up when this whole thing is over... See you next Sept. Don't know if I can stomach even paying attention the rest of this season...

I say, but not with a lot of pride right now:  'Go Bruins'!

This was Kurt Streeter's (LA TIMES) take on Cowan.

I FULLY concur....

Steering the Bruins was Patrick Cowan. He came into this season on the second string but first among Bruins fans because of the gutsy way he beat the Trojans and because when he is on the field the team has a heartbeat.

I'll say it now, firmly. As long as Cowan is healthy, he should be the starting quarterback. He proved it all day long."

Clearly, he's THE guy. He may not be Troy Aikman, or the next Heisman candidate, but he's a catalyst, through and through. He's relatively crippled too, and he came through for the Bruins against a very tough team, and with a sub-par coach calling the plays. This kid can do a lot if given the chance.

Sorry, Ben.

'Big Ben' Olson should focus on being healthy should he return as a solid BACKUP. Thus far, Ben's been injury prone, panics at the first sight of a tough D (Utah? Notre Dame??), and barring MAYBE one or two games early this season and last (usually against the weaker opponents), he is mediocre at best.

Here's the problem, he LOOKS like he should be a Heisman candidate, after all, he's older and more mature, he's a southpaw, he can gunsling it (if no one is in his face), and we all have built up these expectations that he should be the guy.

Let him compete for the position NEXT year, his senior year, but give the job of finishing up the season to Cowan. He deserves it. He's played just under EIGHT quarters for us this year... and, thanks to him and our Defense, we're still in the running for the Pac-10 title.

(Don't worry, I'm not completely 'all there' with regard to the chances of us winning the Pac-10, but you simply never know in this conference of ours)...

Go BRUINS!

Didn't get a chance to read all the posts this weekend, but will do so today...

In case no one mentioned Bob Keisser's take on UCLA appearing in the LB Press-Telegram on Saturday, here goes. A sobering set of statistics yet again proving why Dorrell should be fired TODAY regardless of what happens the next six games against Pac-10 opponents:

[T]he Trojans were upset last season by Karl Dorrell - the lone highlight on his resume - and why they've looked so inconsistent this season in beating four mediocre teams and losing to one.

Just as one couldn't imagine some past USC teams losing because they were so consistent, it's hard to imagine them winning the rest of their games this season because they're so inconsistent.

At least Pete Carroll isn't going to lose his job, unless he makes Harbaugh a psychic and leaves on his own for the NFL.

UCLA and Dorrell were beaten by a winless Notre Dame team Saturday night that gained just 140 yards on offense, and in the process they lost another quarterback. Shocking? Not at all.

I challenge anyone to find another period in UCLA's football history where one coach has suffered as many humbling losses as the pleasant, gentlemanly Dorrell. Coming into 2007, Dorrell was 19-14 in Pac-10 games; 6-12 in games played in November and December, 1-3 versus USC including last year's 13-9 win but also losses by 25 and 47, and 1-3 in bowl games with losses to Fresno State and Wyoming.

The one season he went 10-2 was a pastiche of improbable wins and a pair of losses by 38 and 47 points.

Losing to Utah 44-6 and to Notre Dame when the Fighting Rash (thank you, Steve Harvey) gained 2.1 yards per play is unparalleled in UCLA history. You have to go back to the last three years of the Bill Barnes era (1962-64), when the Bruins were 10-20 and were held to 17 points or less in all but seven of those games.

The latest question for Dorrell is this: How does a Division I-A school in the Pac-10 find itself without a scholarship quarterback even after injuries to the two they have, especially since the injuries that hit Patrick Cowan - who was never expected to be a starter when he was recruited - and Ben Olson came early enough for UCLA to consider the need?

It's unfortunately part of the same pattern that began in Dorrell's first season. His teams are unprepared. He has good athletes, but not as many as compared to his Pac-10 peers (he's 4-7 versus USC, Cal and Oregon). His coaching staff has been a revolving door. Opposing coaches don't have to outscheme UCLA as much as wait for them to self-destruct.

The Bruins, idle this week, have two ailing quarterbacks; a walk-on, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who imploded against Notre Dame; a sophomore, Taharqa-Osaar Rasshan, who was moved to wide receiver and hasn't been under center in a game since 2004; and a true freshman from a small school in San Diego.

The Bruins need more name quarterbacks as opposed to quarterbacks with three names.

