Bruins Nation

Prayers For The Captain

2009-11-10T17:08:36Z

Barnes2JJ already fanshotted this which we promoted on the home page. Still this deserves another stand along post to ensure that Big Fella has the total attention and prayers from the entire Bruins Nation. If you haven't read by now, AP reported today Kareem is battling "a rare form of leukemia."

No need for us to get down. The early prognosis is encouraging and the Captain just like he has entire life is battling like a warrior (emphasis added):

A longtime student in martial arts, Abdul-Jabbar said he took the approach of a samurai -- to face death without fear.

"I had my face on," he said.

Instead, doctors told him CML was treatable with proper medication and monitoring.

Abdul-Jabbar is a special assistant with the Lakers and said he hasn't had to cut back his level of activity of coaching, change his regimen or adjust his diet. "I'm able to sneak out for Thai food," he said.

"There is hope. This condition can be treated. You can still live a productive, full life," he said. "I'm living proof I can make it."

And just like the Big Red, who made his retirement statement about everyone except for himself, the Big Fella is using this news to help everyone else:

"I've never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives," he said in a midtown Manhattan conference room. "It's incumbent on someone like me to talk about this."

I am guessing Coach cracked out a huge smile when he read those quotes.

Once again, the prayers of the entire blue and gold bleeding nation is with the Big Fella today.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: In A Washington State Of Mind

2009-11-10T13:49:43Z

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

Remember what he did to Dewayne Walker's defense in 2007?

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Not sure how I can follow up the excitement around Mr. Smith's decision to come to Howlandwood this morning. I will give it a try. The timing of his announcement was a perfect convergence during the game week sandwiched between two Washington schools. Not only are we feeling good about what transpired last weekend at the Rose Bowl, now all on a sudden we have additional adrenaline shot (even though this wasn't a total surprise) heading into the second exhibition Ben Ball game tonight (and oh BTW Concordia apparently beat UCI last night in their second exhibition game). Let's hope we can keep the good vibes going around BN thanks to the state of Washington all the way into next weekend.

Washington State's football team are hurting again this season. They are streaking in the wrong direction. Here is the "inside slant" from Sportsline.com which accounts what transpired for the Cougars in their last game at Arizona, which somewhat encapsulated their season to date:

Washington State won the toss but decided to defer its decision, and the Wildcats returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, beginning an onslaught that saw Arizona take a 21-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game.

From there, it was the same old story, which has become exceedingly redundant for Washington State fans, as the Cougars never got back in the game. Their lone score came midway through the fourth quarter after Arizona led 48-0 and had emptied its bench.

Washington State is now 1-8 overall, 0-6 in Pac-10 play, and has lost every conference game by at least 13 points, and all but one by at least 21.

"They opened with that kickoff, and it's hard to open the game when you are down seven," linebacker Andy Mattingly told The Spokesman-Review.

Not that it likely would have mattered much in the long run, as the Cougars were again completely dominated despite Arizona going conservative pretty early on.

Arizona outgained Washington State 471-185, including a 294-59 edge in rushing.

Cougars are also banged up. They lost their starting QB Jeff Tuel (who is a freshman BTW) in their last game and his status is up in air during this game week. Here was the update from the Spokeman-Review yesterday:

"He’s sore today, but (there was) very little swelling, which is a real positive," coach Paul Wulff said Sunday. "He had to get an MRI today to see if there was anything going on more than they anticipated."

Tuel, who is still on crutches, was injured in the second quarter of the Cougars’ 48-7 loss to Arizona on Saturday, a defeat that dropped WSU’s record to 1-8, 0-6 in the Pac-10.

The freshman was trying to scramble when linebacker Xavier Kelley caught him from behind. As Tuel went down, he slightly dislocated his kneecap, suffering what is known as a subluxation, in which the kneecap is pulled laterally from its usual path.

"It’s just wait and see," said Wulff, who expects to know the MRI exam results today. "We’ll see what happens tomorrow and on Tuesday."

Tuel has done ok since he took over at the QB spot this season, completing 71 of 121 passes (58.7 percent completion rate), 6 TDs and 5 ints. If he cant go this weekend, sophomore Marshall Lobbestale will take his spot who has completed 56 of his 116 attempts, throwing for 3 TDs and 5 picks.

Tuel is not the only injury concern for the Cougars:

[Q]uarterback isn’t the only area of injury concern for Wulff this week. The Cougars lost two safeties Saturday and played the second half with Myron Beck, who has played mostly linebacker this season, filling in deep.

Wulff is hoping usual starting strong safety Chima Nwachukwu will be able to return from his sprained ankle.[...]

Kicker Nico Grasu (quadriceps pull) and left tackle Tyson Pencer (ankle sprain) will probably miss this week, replaced by Kevin Rooney and Steven Ayers, respectively.

So they are not in great shape. However, I wouldn't get overly confident if I were UCLA. As mentioned yesterday they are going to look at this game as their last chance of getting a victory at home. That place has been the venue of one Bruin nightmare after another in recent years (except for the miracle in 2005). Bruins have injury issues of their own and concerns around their defensive unit which will require total focus and concentration of the entire team heading into Saturday.

Looking though Washington's stats for this season it instantly becomes clear the kind of struggle they have experienced the entire season. However, there is something we all have to be mindful as UCLA fans. Our run defense right now is atrocious. It's embarrassing really. UCLA's rushing "defense" is crrently ranked 78th in the nation and 8th in the conference. We are giving up almost 157 yards on the ground per game and have gotten gashed repeatedly in recent weeks (still cannot figure out why Sark didn't stick with the ground attack against UCLA).

Our LBs are struggling. Reggie Carter is playing hurt and hasn't been the same. Akeem Ayers is still having problem with overpursuit. Bosworth is playing his heart out but he can only do so much. So I can see a scenario in which WSU will attempt to turn this into a ball control game with RB Dwight Tardy. Does any one remeber what Dwight Tardy did to UCLA last time we went up to Pullman? Here is a reminder:

Cougar running game huge in UCLA win (via KXLY)

Yeah, he tore up that legendary Dewayne Walker defense for 214 yards on 37 carries. It was ugly and pathetic. Tardy is having a so so season this year gaining 321 yards in 69 carries. Those are still respectable numbers as he is averaging more than 4 yards per carry. To put it in perspective. Tardy while gaining 214 yards against Walker's defense in 2007, had about 462 yards in his previous 7 games (poor kid suffered an ACL injury in 51 yard TD run in the final mintue of our game).

Given our history in Pullman our defense better be ready for Tardy an co. Tardy has been coming on somewhat strong (at least per game stats). He rushed for 45 yards in 4 carries against Arizona, which followed a 73 yard rushing effort (in 8 carries) against the Irish. I know what you are thinking. It's the Irish. However, we don't have standing to make fun of the Irish defense, given how ours have performed in recent weeks.

