Bruins Nation

Plus 2: Bruin Defense Throttles ASU To Deliver UCLA's 6th Win In Neuheisel's 2nd Season in Westwood

2009-11-22T00:52:45Z

Akeem - the Missile - Ayers celebrates his TD. He had another spectacular weekend in UCLA blue.

Flashback to October 25 of this season when following a deflating loss against Arizona, we put up the following laying out how Rick Neuheisel had to deliver 6 wins this season:

All I can say at this point, I am going to wait and see whether the coaches can deliver 6 wins. I still think we have a shot of getting to 6 wins by taking care of business against Washington and Arizona State at home, and then executing our game play against (what I think will be an inspired Cougar bunch) Washington State in Pullman. If Rick Neuheisel wants to make a tangible case that UCLA football is headed towards right direction under his leadership, he needs to get us those three wins in 2009 and then build on it with at least 7 wins (and a victory over Southern Cal) in 2010. He has to get it done.

Well heading into that special game of the regular season (no reason to calling that game against the Trojies big, we will just call it special), it looks like Rick Neuheisel has gotten it done. His team delivered that 6th win (becoming bowl eligble), by slugging out Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 23-13. Here is the box score. Well here is our official thank you coach for getting that done.

In his second season in Westwood, Neuheisel has now established tangible signs of improvement by winning 2 more games, and showing progress in number of different aspects of the team (not including his fantastic recruit effort to date). In other words Neuehisel now has "plus 2 factor" to pitch to more recruits and fire up the alumni/student base in Bruin Naiton. Not only that. During the three game win streak this November, Rick Neuheisel's program proved to rest of the world, despite the constant negativity and hit jobs from the traditional media, his players and coaches never gave up on each other.

Bruins kept fighting, scratching and clawing away, showing the relentless optimism and tenacity of their head coach in the face of skepticism from most of outside world not bleeding Bruin blue and gold. That is something everyone in this community and the greater Bruin family should be proud of towards the waning weeks of Neheisel's second season in Westwood. More on the game and thoughts on "Beat $C*" game week after the jump.

So the Bruins get it done on senior day riding the efforts of ATV, Akeem Ayers, Chane Moline, Reggie Carter and Brian Price. 17 of our 23 points came courtesy of explosive efforts of our inspired defense. Here is our box score. As mentioned in the second half thread, it was ATV setting the tone with his pick 6 and fumble recovery. Then it was Akeem Ayers and Brian Price teaming up to blow up the Sun Devil offense. Price and Ayers were nothing short of spectacular. What Price did was even more special made by the fact that it was probably his last game at the Rose Bowl.

On the offensive side, Bruins were able to move the ball against Arizona State's vaunted defense. However, just when it looked like they were getting in rhythm they kept coming just a little short because of self inflicted mistakes and penalties (as a team today we were penalized a whooping 11 times for 100 yards). Still we got a decent effort from Kevin Prince who did manage the game well, by picking up some tough and gutty yards on the ground. And it was Chane - the Train - Moline, who helped us eat the clocking by grinding out 84 yards in 25 carries. Not bad for his last game in the Rose Bowl.

Bruins now of course get ready for Petey's bunch who has had a week to lick their wounds after getting embarrassed and humiliated by the Trees a the Mosoleum. There is no doubt Chetey is going to have his boys fired up as he knows that if he somehow chokes against UCLA as the underdogs, his illegal (allegedly) empire officially crumble in the City of Angels.

This week is going to be fun getting ready to play the most scandalous and (allegedly) corrupt program in college athletics (and an underachieving bunch in recent seasons). There is no doubt the Bruins will have a great week practice building on the positive vibes from today and a 3-0 record in November. We still have a lot to work on. We have to clean up our mistakes on offense. We still can be more polished with our special teams and we will continue to come up with ways of being creative on defense (as we have seen some hints of it in last couple of weeks).

Of course will we have lot more on this in game as we get ready for an amazing game week. It is going to be fun. It is going to be emotional and it is going to blow up this place with anticipation. With that let's get the post game senior day victory party started. If you have quick thoughts, takes fire them up here. If you have detailed observations and reflections you want to share, please put them in fanposts. I will leave with this quick thought... BEAT $C*.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Arizona State Second Half Thread

2009-11-21T22:46:28Z

Bruins are up by a score of 20-7 (boxscore) thanks to a reversal of last year's game against ASU. Last year it was ASU's defense scoring 4 TDs to win the game. So far in the first half today it's the Bruin defense (despite having some rough moments against the run) that has come up big in the first half by scoring 2 huge defensive TDs giving us the lead.

ATV is having a memorable senior day so far with a pick 6 setting the tone for the game and then recovering a fumble. Akeem Ayers is on fire wreaking havoc from the edge and then scoring an incredible TD in a fumble recovery. Still think our defense needs to sharpen up more especially against the rushing attack.

As for on offense we have had some good moments. We put together a nice drive, however it ended with a FG. Kevin Prince has been in rhythm at times and given how he is scrambling for tough yards, it looks like he is slowly emerging as the heart and soul of this offense. Still we need to really cut down on penalties (killed at least couple of our drives) in the second half. There is still a long way to go in this game.

Let's hope we can play with the same fire and emotion but play smarter on both sides of the field in second half. Time for the second half thread.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Arizona State Game Thread

2009-11-21T20:45:08Z

Well here we go. Our entire offensive line and Kevin Prince have done pretty good since that fourth quarter in Corvallis. This afternoon we are going to find out whether they (along with rest of our program) are ready to take another step forward. The game will kick off in about 15 mins on FSN. We are hoping we will hear a Rose Bowl that is loud and emotional ready to send off ATV, Carter and rest of the seniors on a great note.

