SB Nation User Blog: wsmontano1994

Summoning the spirit of Cade McNown today...

wsmontano1994 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:21:39 -0000

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!

Why We CAN Beat $C* Tonight...

wsmontano1994 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:33:55 -0000

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??

Their offense is not that much more dominant than ours. Our rookie QB (Kevin Prince) is arguably just as good as their rookie QB (Matt Barkley). Seriously. Everyone raves about Barkley, but the fact is he hasn't exactly lit it up this year. Carroll goes gaga over this kid, but there's a reason he desperately wanted Mark Sanchez to remain another year and was subsequently miffed when Sanchez turned pro (and like the great coach he is, he showed his frustration and anger toward his outgoing QB on live national TV). Petey knew Barkley would have to go through growing pains before he shined on the field... and he has, to some degree. But he has also yet to have a truly terrible game to the point where he's almost benched. The fact is he's due for a rude awakening, and hopefully our D will be ready to pounce on him often tonight. Prince, on the other hand, while a highly touted recruit two years ago, isn't talked about as much, but the fact is he has actually EXCEEDED expectations this season. He's arguably been our biggest surprise this year and who in Bruins Nation ISN'T excited for his future and the program's future with him under center the next three years? Prince has completed 57.6% of his passes and is closing in on two thousand yards. Barkley has completed 57.9% of his passes and is JUST over 2,000 yards. Barkley may have almost double the TD passes (11) than Prince (6), but he also has double the amount of INTs (10) while Prince has a mere five. Statistically, while SC has put up more points this year, their offense is not what it once was and is not all that dominant. They have only run for 250 or so more yards than us this year. Sure, their running game is solid, but it pales in comparison to the Bush-White years. Ours, is one JUST beginning to find itself behind a very young line, but given SC's solid O-line you think they'd be that much more dominant than us -- but the fact is they are not. My only concern is our O-line which will have to play its heart out against a tough TrOJan D-line, but IF all are on their A-game and play consistently, this game can be won. Man for man, play by play, and the game be won. Throw in the fact that $C WR Damien WhatsHisName is somewhat hurt, anything can happen. If I were a betting man, I likely would put more faith in Prince than I would in Barkley.
Their defense is bruised. This is the first time in YEARS that a TrOJan team has been run over like this. Go back and look at the tape and you'll see Stanford and Oregon having their way with $C's defense. This is a much softer defense and we have every reason to exploit it and scare it. I have had two or three $C fans/alums tell me this week they are literally 'afraid' (their words not mine) about the Defense giving up more (points and yards) and not delivering a victory.
Coach Neuheisel and Coach Chow are NOT Coach Dorrell. This duo, though seemingly more conservative the last couple years, in fact is NOT. These are proven experts in their fields (Chow we don't need to elaborate upon his creds, but CRN has been hired in various places because of his offensive acumen). In one of these games to come, both their knowledge of the game and their ability to teach will shine through... with our team JUST beginning to come together, don't be surprised if CRN and CNC bring an extra special playbook just for the occasion. Also, don't forget that Carroll (Cheaty Petey himself) hasn't won a BIG game in a long time (I don't count the Rose Bowl as a big game for SC, as the Big Ten hasn't exactly produced truly dominant teams in YEARS). When the pressure has mounted, esp. since Coach Chow left $C, Carroll has had a more difficult time winning the big ones. Again, I'd put my cash on Coach Rick and Coach Norm over the ever-overrated Petey Carroll.
Terrence Austin is due for a big return or two. This is possibly his last game as a Bruin, so he should be primed for the longest return of his career. What better place and what better time than tonight! TA is a very talented player and I wouldn't be surprised if he were drafted for his KR skills. This is his last chance to truly show what he can do,in the biggest game of all. Go Terrence!! Go Bruins!
We have more to play for. We simply have MORE to play for. We're going for win # 7 and if we accept a bowl invite, we'll be vying for #8. Who would have thought about such a scenario after losing our fifth straight game back on 31 October (less than a month ago)?? Few of us expected a bowl invite, let alone a six-win season. We are so close to exceeding that and doubling our victories from last season. We get it done on Saturday and Neuheisel already is ahead of the game -- way ahead -- much more than he or we ever expected upon ending the 2009 season. What does $C have to play for? Some lame unknown bowl game. This is a team that fancied itself an automatic BCS contender back in Sept. (they thought they'd easily trot to a Pac-10 title) but is now BARELY ranking in the top 25 nationally. What do they have to play for? Not much... they're already let down by what has transpired this season. What do we have to play for? The next step toward national championship aspirations next year or the year after.
The more dominant team (on paper or on the schedule) doesn't always win. Look at the history of this rivalry -- the team with the lesser record always, always, puts up a fight (the 2005 team [66-19] being one of the few exceptions). They have a better record than us this year, and the pointspread already assumes certain things, but nothing can measure the heart and desire of a team. There are so many intangibles when it comes to this game. Within the last 20 years, I can think of four specific teams that were supposed to get WALLOPED by $C and the opposite happened. Think 1989, 1994, 1995, and who can forget 2006 (13-9!). I was a freshman in the Fall of '89 and I remember being excited for the game despite the pointspread and the pretty tame rally (no bonfire that year) before the big game. In fact the 'BEAT $C Rally' was held at Westwood Plaza, adjacent to the Bruin statue facing the Wooden Center. Few people showed up, Mike Lodish (D-line) who would go on to play in the NFL, did some funny dance (the cabbage patch?) the band was there and a smattering of other players... but there seemed to be to be a sense of resignation that we would play hard but that we shouldn't get our hopes too high. We won a mere three games in '89, under the leadership of another freshman QB (Bret Johnson). Final Score? 10-10 at the Coliseum. A game we should have won. SC played at the Rose Bowl that year, but couldn't beat us. The 1994 SC team had also pretty much clinched the Pac-10 title, but couldn't beat us. The 1995 UCLA team, led by a standout frosh QB by the name of Cade McNown, was pretty mediocre, but they went to Coliseum and led 21-0 early in the game and held on to win against an SC team that had already clinched a Rose Bowl berth. And of course there is the 13-9 victory at the Rose Bowl in 2006. SC was a BCS team that year, undefeated at the time. Our defense didn't let John Booty breathe that day. Watch the highlights on uTube. Watch the team celebrate in the locker room after that game. You'll feel the chill up your spine. They did it then, why can't they do it again tonight?? It's been three years after all.