So are going to need our guys to come out and get in rhythm offensively to take control of this game. The reports from Spauling are encouraging re. Prince:

Prince, who suffered a concussion against Washington, went through an exertion test Monday morning and then was cleared by a team doctor to lift weights and practice. Barring a setback, he will start Saturday against Washington State.

"I rode the bike for 30 minutes and did some up-downs," Prince said. "The training staff asked how I was feeling and I said I felt normal. There will be various tests through Thursday."

If Prince is 100 percent and ready to go on Saturday, having him in there will hopefully allow our offense to stay in its rhythm:

"Offensively, we did a lot of good things, especially in the throwing game," Neuheisel said."We're kind of finding some rhythm. The receivers played a pretty darn good game. Kids are starting to come of age, and that's huge. If you look at the first two series of the game, almost everyone got to touch the ball. We're starting to spread it around."

Hopefully Prince is ready to go. It was a lot of run to see spray the ball around all over the field on Saturday. He was simply on fire and it certainly appeared that Chow had taken the leash off our offense. I hope if Prince is healthy Chow comes out with an aggressive game plan for an all out attack on Saturday. If the Bruins can take control of the game early on and maintain an aggressive posture for the entire game, it will do wonders for their confidence not just for the entire season but for the future of this program.

GO BRUINS.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has Leukemia

2009-11-10T13:18:55Z

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has Leukemia

But his attitude is great and the prognosis is encouraging. Yet another sobering reminder that there is much more to life than what happens on the field or court.

Go get 'em, Kareem.

UPDATES: CBH Reels In 5 Star Center

2009-11-10T03:57:18Z

via seattletimes.nwsource.com

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One of the nation's top recruits and one who most have called the key to UCLA's 2010 recruiting class has committed to the Bruins. According to Jon Gold, Josh Smith, a 6'10'', 270 lbs. center from Kentwood High School in Covington, Washington has decided to become a Ben Ball Warrior. The highly coveted center had narrowed his choices down to UCLA and the hometown school, Washington, but the Bruins have long been viewed as the favorite.

According to Rivals.com, Smith is the nation's 19th best recruit and third best center in the class of 2010. He has the potential to be a dominant figure in the low post and along with the plethora of big men in this year's freshmen class, the Bruins appear to be stacked up front for the foreseeable future. Here is Rivals' Jerry Meyer's scouting report on the future Bruin.

Blessed with superb hands and a soft shooting touch, Smith gobbles up rebounds and scores efficiently around the basket. Quick off the floor for his size, Smith is also a tremendous shot blocker and positional defender. He is also a dangerous passer with his overall strong feel for the game. Shaping up to be the dominant low post player in his class.

This is a major get for CBH and with Tyler Lamb already in the fold, a monster recruiting class is in the works. Welcome to Westwood Josh!

Elsewhere in recruiting, Harrison Barnes, the five star small forward from Iowa will announce his college decision on Friday, although he is a longshot for the Bruins. If that name sounds familiar, Barnes is the recruit who N posted about, talking about the amazing blog entry Barnes wrote about his official visit to UCLA.

Another note: Thursday is the first day of the early signing period so the UCLA recruits can put their signature on a National Letter of Intent and make their commitment official.

UPDATE I: David Wharton of the LA Times also has Smith's commitment so it looks like a done deal.

Washington state prospect Josh Smith, one of the top-rated big men in the nation, has committed to UCLA.

A 6-9, 270-pound center from Kentwood High, Smith came to the decision about an hour ago, his father said, choosing the Bruins over Washington.

He made his official visit to Westwood just a few weeks ago but had held off on a decision until after visiting with the Huskies staff.

Continue after the jump for some quotes from Smith.

UPDATE II: Jon Gold, who first broke the story, spoke with Smith and has some good stuff from the center, including how the history of Coach Wooden's lured him in.

"Not trying to disrespect any other school, but with UCLA, people see those four letters and they remember all those great players, those champions, Coach Wooden," Smith said. "I want to wear those four letters well."

Ummm, can anyone here disagree with that line of thinking? I think not. Smith also speaks about wanting to get to work soon to make himself better and to be a part of the team.

Smith said he planned on heading to Westwood in June to get a head start on weight training and conditioning. A fixture in the post, Smith has said he wants to improve his explosiveness.

"When I talked to the coaches I wanted to be an impact player right away," Smith said. "That isn't necessarily starting. If I'm coming off the bench and helping the team win, that's a good thing. We'll have a young team, and I think it'd be good for us to gel together, get that chemistry."

That's the mentality of a Ben Ball Warrior right there. It's tough not to get excited about Smith wearing those four letters across his chest on Nell and John Wooden Court. Smith also has his eye on a degree.

"I've been telling people, I'd take it if the opportunity comes," Smith said. "I plan on staying all four years; the first thing I want to do is get my degree. But let's say I become a lottery pick my fresh year, I'd take the opportunity. I'm not trying to run to the NBA as fast as I can. Success for most people isn't success for some people. I'm trying to make the most out of my college degree."

Now, I warn everyone out there not to get overly excited about this. Yes, he is entertaining the option of returning for a few years, but he does say he'd jump at a lottery opportunity and I think that will happen sooner rather than later. I'm going to treat a sophomore year as a bonus, but the fact that he's even discussing get a degree says a lot about the kid and I hope that whether he stays one or four years, he gets that degree at some point. Check out Gold's entire piece for some other great stuff on Smith talking with Kevin Love and how he feels comfortable in LA with the family he has here.

Kevin Prince has been cleared by doctors to return to practice on Tuesday for...

2009-11-10T02:12:36Z

Kevin Prince has been cleared by doctors to return to practice on Tuesday for non-contact drills.

Jon Gold (Inside UCLA)

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 10

2009-11-09T20:00:38Z

Well, if we weren't already sure of it, now we know. In the Pac-10, nothing in guaranteed and on any day, anything can happen. A week after Oregon looked unbeatable, they were beaten and not just on the scoreboard. Toby Gerhart and Stanford pounded the Ducks physically and took down the team atop the Pac-10. Elsewhere, USC looked less than impressive in beating Arizona St., UCLA picked up their first Pac-10 win, Oregon St. beat Cal in Berkeley and Arizona cruised past Wazzu to move just a half game behind Oregon in the conference. The unpredictability of the conference and depth from top to bottom that makes winning out so difficult has once again cost the conference a chance at a National Title Game representative as the teams are now squarely focused on a Rose Bowl berth.

Player of the Week: Toby Gerhart, Stanford- The best player in the conference's biggest game. Gerhart ran by Oregon defender and more often, through them as he racked up 223 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the ball 38 times. That is the definition of carrying the load. Now second nationally in yards per game with 16 touchdowns, he has to be a Heisman candidate, right?

Stat of the Week: 2001- The last time Stanford was bowl eligible was in 2001. In just his third season, Jim Harbaugh has the Cardinal bowl eligible at 6-3 and they trail Oregon for the conference lead by just a half game.