They also need good fortune with Cal, Arizona State, Oregon and USC still on the schedule, plus Washington State, which has beaten Dorrell three of four meetings.

But he's on a six-game winning streak in conference play, and 3-0 this season, and we've seen his teams pull out a win in the past (see UCLA 13, USC 9) that has enabled him to survive the criticism.

I seriously am almost hoping we lose every remaining game this season so as to ensure Dorrell's firing.

How horrible is that? Dorrell for some godawful reason has managed to maintain his staying power -- five years, FIVE YEARS???? -- and I am so fearful that his players (read NOT Dorrell but his players) rally around him to a point where they will win out, get a decent bowl game and Guerrero ends up keeping him for yet another season. Based on the QB injuries, this likely won't happen, obviously... Bethel-Thompson, a walk-on (a WALK-ON starting at QB for UCLA????), is no John Barnes.

John Barnes if you don't recall was a FOURTH string QB for UCLA in 1992 who had played at the jc-level that same year... he came on to start for the Bruins later in the year when every qb and backup on the roster went down to injury thanks to a pretty lousy OL and coaching staff (Dorrell's early mentors, led by another loser in Terry Donahue)... Barnes came in to start against SC at the Rose Bowl and lit it up throwing to JJ Stokes all day and amassing over 400 yards in the air. We beat a superior SC team with a QB who had fire in his gut... Bethel-Thompson, god bless the poor lad, is no John Barnes. Rashaan has to play...

But back to my main point... this is the point we've all gotten to thanks to KD. Some of us want him gone so badly that we are actually (deep down inside) kind of hoping we lose just so he'll be gone by season's end.

Mr. Guerrero, ARE YOU LISTENING????? Are you reading this? Let's clean house here... get rid of Dorrell TODAY. This may very well inspire the players to play their hearts out for an interim coach perhaps and save the season, and most importantly, their dignity. Few of us, players and fans/alums alike have little of that left, thanks to Dorrell.

I've posed this question before... why are we not ARMED at the Quarterback position??

We are supposed to be a top-football program... and now we're resorting to guys who have been out of football for two years (probably not a good thing to consider in the future) -- Olson; a QB who was only recruited by SACRAMENTO STATE and one of the Idaho schools -- Cowan; and now a WALK-ON QB who has yet to take a snap... in addition to a frosh who was playing high school ball less than a year ago.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Olson can bounce back, after all he's probably being limited by Dorrell in every way... AND his maturity is probably a plus... I know he was one of the more heavily recruited QBs in the country at one point, but until he proves he's tougher than nails and ceases to be injury prone, he's going to be considered by us all (as the weeks pass by) as one huge flop.

Also, I actually like Cowan... I think he has proven himself in many ways. He's a catalyst, through and through. I like his fire. He may lack the what it takes to be a Heisman candidate or even an NFL QB but he DOES have guts...

However... I pose the question again... here we are, with two injured QBs and we are about to rely on a WALK-ON quarterback quite possibly... I though The Thinker was going to improve recruiting... What the F--K!!!????

I had to go in search of something to hold onto in this ugly 'hour of need' after this most horrendous of losses:

I found the following... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT6KiQO3C8Q

yeah, it's ok to live in the past for a little bit... it IS early in the season too (not that I have any faith left in Dorrell), and a small part of me still has faith in this team (20 seniors after all)... I blame this horrible egg on the coaches, and not necessarily the players though any decent football team has to lack some type of pride to play the way this team did tonight.

This team needs to dig deep down for its soul in the next week because if they don't know it or feel it yet, there IS indeed a sense of urgency. They have to beat Washington at the RB next week. If not, this season is pretty much done.

I for one, say put in Pat Cowan once he returns. At least he knows how to beat SC and has a winning streak over two games under his belt (which Olson lacks).

Anyway, watch this youtube extract... esp. the ending...it'll still send chills up your spine as a diehard Bruin...

'you can hear, from far and near, the MIGHTY BRUIN ROAR!'

Go Bruins!

We're five years into this nightmare... please wake me up, somebody, please...

A part of me feels bad for Dorrell, because I've no doubt he's a nice guy, but nice guys don't necessarily deserve head coaching duties, esp. not at UCLA. We need a real disciplinarian who will come in and get these kids ready to play. And I can call them 'kids' because that's pretty much what they played like. We need a coach who doesn't hold back, who has a reputation, a solid one.. who has WON CHAMPIONSHIPS! I know we're a state school, but can we seriously NOT afford a great coach? What gives??