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR US TO WIN TONIGHT??

Bruins of all stripes -- students, grad students, alums, fans -- all need to show up tomorrow donning the blue and gold and show them (the TrOJan faithful) that we are a force to be reckoned with en masse. Show up, be loud and be faithful. Expect a win. Drown out that godawful band. Make sure Barkley and Petey can hear you!
Defense, Coach Bullough: throw such a heavy blitz at Barkley that he plays SCARED. He's 18 after all and this is THE biggest game of his life. Don't let that line breathe, don't let baby Barkley get ANY momentum, SCARE HIM. HIT HIM. TERRIFY HIM. Be fierce! HIT THEM HARD! More importantly, Defense... don't drop any picks! Get those turnovers!
Offense, Kick Returners... HOLD ON TO THE BALL. Be efficient. Control the game. Exasperate the TrOJie offense by eating up the clock and grinding away at them --in the trenches. This is one of those games when I truly wish I were a Defensive or Offensive lineman... I would be so fired up that my assigned man simply would NOT beat me. He would be CRAZY to challenge me. If I were ever beaten on any given play, I would become so angry I'd have to be restrained. IF all our guys take it upon themselves to literally beat and outlast their assigned opponent opposite them on the line, it's a wonder what we can accomplish.
That being said, let's NOT BE OVERCONFIDENT. Sure, we've won three straight and have placed ourselves in a good position to advance this season, but this doesn't mean we can mail this one in and assume SC can't win or won't try to win despite how demoralized they supposedly are. I hearken back to our 2005 team that had only lost ONE game by the time it faced $C... That team underestimated $C and got their tails handed to them (66-19)... the rest is history. Moral of the story?? play as if you've been disrespected. Play as if the TrOJies have been shooting their mouths off all week and it's time they pay attention to the more focused, better team.
Lastly, they defaced our Bruin this week, let's see our team DEFACE theirs in every phase of the game.

It's game time gentlemen! Take care of business!

Go Bruins! BEAT SC!!!!

Winning out in '09.... A very real possibility. Seriously.

wsmontano1994 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:02:40 -0000

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.

For starters, I know (I know!) it seems like I'm jumping the gun here, but you know what, a win is a win. Yes we just beat a demoralized and hapless Wazzu team, but I want to give our guys credit. We could have mailed it in after losing five in a row, but we've done the opposite. Beating Washington at home last week proved to be a HUGE win, and now beating Wazzu like that on the road is also pretty big, and up in Pullman, it is never a small task. The Pac-10 never gets enough credit in the eyes of the east coast (for those of us who live here, it sucks... our conference is constantly overlooked and sometimes even mocked), few in fact realize that this is one of the more competitive -- if not THE most competitive -- conferences in the nation. We've had all sorts of problems playing in Pullman in the past; I, for one, didn't expect the blowout we managed to come up with today. I thought we'd win handily, but I didn't think we'd win this decisively. Again, I know it's a really bad Wazzu team, but it proves momentum is on our side. And momentum at this point in the season is everything.