Game of the Week: Stanford at USC, 12:30 pm PST, FSN- It's a Stanford heavy "of the Week" list, but the Cardinal have the conference's best player and find themselves squarely in the conference title race as the head to the Coliseum for a match-up with USC. The last time the Cardinal went on the road to play USC, they came away with a monumental upset. This upset wouldn't be nearly as big, but a win may mean more to the program.

Pac-10 Power Poll

1) Oregon Ducks, 7-2 (2 first place votes)- Sure, they looked bad in their loss to Stanford, but over the course of the conference season, no team has been as good. Their dominating win over USC wasn't that long ago, although seeing their once dominating defense get torn apart must be a concern. The offense was still moving the ball against Stanford so not everything went bad. Returning home to play an Arizona St. team that has a poor offense on a good day will help. Last Week: 1

2) Arizona Wildcats, 6-2 (1 first place vote)- Yeah, they're pretty darn good. Ever since Nick Foles took over as QB, they're averaging 38 points per game and are 4-1. Thanks to their win over Washington St. on Saturday, they're only a half game behind Oregon and are in the thick of the conference race. With Cal, USC, Oregon and rivals Arizona St. left of the schedule, only one of which is at home, things will get far tougher now and their road to a Pac-10 title is the toughest among contenders. Last Week: 3

3) USC Trojans, 7-2 (1 first place vote)- It's been a while since the Trojans have put together back to back games as unimpressive as the past two. After being rolled over by Oregon, USC looked very poor in beating a bad Arizona St. team. Matt Barkley completed only seven of his 22 passes and the Trojans had only four first half first downs. At least the defense looked better and with a surging Stanford team on tap this week, both the offense and defense will have to be on their games. Last Week: 2

4) Stanford Cardinal, 6-3- Being the first Pac-10 team to top Oregon is a major accomplishment, but it was the manner in which they did it that impressed most. Not only did Gerhart run for over 250, but Andrew Luck threw for over 250 as the Cardinal racked up 505 total yards and held onto the ball for nearly 38 minutes. They cannot give up another 570 yards against USC this week though if they want to win their second consecutive game at the Coliseum. Last Week: 6

5) Oregon St. Beavers, 6-3- Sean Canfield continues to impress for the Beavers, racking up another 342 yards in their win over Cal while completing 29 of his 39 pass attempts. With the Rodgers brothers bottled up for the most part, the OSU offense didn't lose a step as Joe Halahuni stepped up with 128 yards receiving. As is always the case with Mike Riley teams, they're just getting better as the year goes on. They get Washington this week in their last home game of the year. Last Week: 5

6) California Golden Bears, 6-3- You would really expect a better performance from the Bears at home. I understand how Jahvid Best's scary injury may have changed the mindset of many Cal players, but Oregon St. was in control of that game already. The Bears' defense looks more porous each week and 436 yards by the Beavers continues that trend. Their final home game of the year comes up this weekend and it will be a tough one versus Arizona. Last Week: 4

7) Arizona St. Sun Devils, 4-5- You would think that Arizona St. would have a better offense than they do with Dennis Erickson at the helm, but it has been atrocious. Freshman Brock Osweiler came in and showed that he has some good tools, but he is a long ways off. On the bright side, their defense is as good as their offense is bad. Their four wins are still over Idaho St., Louisiana-Monroe, Washington and Washington St. though, all at home. At Oregon this week will be an uphill battle. Last Week: 7

8) UCLA Bruins, 4-5- How many points could the Bruins have scored had Kevin Prince understood when it's time to slide? The redshirt freshman was rolling and leading a suddenly explosive offense. Kevin Craft did what you'd hope for from a backup and that is give the receivers chances. The offensive line is really coming on, but the defense looks to have stagnated, which isn't bad, but not great either. A win in the Palouse on Saturday puts them on the brink og a bowl bid. Last Week: 9

9) Washington Huskies, 3-6- The Huskies run at a bowl looks to have come to an end, but those hopes were always a bit far-fetched. Jake Locker wasn't bad in Saturday's loss to UCLA, but for the Huskies to win games, he needs to be phenomenal. Chris Polk had himself a big game though and had UW been able to turn just one more of those five turnovers into points, they'd have had a W. After their game at Oregon St. on Saturday, they finish out with two at home. Last Week: 8

10) Washington St. Cougars, 1-8- Penalties. Turnovers. Inability to convert on third down. Only 18:41 of possession. You're not going to win many games like that and especially not on the road, where the Cougars were trounced by Arizona. The game started with Wazzu letting the opening kick off get run back for a TD and that was as close as it got. They still can't decide on a quarterback as they welcome UCLA to the Palouse on Saturday. Last Week: 10

Spaulding Roundup: Cleared Up QB Picture, Wildcat Excitement & Early Thoughts On WSU Game

2009-11-09T13:46:32Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Prince waiting for the word from the training staff to get clearance for Saturday

Browse more photos »

Let's start this week by checking in with our starter: Kevin Prince. Per the report in LAT today CRN said that Prince "was cleared pretty quickly" by the "training staff report." Prince will go through some "exertion test" tomorrow and per CRN's words the training staff thinks "he will be ready." Prince looked all right when he was walking around the sidelines after half time on Saturday. He didn't sound too worried about his status for next week after the game. From the Press Enterprise:

Prince was kept on the sideline with what he called a minor concussion.

"I was dizzy, drowsy, kind of a little sensitive to light and stuff," said Prince, who was wearing a mouth guard.

Remember, Prince's jaw was fractured when he was sacked late in a victory over Tennessee in the second game of the season. That kept him out for a couple weeks and seemed to hinder his progress.

He sounded as assured as he could that he'd be ready to play at Washington State next Saturday.

"Absolutely," Prince said when asked about that game. "I'll be fine."

In his limited time, he passed for 212 yards and a touchdown and connected on 13 of his 17 attempts.

I think UCLA staff should make sure they exercise as much caution as possible with Prince. He has taken some vicious hits this year. I want him to see out there on Saturday but I will totally understand if our training staff and coaches decide to keep him out for one week. Meanwhile, from now till the end of the season perhaps Kevin should be putting in some extra time in practice working on his slide. Running head first for extra couple of yards was not a smart move on his part, particularly now that he is emerging as the clear starter of this football team.

Even if Prince cannot go after Saturday's performance, UCLA coaches should feel pretty confident about going with Kevin Prince. Chris Foster from the LA Time reports how the senior quarterback is having a memorable season in Westwood and might stay plugged in with Chow's offense even after his graduation:

Craft's hand prints -- and hand signals -- are all over the Bruins' season. He has been a mentor to Prince and Brehaut, with the idea of remaining as a graduate assistant being discussed.

Craft is also responsible for the way the Bruins signal plays onto the field, something he and Prince were asked to develop after the San Diego State game.