I always, always make the comparison with $UC... these are pretty much 'men' playing...they're superior in talent, but more importantly in mindset, in how they approach the game -- each and every game. They are playing in Lincoln, Nebraska right now and are slapping the Cornhuskers around on a Saturday when EVERYONE in Nebraska is watching... This current coach of ours and this team would without a doubt lose under this type of pressure by about thirty points. Heck, we lost to UTAH, of all teams by 38! When does this madness end??

This utah team was a badly bruised team that was looking for ANY kind of lift. They were literally hoping for 'moral' victories against UCLA tonight...they were merely hoping, HOPING to look respectable. And look what they did?

How can Dorrell not have these guys ready to play?? How can the team not be deep enough after FIVE years into this mess to replace a couple key linemen (on both sides of the ball) for a game like this? How can our now SECOND stringer, behind Olson, be a WALK-ON for goodness sake?

SC lost one of their linemen tonight to a serious neck injury apparently. You would never even know that by the way his back-up is playing.. they simply don't miss a beat. If David Booty were suddenly knocked out of a game, I'm certain his back-up would pick it up where the team left off...

We never have the type of fortitude, enthusiasm, drive, fire, reputation, etc. to survive an entire season like SC does, or like the Florida schools or LSUs or Michigans and NDs (when they're in fact good)... When these types of teams are good, they DOMINATE throughout the year... they NEVER experience outright DRUBBINGS like tonight, like 19-66 or that annihilation in Tucson two years ago...

I cannot fathom why Dorrell wouldn't have these guys ready to go, to execute and more importantly to bring them back into the game after a meager 6-14 halftime deficit. It in fact, got worse in the second half, MUCH WORSE... there simply is no explanation for it...

I honestly am now speechless. I feel for Dorrell personally for this has got to hurt. I thank him for getting the troops ready for SC last year, whatever he did worked. That was a fantastic performance. But everything else, even that fluke 10-2 season two years ago has been less than stellar, completely uninspiring, and just plain mediocre.

I'm sorry, but we deserve much better than this. We really do. It's an embarrassing chapter in the UCLA football program.

In today's LA Times, there's a nice feature on LB Christian Taylor, his influence on the team, his impact, etc.

What struck me was the apparent lack of respect shown by the BYU players toward the Bruin D either prior to the game or at the half. Here's the excerpt:

"Linebacker Christian Taylor stood up in the UCLA locker room Saturday before the Bruins' 27-17 victory over Brigham Young and made his demand.

'The coaches were out of the room and he (Taylor) told us that this defense was built on people who were told they couldn't,' cornerback Rodney Van said. 'He said [the BYU] backs said we couldn't stop them and that we needed to put a little chip on our shoulder and ride out there onto the field. That's what we did and everybody found heart.'

My question is, where does this lack of respect come from? Where does BYU get off?? I know I always tend to do this, but would ANYONE facing $C ever dare to challenge them the way the lowly COUGARS were challenging our D? What the hell is that?  I know our D has come a long way since Dorrell's initial years or even the Toledo years when we virtually had no capable defense half the time (remember that dreaded Miami game in 1998???). But Coach Walker has to start instilling a fear in the minds of our opponents, and more importantly, that philosophy into the players. When teams like BYU are making threats of that nature, it tells us we need to walk with more of a swagger and back up our talk.

Smash mouth football! We have to believe in it and literally employ a take-no-prisoners philosophy in EVERY GAME. Every game!

Finally, even though we're doing a decent job of keeping our opponents out of the endzone, we need to limit yardage soon... we can't allow the kinds of stats we've been allowing once we play the Cals, the WSU's, and the pricks 'cross town.

Ok, so we're 2-0, we're # 11 in the country, we've won 12 of 13 home games (or something like that, though clearly nowhere even close to $C's streak at home in the last SIX years)... hmmm... what else? our defense isn't allowing that many points (but then again, yardage is another story, and we HAVE played against less-than-stellar teams thus far in '07)...

that's the good news... and yes, let's admit, all of the above is VERY good news... but it is what we EXPECT -- at a minimum -- from our football program. The fact it's taken Dorrell nearly FIVE years to position the team here is not something to be proud of...

now the negative... we're 2-0, after two games against programs that are nowhere near where they'd like to be, one at home, one on the road, and we're already appear to be gasping for air here (the defense especially)... yes, Stanford should have been easy, a Jim Harbaugh-coached team isn't exactly Bill Walsh material (no offense to Harbaugh), and to BYU's credit, they are a physical team and have been known to pile up yards (and have for decades now, see Steve Young, the Detmers, etc.) but c'mon, Bruins, what the hell is going on when they come to the Rose Bowl and we literally eek it out in our home opener... Had this been $C, they would have beaten BYU something like 45-10 or 51-3 or something like that... SC won their opener last week by 18 points, and THAT was considered a weak game... what the hell is going on??