That's why I believe we have a great chance in beating ASU next week. I'm watching the ASU-Oregon game this very minute, and ASU is facing what is arguably the best team in the conference, at Oregon, and they're losing by 20 late in the game... all of it expected. ASU, however, is a 'lighter' team than Oregon obviously, but they're also not as good as Stanford, Arizona, OSU, $C and arguably even Cal. We play the Sun Devils at home next week, for starters, and we'll clearly be facing a team that at the very least, is decent, but not all that. We should be able to beat these guys.

ASU is now 2-5 in conference (same as us), and they're 4-6 overall (worse than us). If you haven't noticed the two Pac-10 wins they have are against none other than... yes, both Washington schools. They also beat Idaho and Louisana-Monroe (who??). They've been pretty competitive overall, barely losing to Georgia on the road and playing everyone else pretty close, the lone exception being Stanford. In other words, we'll be facing a team with a similar identity... Other than the Cal game (which I would argue was one game we could have and should have won, against a completely overrated Cal team), we've played EVERYONE fairly tough, as has ASU. Like, ASU, we've been in the thick of each game until we've been worn down in the end -- again, like ASU.

Even though the month of October was dreadful for us... think about it, we hung in there against Stanford, a play or two and a few less mistakes and we win that game. Oregon, most of us forget was getting shut out by our Bruins at the half... they played a crazy 3d quarter and without that and a few key stops, we win that one. The Cal game was a joke, we HANDED those guys the game. By the time we played Arizona and OSU, we were a demoralized team that was trying to grasp on to life. And we still played them tough and were anything but blown out of the water. We have every reason to believe we can beat ASU, in some ways the mirror image of our team (but one on a losing streak, as opposed to us).

For starters, 1) we're at home next week; 2) Kevin Prince is ON FIRE; 3) we now have something to play for (a bowl game and plus-.500 season); 4) Coach Rick finally has our guys focused; and, 5) ASU is totally beatable because they aren't THAT much more talented than us regardless of the stats. No we should NOT overlook them, but we should also not play this game timidly... we get past them with a win at home and this is an entirely different season. In some ways the game at the Arroyo Seco next week, is one for all the marbles.

So, what seemed to be a team that had called it quits on 2009 a mere two weeks ago, is now in the thick of it. The ONLY potential negative is that we'll end up with a sub-.500 record in conference regardless of what transpires, but we have a great opportunity before us.

Assume we beat ASU next week, and that sets us up to play what is a very DEMORALIZED TrOJan team. They've been TROUNCED in two of three losses this season, far worse than any games we have lost. Sure, they'll be at the Coliseum, but home field has hardly ever been a factor in this rivalry. More importantly, not only is the SC defense winded and doubting themselves at the moment, but so is Barkley, their freshman QB. The argument can now be made that our own freshman QB, Kevin Prince himself (!), is a better QB. The Trojies can scoff at that notion, but those of us on this side can begin to believe that. Fact is Barkely is surrounded by a seasoned line and an older team, but his stats are not that impressive. Prince is surrounded by a green O-line, and a very young and mistake-prone team and, he's doing what? He's... LIGHTING IT UP! In the last 3 weeks this is a young but very talented 19-year old QB, and he's LIGHTING it up! Just look at his stats! He's found himself! Coach Neuheisel and Coach Chow have finally found their conductor and he's playing GREAT music right now.

Folks, I think we have our QB for the next three years... it's a wonderful thing to realize. We're looking at some great UCLA-USC games in the next few years... all of them competitive, and it begins in two weeks. If we make the $C game a Barkley vs. Prince matchup, don't you feel pretty good about our chances, esp. against a less-than-stellar $C defense?? Against a team that has allowed 111 points in its last three games?? I feel really good about this one, whether or not we win against ASU. IF we beat the Sun Devils next week, however, we're looking at a gem of a game on 28 November. That thud will sound even louder if we beat the TrOJies in the Coliseum.

Hypothetically, if we defeat ASU, and then SC, and get the invite to a Bowl game... by that point the season is a mild success... IF we win a bowl game, we will have won 8 games. A HUGE jump from last year. HUGE. And thus, potentially a BIG success of a season.

Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself, I know that (I know that!) but I'm reminding you that it is a very real possibility. All the cards are in order for that scenario, we just have to take care of business.