"The terminology we were using was so long that the receivers were having trouble remembering it," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "I sent Kevin and Kevin home that Sunday to come up with a system to signal in the formations."

The two did, with Craft taking the lead. He had studied sign language as his foreign language in high school, and continued to take courses in it at San Diego State. He mixed elements of that with signals that almost mimicked the formation.

"We went through every single formation that Monday night," Craft said. "I would say, 'What about this?' and Kevin would make suggestions."

Soon after, the Bruins had a system. Whether his code could be cracked by opponents doesn't matter, Craft said: "We run 10 plays out of each formation, so it wouldn't help." The receivers still run the plays in from the sideline.

"We use a little bit of the sign language, along with some hand signals that make things easy to remember," Craft said. "It's just easier to do it this way. A lot times when they sent in receivers with the call, things got jumbled."

Ryan described the scene immediately after the game ended showing how tight the quarterbacks are with each other at UCLA:

As soon as Craft took the final knee, Prince and Crissman took off in a dead sprint for him, with Brehaut not far behind once he got all his cords off of him. They had a huge group hug out there on the field, celebrating the win. It was great to see.

It's another scene that should make you LOL next time you read some local reporter try to weave the storyline of Neuheisel losing control of this program. I don't think it's a coincidence that these guys despite what they have been through are so resilient and close together as a unit. No doubt in my mind they are taking their cues from the leader of their program.

Prince (before he went out) and Craft were not the only players having fun on offense on Saturday. Milton Knox's performance from the Wildcat formation has lot of people buzzing:

"It's fun to do that, to come out and make big plays," Knox said. "It wasn't that hard for me to adjust to it. Naturally I'm a running back, but I played a little backup quarterback in high school. When (offensive coordinator Norm Chow) asked me if I could run it, I said sure.

"It helps this team put a little swagger into the offense."

Now comes the hard part, besides the name: figuring out how to introduce the passing element into the complex offense, which was popularized in the NFL by Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, who threw a 1-yard touchdown pass out of the wildcat on Sunday in the Dolphins' 27-17 loss to New England.

"The wildcat is in vogue right now because it evens the number out," Neuheisel said. "But you have to be versatile in it to last a long time. We'll see if now we can muster up some throwing game out of it."

I think sooner or later though Milton will have to throw it. That's the only way the coaches will be able to ensure that formation keeps producing results. It was awesome to see Milton get loose though. Hopefully it will give him more confidence when lining up in regular formation. However, we'd definitely would love to see some more of it next weekend and perhaps Knox will get a chance to throw out of it.

It was definitely an interesting feeling on Saturday. Especially early on after every offensive score I had the feeling of not being able to wait till next time our offense took the feel. I hadn't felt that sense of anticipation with our offense since the 1999 (2005 doesn't count because our offense would just lollygagg for three quarters until 2LiveDrew did their thing in the 4th).

Our offense is showing the signs of its potential of turning into a machine. Right now the biggest issues around it are stupid penalties and fumbles. Think about it. I think we have had something like 8 fumbles in our last 4 games. If we hadn't fumbled the ball 4 times in firsrt half against Oregon State, the offensive production would have been much different. Same goes with the fumbles from Saturday. We have to clean up those mistakes. If we can do that the offense look even more sharper.

The game against Washington State is not going to be easy. Those guys are going to treat the UCLA game as one of their two winnable games (Washington being the other one) of the season. So they will bring everything they have on both sides of the field. Our team will need to be locked in and treat it like an elimination game. Hopefully they can put together a clean performance both on offense and defense setting up a huge senior day at the Rose Bowl. However, before we get too ahead of ourselves (even though I understand the excitement), we need to get it done on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

More photos from the UCLA vs U-dub game.

2009-11-09T10:54:54Z

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Telemachus already shared his great photoset from Saturday's game. I'd definitely recommend checking that out if you haven't already. I was on the opposite end of the stadium as he was, so I've got some shots from a different perspective. Unfortunately, my view was obscured for the three biggest plays of the game (Helmet-to-helmet on Prince, Austin's td, and Moore's int) by either the fans in front of me or players on the sidelines. I guess the only solution is that next game, I need to get front row seats. Either that, or it's time for BN to utilize their SBN and AOL affiliations and start getting some media passes!

Anyway, here's a sample of my shots from the day.

Gary Beban was the honorary captain of the game. I think he provided the offense with a lil' extra mojo:

The defense, as usual, was led by Brian Price and Rahim Moore:

Early in the game, it was Kevin Prince to Nelson Rosario. This is becoming quite a nice combo.

A good sign that Prince is becoming comfortable with the offense: an audible!

Another good sign: spreading the ball around. This time, Prince finds Cory Harkey for an early touchdown

JetSki's first fumble of the game. This is becoming a bad habit. (I love the reactions of a few of the dance team members on this one.)

With Franklin's fumbles, it became running back by committee (tho Christian Ramirez was not invited to be a member of the committee). Here's Derrick Coleman finding some room to run.

Milton Knox got some carries and the offense got some variety with the Wildcat! (And look at the opposing DB respecting Kevin Craft's speed at wideout!)

For those who couldn't make the game, here's a little flavor of the sidelines:

#18 is a freshman linebacker. He's already learning that your eyes have to be everywhere:

Kevin Prince was a bit groggy after taking a helmet to helmet hit:

But a few minutes later, he let the fans know that he was doing ok:

While the defense was maligned early, eventually they started swarming to the ball:

Reggie Carter gets to Locker:

For some reason Wash abandoned the rush, and Locker found himself under a lot of pressure:

Here's the beginning of Austin's great catch. I didn't get the end b/c everyone in front of me started jumping up and down. Hopefully one of those 9 photographers in this frame stayed with the shot.

Another photograph that got away. The UCLA helmet belongs to Rahim Moore, who had just made the game winning interception. I'm only including this shot b/c I think it's funny that the police officer is cheering. I didn't know they were allowed to do that!

After the int, Rahim Moore gives thanks:

Rick Neuheisel finally gets a chance to give a victory speech again.

One sidenote to the speech. A lot of Washington fans stuck around in the stadium just so they could boo Coach Neuheisel when he stepped up to the podium. And their voices were heard pretty loudly. Whether it's misguided or not, I admire their passion. I wish our fans would do the same anytime that Lavin announces one of our games. (I'm not saying that Neuheisel equals Lavin- only that I wish the fan response was similar.)

So that's what a victory looked like from my seats. I sure wouldn't mind seeing a few more of them.

Non-Revenue Sports Bruin Review and Calendar

2009-11-09T07:29:09Z

A win over Washington sealed the conference title for the Bruins (Photo Credit: Official Site)

Women's Golf

Consistency is the key in any sport and the top-ranked Bruins have been awfully consistent in the fall 2009 season. The team's final tournament of the fall season finished just how the previous three had, with a second place finish at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate. Stephanie Kono led the way for UCLA with a fourth place individual finish. The Bruins will not play again until February.