Let me say this now... if we don't beat Utah by at least THIRTY points (AT LEAST), we should start calling for Dorrell's job now. Utah not only is a hurt team, but their program is (or should be) one tier BELOW ours... we should blast them out of their own stadium, a total take-no-prisoners attitude.  The question is: are we capable of doing this...

At the rate we're going, our next two opponents after the lowly Utes are Washington and OSU. Washington will go into that game already confident they can beat us because they did -- soundly -- last year. And, I also have more faith in Willingham than I do Dorrell. I can totally see KD bowing to Tyrone out of some sense of respect and Willingham knowing that, coming into the game with his troops ready to beat us at HOME, which as we saw Saturday is completely possible. Next is OSU, the Beavers, which tend to surprise us what seems like every other year... They also tend to be a cocky bunch... and the fact they'll be at home against us will surely give them an even bigger boost. IF we're undefeated by then, still, then we know we can beat them. But if we're not, or have continued to win games in such weak fashion, then they will beat us...

after that comes Cal... that game in itself, could make or break our season whether or not we're undefeated... If we are and beat Cal... we're looking at what could be a glorious season... if we are undefeated and lose to them, watch out! The typical Dorrellian Second Half Crumble will commence promptly... if we go in there with a less than optimal record ( i.e. one loss or heaven forbid, two), it's over... not only for the program (for at least a couple years, but for KD himself)... much of this begins by beating the Utes SOUNDLY this Saturday...

I realize this missive is getting far too ahead of the game, but what are we to do when our team, our 'coach' already appears to be throwing in the towel or making excuses, or whatever it is you want to call it.... This horrendous BYU game (yes, I know we won, but I, like most of you, probably, got a lump in my throat when I saw the final score.. i seriously thought they'd beat BYU in a 45-13 score or something like that...) a ten-point victory that wasn't decided until the final minute or so at the Rose Bowl against a team that yeah, is tough, but one we should have POUNDED is sad... if football were to be played in five quarters, or had this game been played in Utah, THEY WOULD HAVE KICKED OUR A_ _ es... and, in the end, they pretty much did. Read Plashke's column in yesterday's LA Times... he got it right.

Yes, it's early... yes, it's likely our guys took Stanford and BYU somewhat lightly pyschologically, but the fact is we can't afford to play like this. We're now NUMBER ELEVEN in the country... look at the top ten... many of those programs (read MOST) will end up losing in the next few weeks, which gives us the ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY to reach the top FIVE... then possibly the TOP three, and so forth...

in my gut of guts, I know those pricks 'cross town will still be # 1 or # 2 come November... how beautiful would it be, Bruins, if come 1 December, we, UCLA (possibly a # 3 or # 2 team in the nation by then) face the # 1 Trojans at the Coliseum (THEIR HOUSE!) for a pre-national championship match. We'd have the Trojans psychologically beat given (13-9!!!!) what happened last year... That would be a game for the ages...

THIS is why we need to beat the Utes, and then the Huskies, and the likes of the BEAVERS soundly in the next few weeks... We need to start thinking big. Obviously, this is a sport that needs to think one-game at a time... but hypothetically, this can happen. There is no reason why it shouldn't. If it doesn't, this is an instant where it is all on the coach, and if that's the case, he needs to start packing now.

We need to beat the Utes this Saturday on the road -- SOUNDLY -- like our season depends on it. If we eek out a victory there, the season is basically history. You heard it here first. P.S. also, why are we hiring Offensive Coordinators from Nebraska anyway... since when has Nebraska been an offensive firepower (in the traditional sense we know of? Nebraska rarely faces any real competition in their conference as it is... Offensive coordinators at Nebraska or Oklahoma, schools of that type are usually overrated...

WS Montano, Class of 1994... Wash, DC.