A Dorrell-led team would probably lose the next two games, shuddering and caving in to the pressure ahead (and yes, there IS pressure). I think that if we do win out... four, five-in-a-row, it will be one enormous piece of evidence that Coach Neuheisel is the real deal and that this is only the beginning. Old Bruin teams of the past decade(s) would more than likely lose the next two games, or split them at best... We win out, however, and it's the first step toward building this program toward what we all want, a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (notice, I'm not emphasizing a mere Pac-10 championship or a Rose Bowl berth, or beating SC, a la those Donahue teams). We want to be a top-5 team every year... every year! It's time we think this way. I think CRN is thinking the same thing if we win out... first step is making 2009 into one huge step forward.

So, we have one gigantic challenge before us. If we pull it off, we know that thud heard 'round the world of college football today will actually mean something. I don't know about you, but I believe it can happen.

Go Bruins!

Despite our youth and inexperience we must create a NEW CULTURE within UCLA Football

wsmontano1994 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:13:07 -0000

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...

1- Our QBs are 18-19 years old (Craft, obviously older, but he may as well be that age -- no offense, KC). Prior to this season Prince hadn't taken a snap since HIGH SCHOOL. He showed us what he can do in a controlled and organized environment in the SDSU game and the Tennessee game... we even saw traces of it against Cal. He also broke his jaw and has been running for his life since. It's going to take a good streak to get him back in full form. Either way though, he's as green as one can be. Sure, he's probably not the next Cade McNown, who by now we know is more the anomaly than the norm.

If you think about it, rarely does any program have it's freshman QB playing four straight years, with few injuries and a decent record overall. What USC is doing with Barkley is NOT the norm... clearly that kid is talented, but he's also playing in a system that has been in place for YEARS behind a mammoth o-line that is seasoned, tough, and well-groomed. When one of their horses goes down, Cheaty Petey simply plugs in another 330-lb boar and they don't miss a beat. We, on the other hand, still to some degree have a patchwork O-line and most of them are very very young. More importantly we're still developing a system, where USC already has one in place. $C has been perfecting their O-lines for YEARS whereas we have neglected ours or suffered bad luck due to injuries. Point is that a freshman QB cannot do well unless he has that type of protection and decent receivers who CATCH the DAMN BALL! When was the last time $C had a core of no-name receivers or when it didn't have at least ONE BIG GAME wideout? It's been at least 20 years, I would say. Our receivers still have so much to prove. No one seems to want to step up.

Again, my point is that Prince not only has to play a near-flawless game to do very well, he has to flourish if we are to actually win a game. Brehaut is much the same... he may actually be less a liability because he's played more recently than Prince (as you probably know, he was actually playing in high school one year ago, as opposed to Prince who wasn't). Brehaut, the fact, is, probably needs to be given more of a shot. He hasn't taken enough snaps for us to know how good (or how bad) he actually is right now. It's almost unfair to criticize Brehaut because he is a true Frosh, he doesn't get as many reps in practice, and he has (as explained above) has little in the way of support on the field, esp. against teams that are clearly superior to ours (certainly in execution, possibly in talent).

Craft, let's face it, should be an emergency QB at this point. I love the kid's fire and his heart and his drive, but he simply is third or fourth string material at this level. He reminds me of the third-fourth stringers we had in the 1992 season (prior to John Barnes' grand entrance) when all our QBs were hurt. They played their hearts out, as does KC, but you just can't expect to win with him in there. Craft has five games left as a Bruin, he should only be playing if Prince or Brehaut go down -- in an emergency. He was playing at Mount SAC (community college) two years ago and played (fairly well) at SDSU under his father. He's barely a Div. I QB, so why even play hi? at this point when our QBs of the future need time and experience to develop? He came through for us last year giving it his all, but my point is he should remain QB #3 at this point in the season. But as a couple of you already mentioned Coach Chow's quote:

"I have never played with a freshman quarterback before. That's the situation we're in. Most kids get two years before they have to do this job."

that in many ways says it all... it's simply not normal for a Fr. QB to do well from the get-go. Mistakes have to be made and lessons need to be learned. That means we'll likely be very frustrated at times with our QBs certainly this year and quite possibly much of next year. That being said, expect Barkley at SC to crash and burn at some point, unless of course he is the next Joe Montana. Remember, Cade being more the EXCEPTION than the norm. Troy Aikman flourished, but he only played two years and began as the starter as a junior. If Prince or Brehaut are the real deal, they need time.

2- Every part of the team is young. No more needs to be said about our O-line (young and still jelling); our receivers (young and inexperienced or [simply incompetent]), or our Defense and Sp. Teams (once again, young, inconsistent and inexperienced). Look at all of them and they're simply UNDERPERFORMING, mostly due to youth (and some bad play calling). The lone bright spot in my opinion is our corps of running backs... if our line were stronger and more consistent Franklin would be dominating and Thigpen, or Knox or Coleman would be coming in and adding another 50-70 yards a game as backups... We're also young in this department but it tells you how good we can be with solid raw talent and experience (that is gained with time) across the board. But for our running game to continue to develop we have to commit to the run and and allow our QBs to gain some experience just controlling the tempo of a game. We're far enough into the season where we should focus more on building what we have and perfecting it than panicking and shuffling people around.