Women's Soccer

Going on the road didn't affect the #3 Bruins too much. Up in the Evergreen State, the Bruins began their weekend by beating Washington, 2-1. Lauren Cheney scored the game's first goal and after the Huskies tied it, Cheney struck once more to deliver UCLA the victory. Cheney's goal also broke the school record for game-winning goals as it was the 27th of the senior's career. Across the state in Pullman, UCLA defeated Washington St., 2-0, to finish up their regular season. The Bruins won 16 of their last 17 matches to finish 17-2-1 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-10. Due to Stanford's perfect 9-0 conference record, the Bruins did not earn at least a share of the conference title for the first time since 2002. The NCAA Selection Show, which could hand the Bruins a top seed, is tomorrow (Monday) at 5 pm PST on ESPNews.

Men's Water Polo

The fans packed the Spieker Aquatics Center, but the #4 Bruins just came up short in their 7-6 loss to #1 USC. Scott Davidson led the way for UCLA, scoring four goals in the game, but the Bruins could not hold onto the 6-5 lead they took into the fourth quarter. USC scored with 29 seconds left in the game to drop the Bruins to 18-6 overall and 4-3 in MPSF play. The Bruins will close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon when #9 UCSB visits Westwood.

Men's Soccer

The #5 Bruins are the 2009 Pac-10 Champions, their second consecutive conference title. The weekend opened with Oregon St. at Drake Stadium and there were two first half goals, but that was it as the teams were forced to settle for a draw. The weekend's next game was once again at home, this time against Washington. Goalkeeper Brian Perk saw one go by him early as the Bruins fell behind by a goal, but he did well to make four saves early on in the match to keep UCLA in it. Kyle Nakazawa then found the back of the net to even the match at a goal apiece, then in the second half, which the Bruins dominated, UCLA got another goal to win the match and conference. UCLA will conclude the regular season on Saturday with San Diego St. taking on the Bruins at Drake Stadium.

Women's Volleyball

One match often makes for a boring week, but that isn't the case when that match is versus USC. At Galen Center, the #7 Bruins and #17 Trojans squared off in a tough, five set match, but UCLA came out on top, 25-17, 14-25, 25-16, 17-25, 15-12. Amanda Gil had 16 kills for the Bruins, five of which came in the fifth set to give UCLA two wins in as many matches versus the Trojans. The win is also UCLA's sixth straight as the improved to 19-6 and 9-3 in the Pac-10. The Bruins are now alone in second place in the Pac-10, a half game behind #4 Washington, who UCLA will host on Saturday, a day after they host Washington St.

Women's Tennis

The Bruins' top representatives at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoors were Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack, who teamed up for a run to the semifinals of the doubles tournament in Connecticut.

Men's Tennis

Matt Brooklyn and Kallim Stewart were the Bruins' top performers last week as they took the doubles crown in the SoCal Intercollegiates.

Women's Swimming and Diving

Freshman Maggy Boyd led the UCLA divers at the Trojan Invitational with a fifth place finish on one-meter. The swimmers and divers team up this week when they take on the Arizona schools.

Women's Basketball

The second year of the Nikki Caldwell era begins on Monday with an exhibition game against Master's College at Pauley Pavilion. They will then travel to Iowa City over the weekend for a tournament. The Bruins were picked to finish fourth in the Pac-10 by the conference's coaches, only a point behind third place Arizona St.

Men's Golf

UCLA will compete in the Gifford Collegiate Championship at Cordevalle beginning Monday.

Cross Country

Both the men's and women's team will compete in the NCAA West Regional Championships on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

Softball

The Bruins opened their fall slate with a win over the alumni, then over Palomar JC by a score of 10-0. The fall season continues on Wednesday against Fullerton JC and again on Friday and Saturday.

Baseball

Fall practice continues through the week, leading up to next week's Blue-Gold World Series Keep an eye out for an extensive post on the team that I'll have in the middle of the week.

Calendar (all times pacific)
Monday, November 9
Women's Basketball vs. Master's College, 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Men's Tennis, ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, All Day- Charlottesville, VA
Men's Golf, Gifford Collegiate Championship, All Day- San Martin, CA
Tuesday, November 10
Men's Golf, Gifford Collegiate Championship, All Day- San Martin, CA
Wednesday, November 11
Softball vs. Fullerton JC, 2:30 pm- Easton Stadium
Men's Golf, Gifford Collegiate Championship, All Day- San Martin, CA
Friday, November 13
Women's Swim and Dive at Arizona St., 1:00 pm- Tempe, AZ
Softball vs. Cerritos College, 2:30 pm- Easton Stadium
Women's Volleyball vs. Washington St., 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Saturday, November 14
Women's Swim and Dive at Arizona, 12:00 pm- Tucson, AZ
Women's Basketball at Illinois St., 12:30 pm- Iowa City, IA
Softball vs. Mt. SAC, 1:00 pm- Easton Stadium
Men's Soccer vs. San Diego St., 7:00 pm- Drake Stadium
Women's Volleyball vs. Washington, 7:00 pm- Pauley Pavilion
Cross Country, NCAA West Regional Championships, All Day- Eugene, OR
Sunday, November 15
Men's Water Polo vs. UC Santa Barbara, 1:00 pm- Spieker Aquatics Center
Women's Basketball vs. Iowa/Santa Clara, TBD- Iowa City, IA

Ticket information for all sports can be found here while facility information and directions for all sports can be found here. GO BRUINS!!!

Tyler Honeycutt out 3 to 4 weeks

2009-11-09T03:16:17Z

Tyler Honeycutt out 3 to 4 weeks

"Stress reaction" to his right tibia, per UCLA Athletics twitter feed.

...tough start for the kid.

Videos from Washington/UCLA Football Game!

2009-11-09T01:21:44Z

Bumped. GO BRUINS. - N.

My family and I had the PLEASURE of being on the sidelines yesterday at the game! It's an awesome experience being so close to the action. I took a few videos to share with BN...

This one is inside the tunnel as the team comes out of the locker room and gets ready to take the field. The bell they are ringing is new. I'm not sure when they added it but it was not there last season.

You can also hear the fans in the stands above stomping on the ground, which is really cool. If you are someone who sits there, keep that up!

More after the jump including videos of Logan's big catch and run, Harkey's TD and Austin's awesome TD.

Logan Paulson on the run...and he is PUMPED!

The first UCLA TD of the game - Prince to Harkey - on 4th and Goal..

In the moment, I apparently dubbed this "The Knoxcat"! hehee!

And finally, Austin's AWESOME TD!!!

GO BRUINS!!!

Washington @ UCLA Photos

2009-11-08T21:28:01Z

Honorary captain and Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban

Having Gary Beban serve as honorary captain must have been worth few points and the team needed every one of them to edge the Huskies 24-23 at the Rose Bowl.

Kevin Prince stands tall in the pocket

Taylor Embree stretches to make a catch

Logan Paulsen rumbles downfield for a 56 yard reception

Fingertip grab by Cory Harkey for six points

ATV had a busy day defending deep balls . . .

. . . as well as providing run support

What more can you say about ATV?

Nelson Rosario has another ho-hum 7 reception, 111 yard day

Terrence Austin makes a circus catch in the endzone

Rahim Moore seals the deal with his eigth interception as the sideline cheers him on

Rest of the slideshow here.

Congrats to Brad Friedel On His 200th Consecutive EPL Start

2009-11-08T20:02:28Z

Congrats to Brad Friedel On His 200th Consecutive EPL Start

You may or may not know, but the current record for consecutive starts in the English Premier League, one of the top leagues in the world, is none other than Bruin Brad Friedel. Brad broke the former mark of 167 continous games last season and just reached the 200 mark. It looks like a Bruin is going to hold this record for some time. Always awesome to see Bruins setting records especially ones in a league like the EPL.

Sunday Reflections: Resilient Bruins Keep Battling Away

2009-11-08T17:29:43Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Dear Coach Neuehisel: How About Sticking With Those Home Jerseys Rest Of This Season?

Browse more photos »

Let's hit the reset button again this am. For last few weeks we have seen the UCLA beat reporters working hard to weave the storyline about how Rick Neuheisel is losing control of the UCLA football program. We have had the LA Times making a big deal out of a frustrated true freshman's twitter post. We have had Trojan alum posing as OC Register reporter running wild with unverified face book musings of a frustrated parent's as some kind of legitmate news story. Piling on top of those nonsense Rick Neuheisel and our football program have had to deal with routine classless attacks from LAT's TJ Slimers on a weekly basis.

If the UCLA football program were truly "falling apart", it would have quit a long time ago and got blown apart in Arizona or in Oregon, and walk around like zombies at the Rose Bowl during their home coming game yesterday. Yet game after game, we see these guys battling away. While the defensive tentativeness, silly penalties often make me want to throw my remote into the TV screen, these guys keep fighting back every game. They almost pulled it out last weekend when ATV had a chance to put the Bruins ahead in a heart pumping win. They got it done yesterday when Sheldon Price, who has been deservedly criticized all season long, played a huge part in the game clinching interception. Price and Moore's efforts yesterday were the hallmark of a football team, that not only appear resilient, but united under Neuheisel's leadership in Westwood:

"It's called teamwork, man, and teamwork makes the dream work," Moore said. "That two-minute drill, we do that in practice all the time. That's the camaraderie we have with one another. I mean, Sheldon ran up to me and was like, `I love you, man. I love you, Rahim.' As a team, we've been through so much, to pull out this win is a blessing."

CRN offered up the following comment on UCLA's comeback after falling behind by a score of 14-23 without our starting QB:

"To keep coming back, to keep fighting like that, is easy to preach, it's harder to get done."

And than brings me to CRN's comments on Kevin Craft:

"He's been maligned," Coach Rick Neuheisel said of Craft in a television interview afterward, "but he keeps coming back, and that's what sports is all about."

Let's get something straight first. UCLA is now Kevin Prince's team (when he is healthy). Prince showed in the first half yesterday why Ryan and others were so hyped up about him coming into this season. Moreover, Brehaut's performance during that firs half series (more on that below) also vindicated Norm Chow and other observers who were steadfast in their conviction that Brehaut isn't ready to step up this season.

As fro Craft he had a solid day as a backup. He managed the game really well and allowed Chow to stick with his regular offense. However, at the same time there were spots when Craft showed why Prince is the starting QB for this football team. He missed an open Moya on 3rd and goal. His pass to Austin was slightly under thrown. Still it felt really good to see him get the win. Just like Sheldon Prince Kevin Craft is the picture of resiliency of this football program and proof how the players in this team have bought into CRN's leadership, despite some of nonsense the local reporters have tried to blow up out of proportion this season. More after the jump.

Going back to Brehaut it CRN is making sure the kid keeps his chin up:

"I got to hold onto the ball," said Brehaut, who also fumbled in his last play against Oregon State in the previous game. "I got to have a better thought in my mind. I have to take off running, I just can't hold onto the ball like that. Coach Neuheisel told me to keep my chin up, that he is still behind me."

Neuheisel, while not blaming Brehaut entirely, said, "Competition at this level requires a great deal of concentration and a great deal of preparation. . . . I told him I still had high hopes for him, and was still going to get him more playing time, but this is harder than he thinks it is right now in terms of preparing."

Brehaut will have his time before he is done in Westwood. I think the key for him right now is to take his cues from Craft and stay plugged in with the offense every which way he can. This means total concentration not just during practices but during every film sessions and meeting with Chow and Neuheisel when they are going over the offense.

As for other positives from yesterday let's start with the offense. Ryan laid out below how Nelson Rosario has emerged as a go to receiver in our rotation. Let's hope takes advantage of his confidence to maintain his concentration and focus. His emergence is also important for another reason. CRN can also offer him up as the clear example of what happens when a young player locks in with focus to kids such as Pressley and Carroll.

We now need a RB to step up. JetSki has fumbling issues. I wonder if some of this has to do with health. He hasn't been the same since he screwed up his ankle against Cal few weeks ago. Perhaps he is thinking too much when he is out there. He still does a solid job in terms of blitz pickup but he has to protect the ball. Obviously loved watching the Wildcat package with Milton Knox. Hopefully he gets into the mix even more in the remaining games. He looks a little unsure as a RB during regular formation but perhaps that will change if he gets more carries. Oh and welcome back Mr. Coleman.

I am not going to spend more time giving credit to the OL. They are clearly coming along and point to obvious sign of improvement from this past season. Anyone out there who wants to blather about this team not improving from last season, just has to look at our OL and the kind of time it is providing our QBs. They need to get better at run blocking but I am not too worried about it. Under Palcic's coaching it is going to happen over time.

My big complaint from the offense is unfortunately the seniors. We need Logan Paulsen to wisen up. He had a huge play yesterday but once again he committed stupid penalties that hurt the team. Seems like he has hurt the team with one dumb penalty for 3 straight weeks. It just shouldn't happen from someone who is looked up as one of the senior leaders in this team.

Moving over to the defense. While Price and Moore were the obvious stars from the defensive side, lot of issues remain. Washington's offense racked up 5.95 yards per play against Bullough's defense. While Bullough did mix in some blitzes later in the game (which yielded results) they looked throughly confused and on their heels at the outset. Chis Polk ran for 132 yards in 15 carries against our front 7 tearing them up every time he was touching the ball. Polk almost made it look too easy and I have to wonder why Sarkasian (the so called young offensive genius) didn't stick with the running game to bloody up our defense.