3- I hate to keep using this as the same excuse, but we're still suffering from the Dorrell 'hangover'... in this case it was hangover from a party that went terribly awry. We're paying the price for inattention to the O-line, for not adequately recruiting at QB, thus a dearth of durable QBs (we should have had a halfway decent senior playing by now)... and a culture (as mentioned, going back to the Donahue days) that was for the longest time content with winning 8-9 games and a Bowl invitation. Sure, CRN is well into his second year, but most of HIS players are these very green FR and SOPH kids or jr college transfers who are just that: Kids with very limited experience. We were asleep during the Dorrell years on so many fronts, esp. at O-line and at QB. We put so much faith in Ben Olson for so long, thinking he'd be the next Cade (mature, fiery, southpaw, highly touted) that we failed to adequately recruit at that position. The next best thing we had was Cowan, and despite his desire and his leadership and that 13-9 MAJOR win, the kid wasn't even close to being Heisman material and arguably a two-year starter. He was hardly durable, like his teammate Olson (some of this bad luck, also one can argue due to weak o-lines who couldn't block). Other than that, who did we have? Osaar Rashaan? Forcier? a walk-on who is now the starter at Sacramento State? C'mon people, please. We forget how far we fell during the Dorrell years. It will take a lot of work, patience, solid recruiting and teaching to change this team and make it into a well-oiled, tough, methodical and consistent machine. We just have to give it time. Not that much time, but some degree of time.

my last point...

4- Building a culture of success and high expectations (the HIGHEST!, in our book) does not and will not happen overnight. I hate to use $C as the model here, but again, they have a system in place, much like the SF Niners of the '80s under Bill Walsh or currently Bill Belichick's in New England with Tom Brady at QB. You build a culture of success over time and you PLUG IN players where there are occasional holes. At SC they STOCKPILE talent and don't miss a beat when someone goes down. But look at their individual players when OUTSIDE that system once they've moved on? It's almost as if they are bare naked to the world and the cruelties of the NFL once they leave 'the system' and the cosey confines of South Central ... Fred Davis, former standout TE at $C? he now is considered somewhat of a bust with the Washington Redskins. Matt Leinart barely gets any snaps with the Arizona Cardinals. John David Booty is FOURTH or fifth (haha) string at Minnesota. Sanchez has the raw talent, but is now suffering growing pains with the Jets realizing he prob didn't have as much experience (in 'the system') as he thought (he played the Raiders yesterday, so don't cut him some slack). Reggie Bush? What happened to Reggie Bush?? Anyone hear anything special he's done in recent years? Carson Palmer? Decent but not a lights-out Super Bowl-winning QB at Cincy. Matt Cassel couldn't have gone to a better team when he was drafted (the Patriots) after not having played at all while second string at SC. He did well under yet another 'system'... one in place not requiring much innovation from a QB. He goes to KC this year and he's pretty average (granted, KC stinks, but still the argument can be made)... Hell, I would even argue that if you take Tom Brady out of New England, he'd be an average QB. {I may get a lot of arguments with that one, but I do believe that to be the case to some extent}. Steve Young stunk it up at Tampa Bay in the early '80s only to go to SF and Bill Walsh's system and fit in like a glove when Montana was hurt and/or when he retired. It's a SYSTEM that is in place. A culture that makes these players better.

My point is that we NEED something like this at UCLA. High Expectations. Solid recruiting. A cutthroat philosophy of winning and winning big and a fire that INTIMIDATES opponents. No one fears us, that's half of our problem. They FEAR $C. I hate saying it but they do. Half of their games are won because they already have that psychological edge over their opponents.

SC's team is NOT that good this year. I sincerely doubt they're a #4 team (nationally) esp. with a frosh. QB. But they have won a couple close ones this year SOLELY because they incite fear into their opponents (read Notre Dame and Ohio State esp.). It's gutsy and underachieving teams with nothing to lose that end up beating SC, throwing out records and just hitting them hard (read Stanford a couple years ago, Oregon State, Washington this year, etc.). Again, my point is that this sort of culture takes time to grow, takes time to develop but that can only happen with a methodical approach that GRINDS out victories, not a program that panics, and loses and wins games consecutively. Look at most of our games the last few years (including this season)...we're talking big big streaks of losses or wins ... which screams of a weak pyschology, a weak and uninspired culture.

anyway... I'm giving Neuheisel the benefit of the doubt -- for now. We can't for the life of us -- in my humble opinion -- start complaining about NEXT year when we don't know how this year quite ends. Prince may develop into a decent leader this year and head into a sophomore year with a more solid line, a lights-out ability to deliver in practice and a confidence we haven't seen since Cade McNown. Who knows, it could very well be Brehaut that does this. Point is, let's not give up quite yet. Let's put pressure on the coaching staff to preach consistency, to teach the FUNDAMENTALS and to do a BETTER JOB coaching during games. I think they're ALL to blame right now, but the biggest hurdle is our youth. It's only a matter of time, in my opinion, (IF we've recruited as well as we said we have) before we begin to see some of the rewards.