The huge problem right now with our base 4-3 is that our front-4 is not generating much pressure on their own. Brian Price is a monster but he is not getting much help from the other three guys. So it's a matter of deciding when to bring in our LBs or SS to rattle the opposing QB. That depends on Bullough thoroughly scouting the offensive schemes and the tendencies of the opposing QBs. Once again I was surprised why we waited long to bring pressure on Locker who clearly looked uncomfortable when he got a little heat. In fact one of his "sacks" was pretty much Jim Evertesque when he went down sensing Datone Jones around him.

As for ATV he got burned couple of times yesterday. I think that has to do with his health. He has been dealing with a dislocated toe he suffered few weeks ago. While he is all right, he is clearly not 100 percent. Same goes for Reggie Carter who even though played a decent game yesterday doesn't look 100 percent either. So, I think it goes back to Chuck Bullough making sure his defense doesn't look predictable when they come out of the game.

That brings me up to the topic of James Washington, the commentator. I am kind of sick and tired of the cheap shots that I often see hurled towards James here on BN and other places. People need to cut that nonsense out. I understand that James's voice, words choice are often not perfect for TV. I think he knows that too. Well many would say that about the Big Red during his early years of broadcasting career.

I can sense in listening to James that he is making an effort to get better. If you listen to him very closely, he offers some incredibly valuable insights based on his observations from practice. Particularly he is frank and candid. Multiple times yesterday he called out Chuck Bullough for not scheming aggressively and not bringing pressure to rattle Jake Locker. That doesn't happen from vanilla, boiler plate commentators who are afraid to offer up criticisms of coaches because of fear of losing access.

Listening to him, I get to hear an impassioned Bruin who loves everything about blue and gold, and who is offering his exact words he would offer up to young defensive back in blue and gold. James is doing all right and in many ways I find him as enjoyable as listening as Petros Papadakis when commenting on Pac-10 football games. So let's cut the cheap shots out against James Washington and reserve them for morons like David Norrie who is somehow ashamed to let out his UCLA colors while offering up commentary.

Anyway, back to our game. The season is clearly alive. However, right now on BN we need to make this week all about Washington State. We can't afford to get caught up in bowl projections because all of that will be moot if we don't get it done in Palouse which has always been a brutal place for our Bruins. I hope our fanbase and our team will be locked into next weekend's game like it's an NCAA tourney game. We need it badly. We will have to wait to see the word on Kevin Prince. The word from yesterday was that he was being treated for concussion like syndrome. Prince was feeling all right and was gracious towards Donald Butler:

Prince, who sat out four weeks this season because of a fractured jaw, said, "I remember diving and then I was on the ground and not feeling too good. I'm feeling all right now. As far as I know, it was a perfectly legal hit."

Hopefully he will be ready to go at practices and pick up on the same rhythm and total command he was in of our offense. It looked like things have slowed down for him a little as he was going to his secondary receivers.

Lastly, speaking of gracious, CRN had this to say after the game:

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel stepped to the microphone as he does after every home game, and for the first time in weeks, he was welcomed with cheers.

His voice cracked, his hair messed, Neuheisel made a plea to all those who have jumped ship as one loss became five.

"For those of you who jumped off the bandwagon, I understand," Neuheisel yelled to UCLA's embattled fans. "I'm just asking you to get back on."

I think he is being too kind. I don't really want bandwagoning losers supporting our team, especially those who are openly talking about "throwing ... away" that last regular season game. We don't need those kind of "Bruins" here on BN.

If we can get Prince to come out in the same form and take care of business, we are going to find ourselves in pretty good shape on the eve of our last home game of the season. For now though, we just need to worry about Washington State and hope the team keeps building on the resilient spirit they have shown the entire season. Meanwhile, let's enjoy the ride.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA vs. Washington Report Card

2009-11-08T06:14:43Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

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

Browse more photos »

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

Quarterback

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

Running Back/Fullback

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

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

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

Offensive Line

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

Defensive Line

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

Linebackers

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

Defensive Backs

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

Special Teams

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

Coaching

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

Keep (Bowl) Hope Alive: Resilient UCLA Beats Washington In A Heart Pounding Win

2009-11-08T00:03:17Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

The next JJ? Another spectacular day for Nelson Rosario, who led UCLA with 7 catches for 111 yards in a huge win over Washington

Browse more photos »

Well it's over. The head scratching, heart breaking, suffocating, and frustrating losing streak is over. Bruins, thanks to a heart stopping interception from Rahim Moore (aided in part by Sheldon Price's great effort) pulled out a huge win over Washington Huskies, and kept their post-season hopes alive.

Bruins win by a score of 24-23. Here is the box score. Lot of things didn't go our way today. We turned the ball over 5 times. We lost our starting QB (who was on fire until he went out) to an injury in the first half. Our bend don't break defense looked as if it was going to break our hearts again. However, our boys just kept fighting and clawing throughout the whole game and got us a huge win.

Rahim Moore clinched the game. Terrence Austin had the spectacular TD catch which gave us life in the second half. Okay it is debatable whether it was a catch but prior to that play we got screwed in Franklin's fumble call, which led to a Husky TD. So they can't really complain. However, the game ball today IMHO goes to the Bruin OL, that did a spectacular job of providing both of our QBs time, who picked apart the Husky defense for 370 passing yards.

Of course we still have lot of issues with our team. While Terrence Austin had some great catches he cost us with a fumble. We also suffered from some really dumb penalties, which included costly mistakes from seniors such as Logal Paulsen. Still what I really like is how our boys haven't quit. They keep fighting and fighting. They are resilience and that speaks volumes in terms how they feel about CRN's leadership at UCLA.

Let's hope Kevin Prince is all right. He was being treated for concussion like syndrome after that hit. He looked ok in the sidelines and seemed completely plugged into the game. Let's hope he can come back. Meanwhile, despite couple of tough throws and bad snap, I though Craft did a great job of managing the game. Other notable mentions from today are Nelson Rosario, Derick Coleman, Milton Knox, Brian Price and Akeem Ayers. Rosario has now emerged as the go to guy among our receiving corps. Coleman was just solid and Knox showed how he can be a special player. On the defensive side Price and Ayers did their part in making Locker uncomfortable.

We will have lot more reflecting on this game. Hopefully we can build on the resiliencey we showed today (and actually through the whole season) and get a different kind of streak going for rest of this season. Oh, a quick note to the coaching staff. Those jerseys and gold heldmets are pretty freaking sweet. Can we stick with them for rest of the season?

Fire away with your post game thoughts (and use the fanposts if you want to throw up extensive reflections and analysis). Let's get the homecoming party started.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Washington Second Half Thread

2009-11-07T22:14:51Z

Bruins are down by a score of 14-16.

Let's get the bad news out of the way. Bruin defense once again looked atrocious to start the game. Chuck Bullough stayed with his horrid base 4-3 scheme which had our guys back peddling most of the half. Except for some blitzes here and there (that actually had some results) the defensed looked unsure, tentative, and somewhat confused like it has in recent weeks.

Also, our seniors have cost us in the first half with turnovers and stupid mistakes (Austin and Paulsen). We all have to hold our breath night to find out what is the latest with Kevin Prince who went down after taking a vicious headshot in a good liking drive. Hopefully Prince is all right and come back to start the second.

That brings us to good news. Before he went down Prince (except for one bad throw) looked absolutely fantastic. He was in total command of our offense spraying passes all over the field. He complete 13 of 17 passes for 212 yards and a sweet TD on 4th and goal. Also, Rosario looks solid with 4 catches and 60 yards. Milton Knox was in for couple of plays in which he looked pretty solid. That included a great run from Wildcat formation. Full box score here.

We can win this game. Washington is up by 2 points but they got 6 of them due to our dumb mistakes. Our seniors and the entire team needs to get it together in the second to end the streak right here. Let's get this done.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Washington Game Thread

2009-11-07T20:00:37Z

Not much else to say at this point. We need Jet Ski and co. to cross the goal line when they get in the red zone today. So here is to repeat of the scene again and again at the Rose Bowl.

The game will kick off in about half an hour.FS Prime Ticket will air the game in the Los Angeles area with Bill Macdonald and James Washington in the booth and Brooke Olzendam and Courtney Jones on the sidelines. The game will also air on Fox College Sports - Central and other regions. For some reason, here in the DC area and other places around the country, we will have to wait till the Colorado-Texas A&M game to be over until we get live feed into our game (around 5 pm EST). So if anyone has link for live online stream please put it up in the game thread.

As always if you need to cram in some last minute game notes, check out our game coverage. You can keep track of the game online via the official site and also the WWL game page. Here is starting November 1-0.

Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Washington Pre-Game Thread

2009-11-07T18:35:28Z

We have about two hours to go till the kickoff of our home coming game. I can't wait to see our guys come out in those old school jersey from the Beban era. For those of you who are headed down to the Rose Bowl (or are already there tailgating away) make sure to take enough pictures to share with rest of us here on BN.

Meanwhile, there are some pretty decent games to keep track of until we get to our game thread. Top-5 Iowa is struggling against Northwestern early on. Although that's been a habit for Iowa this entire season. We will see if they finally get burned today for playing with fire especially since comeback specialist Ricky Stanzi left the game with an injury in the first half. Texas is sleep walking bit against Central Florida. Full scoreboard here.

Again if you want to play in our guessing game, don't forget to get your entries in here. It will close when we post our own game thread. Have fun.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday Roundup: "Dying To Win"

2009-11-07T18:11:18Z

Let's start with CRN's perspective to set up this game day:

"Our guys are dying to win," Neuheisel said. "A week or so ago I talked about you can't get in that comfort zone or that protective cocoon of, `I'm not going to let this pain get to me. It's OK. I'm just going to keep doing my best.' We have to let it go and believe that everything is going to go exactly as we hoped. But you have to risk it before you can achieve it. You can't just go in there, and (think), `It'll be OK if it doesn't go well."'

But even in the midst of such a skid, Neuheisel still sees signs. Then again, the ever-optimistic Neuheisel could find a single ray of sunshine on a rainy day.

"There's nothing magic about the plan," he said. "The magic is in the belief. Therein lies why patience is such a virtue. You just have to believe we're going in the right direction. I think there are signs.

"The quarterback had his best week of practice. Guys are getting healthier. Reggie Carter is healthier than he's been. Hopefully, it will lead to a great win on Saturday."

Sure hope the guys are hanging on to his words to get their motivation. It was clear they are sticking with him and rallying behind him given how they hung in there and unleashed that rally last weekend in Corvallis. Despite the relentless effort by the Southern California's traditional media to thread the narrative of a team losing faith in their head coach by jumping on tweeter, (alleged) facebook postings of players, players' parents, our football team has been fighting it out in every game.

The match up with Washington is going to be very interesting today because I feel good about our chances. While Washington has obviously the superstar athlete in Jake Locker, I believe our team has better over all talent. John B from UW Dawg Pound thinks the key matchup is going to between UDub's rushing game and our defense. From his UCLA preview:

Washington running game versus the UCLA defense

This is where the game is going to be won on Saturday. UCLA is giving up over 157 yards per game this season and the Huskies goal going into this game is to pick up around 200 yards. That might be easier said than done because UW averages a shade under 120 yards per game on the ground and Sarkisan probably doesn't want to put too much of a load on Jake Locker who is recovering from a quad bruise. The staff is however treating this as the the must win that it truly is. If Locker can run they are going to unleash him if that what it takes to win this game. We all know what tye of running back Chris polk is. He gets the tough yards inside but is very capable of breaking some big one's. He needs to do that this week and have a career day.

Success rushing the football and winning go hand-in-hand for the Huskies. Since 1990, UW has rushed for 200 yards in a game 72 times. The Huskies’ record stands at 59-12-1 (.826) in those contests. Since the1995 season, Washington is 34-9-1 (.784) when rushing for 200 yards.

Guess will have to keep a close eye on that stat. In terms of Huskies rushing attack not only our defense will have to worry about their freshman RB Chris Polk, who is a physical running averaging more than 80 yards per game, our guys will have to also worry about Locker's ability to gain yards by ground assault. I think he is potentially more effective runner than Tim Tebow as a QB. He is one of those guys who can probably gain more than 1,000 yards a season if his coaches really let him loose. Given how our secondary has had a tough time providing run support in last few games, I am a little weary about how our defense performs today. Hopefully, as we have said all week Bullough will finally decide to get aggressive from the outset to help the set the tone today. More after the jump.

While John B thinks the game might be won or lost depending on how the Bruin D stacks up against the Huskies' rushing attack, Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times (who seems to be the best beat reporter in terms of providing substantive information in the Pac-10) thinks the key matchup is going to be on the other side between the Husky secondary and UCLA receivers:

[W]hat I've said may be the biggest matchup of the game seems to favor UCLA --- the Bruins' tall WRs against UW's secondary, which will again likely start two true freshmen.

If the Huskies really go with the line featuring Daniel Te'o-Nesheim inside and true frosh Talia Crichton and Andru Pulu at end, that's four true freshmen starting on defense in a place where UW hasn't won in 14 years.

Just seems like a lot of ominous factors to overcome. So, as much as I'd love to spend some of the pre-Christmas holidays gambling in Vegas with Todd Milles -- I think this game may be the one that makes or breaks UW bowl hopes and no offense to anywhere else, but I'd love to test anew if what happens in Vegas really stays in Vegas --- just not sure I see it.

I think it'll be close, but ultimately, I see the Bruins winning --- as they always seem to do here against the Huskies --- 24-21.

Hey, we have no problem with that. LAT has more on today's game in their generic writeups here and here.

We will have the game thread up about half an hour before kickoff (12:30 PST). Don't forget to get your guesses in by then.

GO BRUINS.