I do think that it is our job as alums, the force that we ourselves are becoming, to keep added pressure on the coaches (esp. CRN) and the administration to set HIGHER expectations, to create an atmosphere that EXPECTS to win the Pac-10 every year, and that EXPECTS to at the very least compete for national championships year in and year out.

so, take a deep breath...look at the big picture, but let's not lose our fire and OUR OWN focus. If the team lacks such skills, it's up to us to remind the powers-that-be that we will do our part in pushing for this type of ethos within the UCLA football program.

This is a big game coming up -- HIGH EXPECTATIONS are warranted.

wsmontano1994 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:33:14 -0000

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?

1- This will be Prince's first real test at home (an advantage, obviously). He already proved he's capable of coming through in the clutch (at Tennessee) and this game arguably becomes one of the more pressure-filled moments of the season for him and for the team. If Prince manages to play well and win the game, not only is the Tenn. game NOT a fluke, but we have a legit. starter and leader for possibly three more years. It will set up some great competition with other current solid Pac-10 Frosh Qbs in the coming years. Simply put, we still don't know HOW GOOD Prince is or how good he can be, but we have a pretty good feeling about it. Chances are, if he's comfortable in the pocket and more or less back at full form (easy on the jaw!), this could be a breakout game for him. And if it is, we are moving -- step-by-step, game-by-game, in the right direction. If Prince can come out and beat Oregon this week, we obviously have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks (at a minimum)

2- If we win, we are INSTANTLY recognized as one of the better teams (top two, three?) in the conference. With Cal having washed out (predictably) already, that leaves us battling against SUC for sure, possibly Oregon State and definitely Stanford (for the title, not literally obviously). Again, most of us don't envision us vying for the conference anymore, esp. after last Saturday, but given the level of parity in the conf. this year, anything can happen. U$C is totally beatable esp. with the greenhorn (and somewhat hurt) Barkley at the helm, and after that, any team in the conf. can be knocked out on any given day. We beat Oregon and we INSTANTLY take the program up a notch -- immediately raising expectations. I'll admit, after beating KSU, and not feeling ecstatic about HOW we did it, I was immediately wary of the schedule seeing Stanford, Oregon and Cal, thinking 3-3 immediately. I was ashamed to think that, but given how Cal was doing at the time, I thought we had our work cut out for us. But now that Cal has come down to earth once again (as any of us should have expected) and given how we hung in there against Stanford on the road (with our 2d/3d stringer, and I don't mean that to slight Craft in any way), this Oregon game, and at home no less, means it is totally within our power to win and to build enormous momentum. Put it this way, we lose to Oregon Saturday and we can still claim we're in a rebuilding year, AND we can still lay claim to 7-6 or even 8-4 come December. But if we win, all bets are off; we can actually aim for 9-3 or hey, why not (??) 10-2.! Why the hell not?? Seriously... We get past Oregon, then Cal, at that point we're one solid winning streak away from seriously competing. And with SUC being less dominant this year (think of our D THROTTLING Barkley in a 13-9-type of game in late November!) ANYTHING can happen. So, in a nutshell, we win at home against the Ducks, and we can do ourselves one HUGE favor. Now I always preach the one-game-at-a-time philosophy and won't be a fool and look that far ahead (despite what I just wrote), but it is ok to imagine that once in a while. But if one can do that, this is one year one can afford to do so.

How can we win???

Now I'm simply reiterating what many of you have posted here... but I'll emphasize a few key points.

Oregon is beatable. That means our Defense has to be 'on' this Saturday. Sure, Oregon's offense is a little intimidating given what they did to Cal, but they are playing us at the Rose Bowl. Their offense has the obvious potential to do some serious damage, but they tend to do that at home, not on the road. If we become the 'hostile' crowd to them -- as they are to us whenever we head up to their place -- we'll only better our chances. Their Defense is good, like ours, but totally beatable. I don't doubt Coaches Neuheisel and Chow will come up with a plan to score points on these guys. If Prince plays, that just improves our chances. Our D has shown spurts of some real solid play, esp. against Tennessee, and to some degree (at times) against Stanford (the two games that 'count' on our schedule thus far, in my humble opinion). They tormented the TN QB (a senior) and they did a few good things against Stanford, jarring three fumbles loose (approx.)... they were one big play (or one better call from the refs) away from getting six points and making the game even closer. Sure they had little to say or do about Gerhart, but i think even SC will have problems with Gerhart. He is a tough back to beat unless you stack the line with nine guys, but you can't do that with the current weapon that is Stanford's QB. Against Oregon, our D has to INTENSIFY and DOMINATE. Our D has to deliver a few knockout punches and rise to the occasion and take it up a notch. Our D-line is dominant, as are most of our LB's... it's our secondary that needs to be a little more disciplined. They need to play it cool, be less emotional and more poised.
No more penalties!! Yes, we are a young team, somewhat undisciplined (which has cost us dearly at times), but I'm tired of using that as an excuse. Penalties happen, they're a part of the game, sure, but ours come much too frequently, sometimes in bunches and they are mistakes that are entirely avoidable. Even though we are young, we need to become methodical in our ways, machine-like, OVERLY disciplined, smart and collected. I can't wait for the day when we are scored on on some fluke play, igniting the opposing crowd into a frenzy, only to MARCH back up the field, like an amphibious assault and silence the crowd and frustrate the opponent because they know they're playing a SUPERIOR team that is poised and that doesn't get rattled. This team needs to learn this lesson quick, or it could potentially be a long season. They can't afford to play dumb against the Ducks this week. This is a team that will pounce on our mistakes and not look back (only to get plowed by USC later, but that's a story for another day)...
Think TOUCHDOWN! (not field goal). Enough is enough. Simply put, if we'd scored TDs early in every game thus far (like we're capable of doing), not only would we have ANNIHILATED SDSU and KSU but we would have possbly avoided Prince's injury in Tennessee and likely beaten Stanford in Palo Alto last week. I know, 20-20 hindsight is not always productive, but one can't help but think 'what if' in this case. We can't change what has happened, but only learn from it all... Our offense under Craft is less vertical, as we all know, thus there's more chance of FG's than anything else, and while taking the points has kept these games closer, it still isn't a recipe for victory. It's too Terry Donahue-esque in my opinion. Yes, we're young on offense and I have no doubt Coach Chow has pondered this all to a point where he is even lacking sleep a few nights a week, but the fact is we need to score more TD's. You leave a team like Oregon hanging, with a 13-7, 16-10 lead and you're done, whether or not you're at home. We need to march down the field, consistently, methodically, eat time off the clock, and SCORE six. If we don't find a way to do this soon, it could be a longer season than we'd hoped. Again, with Prince possibly back, our chances improve, but we must also realize, he's still a Frosh. He will make mistakes every now and again. But the sooner he learns to drive the engine all the way to the endzone, instead of through the uprights, the better, more focused and more confident a team we will be. Again, we are a TD or two (per game) from blowing our opponents out of the water.
We need to use our speed to our advantage. Against a quick team like Oregon, we need to test what we have, just in case. If we can gradually start using our burners more often (esp. on offense), we'll become that much more dangerous. As is often the case, speed sometimes means less discipline, more fumbles, missed catches, etc. Somehow, however, we have to find a way to use our prized tools in key situations. IF this is very much the re-building year as most of us believe it is, why not give the Thigpens, Presleys, etc. the experience they need at certain key moments?. I realize they have had some playing time, but the more mistakes they make now, the less they will in the future. I trust the coaches more on this one, but it would be nice to see. In this I include Austin, our senior wideout. This guy I would argue has be to used even more. Even though he is somewhat our go-to guy, and has delivered, esp. on Special Teams, he needs to step up a bit too.
Our running game is capable of improving. Our line and our backs have shown a few spurts of greatness. If shown daylight, Franklin can take the ball deep into the heart of the D any given play. Our O-line is TREMENDOUSLY improved from last year -- in fact, it is night and day when comparing the two. I'd like for us to commit to Franklin or go by committee using Franklin, Knox, Coleman and Thigpen -- keeping them fresh and keeping the D guessing. Each of these guys is talented and it would be a shame for any of them to be sitting for too long. Our O-line is still a work in progress, but if we slowly start to develop a grind-it-out philosophy (a la Stanford and Gerhart), we're in for a return to the Skip Hicks, Deshawn Foster and Gaston Green days, when we had feature backs and sometimes, backs-by-committee that either dominated or at worst, held their own.

If for some reason, Prince doesn't play we have to rally around Craft (or Brehaut, if that were to happen). Obviously, we can't afford to fall behind against Oregon if that happens, but the point is, we can still win and SHOULD be able to win, if we play this game to our full potential. This is the type of win that would electrify our season, entice recruits, and show everyone our program is moving forward. Most UCLA cynics (across the Pac-10 and the nation) were EXPECTING us to lose against Stanford and now Oregon for sure. Our team has to change that perception. We can be confident and not cocky and win this thing and prove to our detractors that this program is on the rise, not the other way around.

We beat Oregon Saturday and our season can be a HUGE success. We lose, and we can still accomplish our short-term goals, but what good is that, if come December, we're wondering why we could have and should have gone farther in the season. Just a thought. I think we can win Saturday, but we have to simply take it up a notch and play sound Bruin football.

Go Bruins!

With Sad News Comes ...New Opportunities

wsmontano1994 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:48:52 -0000

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.

Our o-line, in many ways also becomes stronger because of this, getting to know Brehaut and how he functions... this sort of symbiosis is essential between a QB and his line. Prince clearly has been bonding more with his line in recent weeks and the same will now be allowed to happen with Brehaut. We may very well discover this kid is the real deal and if we have some type of QB 'controversy' because of it, well, that's a GOOD problem to have, for a change. Not like two years ago where we were dipping DEEP into the QB till and using a walk-on QB against ND at the Rose Bowl (one of the more embarrassing games in our history, I might add).

Most importantly, this provides our Defense the opportunity to rise to the occasion even more... Let's not kid ourselves here, our D won the game in Tennessee this weekend. The play of R. Moore (5 INTs in two games!), Reggie Carter, the Bosworth boys, A. Verner, B. Price(!), this list is getting lengthy isn't it?? Bruins, we have a SOLID Defense... we should be grateful to outgoing Coach Walker who bears some of the responsibility for this as does Coach Neuheisel -- putting the right guys on the field and making them tougher week in and week out is what has led to this 2-0 season thus far. Just keep thinking about what they did to Crompton and to the Tennessee O-line on that last drive on Sat. -- it's something to be very excited about... Against a team like KSU, our D will get even better... and then it's time to rest up for two weeks before we face Stanford... and then it's party time (!)... Hopefully by that point Prince is back (it's a possibility), but if he is not, in Brehaut we trust!

In one of the Sunday articles in the Times, Coach Neuheisel was quoted as such, when he apparently spoke to the contingent of Bruins fans who were in Tennesse, on hand to watch the game live: '"We are going to get ourselves back to the pinnacle!"

I don't think Terry Donahue ever uttered words like that... certainly not Coach Dorrell... Coach Toledo did, and almost took us there, but there was always a 'softness' to his teams. Coach Neuheisel actually means it... the manner in which he pays attention to the Bruin faithful at games proves his passion not only for his sport, and for his job but most importantly, for UCLA. We're lucky to have this guy and this is only the beginning. This little setback is what the good coaches ultimately laugh at and expect -- challenges such as these... that's what makes them good coaches in the end.

I think despite the most unfortunate loss of Prince, albeit temporarily, we have still a lot to be excited about... One game at a time, gents... ONE GAME at a time... one snap at a time... one series at a time... if we take on that attitude, that type of focus, we'll be in the thick of it come November...

Go Bruins!

Keep It In Perspective For Next Week...

wsmontano1994 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:53:43 -0000

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.

This was a GREAT win for the program and it could and should be one that changes our perspective and even creates higher expectations -- hopefully across the country. Like most of us in Bruins Nation this morning, I found myself brooding a bit this morning seriously pondering the thought about being 1-1 after today and about having to toil away as a program that is forever 'rebuilding'.... I found myself going back 20 years to when Troy Aikman was here and when even then we had a difficult time defeating teams like Nebraska and even a mediocre $C team... Over the years we always seemed to lose to teams in the 'east' (TN clearly being the exception last year) and this seemed to be a perpetual curse (thinking ND three years ago in south bend esp.) and I began comparing us to SC who always seems to win BIG games especially on the road (they did it again tonight)...

But that all changes after today's big win in TN! This should be one game that gradually shifts our program in the right direction. Obviously, one key win alone can't do this, but this is one of those wins that SHOULD and could have that kind of impact.

Great win, gentlemen. Coach Neuheisel, kudos to you and your staff for a stellar victory and excellent preparation. Bruins Nation is grateful... and we can officially say that 'we're back on the map, baby!'... Go Bruins!

The Obvious Pick: Neuheisel

wsmontano1994 — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:22:51 -0000

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.

Start Osaar Rasshan this Saturday...

wsmontano1994 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:46:43 -0000

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!.

BEAT $C but FIRE DORRELL regardless

wsmontano1994 — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 05:54:29 -0000

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.