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.

Let's get the party started. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday: Arizona State Pre-game Thread

2009-11-21T19:24:30Z

Here is to Logan Paulsen rumbling into the end zone.

We have less than two hours till our kickoff. The game is a nationally televised one on FSN (Prime Ticket in Los Angeles). We are going to have suffer through with Barry Tompkins and Michael Eaves. Have to say though I am actually interested iin hearing from Petro who will be doing color for this game. I generally like his commentary even though he has his Trojan moments.

As for games around the country obviously the topline game this afternoon is taking place right now in the Big House. The Wolverines are battling against the Buckeyes and showing a little bit of fight (down 10-21). Also, interesting score out of Miami where the Hurricanes are down 13-16 to the Duke Bluedevils. Yes, the Blue Devils can become "bowl eligible" with a victory in this game. Full scoreboard over here.

So if you are watching other games this am, share your quick takes, observations or pre game nervous musings, here is our open thread. As always don't forget to get your guesses in. We will close that thread when our game thread goes up (around 12:45 pm PST).

GO BRUINS.

BN Gameday Roundup: Hoping For A Special Senior Day At The Rose Bowl

2009-11-21T18:29:54Z

Well we are just hours away from finding out some answers on how our Bruins are going to respond to the biggest game of this regular season. There is nothing new to add at this point in terms of what this game means to all of us and how it can set up the long term future of our football program under Rick Neuheisel. From the comments we have read from our coaches and players this week, it seems pretty clear that they get what a big deal this game is and how they are going to need to play inspired football against a desperate opponent which also will give everything it has to keep its bowl hopes alive.

Plus there is the big emotional factor of this being our senior day. This is the last time we are going to see kids like ATV, Reggie Carter, Terrence Austin and Logan Paulsen in our home blue at the Rose Bowl. ATV and Carter of course had special careers at UCLA. However, going into today I have the same feeling towards this bunch I did towards kids like DT, CB, and RH who were able to end their careers in Howlandwood on a great note depsite starting it with a toxic one under a sleazbag posing as a head basketball coach. Here is to those kids having a great afternoon and a send off at the Rose Bowl. I would also add Brian Price into that mix because right now from what we have heard it looks like he will be in the NFL next season. So, I would be making sure to yell a little louder in appreciation when the big guy will hopefully make his presence felt in the Rose Bowl.

If the Bruins are going to get that much talked about 6th win today they will have to get it done against probably the best defense in the conference:

"I think this is a really, really talented defense that plays really well together," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said earlier this week. "I have watched the USC game and (saw) just how they fly to the ball, how they have all the fits exactly right.

"Their corners are very aggressive. It's a good group we're playing so we're going to have to play a great game on offense and see if we can't play our last home game for our seniors and play it really well."

Kevin Prince is well aware about how everyone will need to chip in and carry out their respective assignments to move the ball against Sun Devils this afternoon:

"Everybody has got to be willing to do their job when we play," he said. "If you watch game film, and this is the same for any team I've ever been on, you always see one guy who is not doing their job right. It's that one guy that makes the difference. If you can get all 11 guys on the same page doing their jobs, that's when everything starts falling together."

Things started to click for the Bruins in the second half of their game at Oregon State on Oct. 31. The progression, which continued through victories over Washington and Washington State, has been steady, but not swift.

Prince missed two games early in the season because of a broken jaw. He's been trying to make up for the time that he missed and seems to be close to where he should be.

"He's growing by leaps and bounds," Neuheisel said. "I think you can see that it takes awhile to gain the amount of time and snaps to know how the game is played and to be looking down the field rather than at what's coming at you."

Well let's hope KP with the help of all his team-mates can stay in the same rhythm we have seen from him during last 9 quarters as he has thrown for 49 of 60 passes for 724 yards and four touchdowns since that fourth quarter comeback. More quick game day notes and links after the jump.

Going into today's game Bruins also are well aware of what took place against the Sun Devils last season:

The Bruins outgained the Sun Devils 306-122.

They had 18 first downs to Arizona State's 10, outgained the Sun Devils 89-21 on the ground and had more than 110 more passing yards. UCLA's offense even outscored Arizona State's offense, 9-3.

But, oh, that one simple fact.

Arizona State scored four defensive touchdowns, including three off interceptions, in a 34-9 win that knocked the Bruins from bowl contention.

There is no forgetting that loss, especially the cold, hard facts.

"It's fresh in my mind," said senior wide receiver Terrence Austin, who had 188 all-purpose yards in the loss last season. "We've definitely talked about it. We know we pretty much prevented ourselves from winning the game last year, had some turnovers that really broke up the opportunity to win. We realize what we did last year, and now we're trying to capitalize on their mistakes this time."

Well let's hope today it's the Bruin defense who can come out and create similar opportunities for our offense. For more on today's game here is the write up from AP and the LAT. The LAT of course couldn't but leap with this cheap shot:

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel calls it a "barrier." Former UCLA coach Karl Dorrell would call it just another season.

Whatever Foster, who is probably bitter about getting exposed for being a shoddy reporter. Anyway, the kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm PST. We will probably also do a pre game thread starting in about an hour or sooner to take in other actions from today. Enjoy the Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

No conference in Atlanta will keep me from keeping the mojo going. Here is Jonathan two weeks ago....

2009-11-21T15:28:36Z

No conference in Atlanta will keep me from keeping the mojo going. Here is Jonathan two weeks ago. Why mess with a good thing.

I will have to come up with something great for next week, but the focus is on today, not next week.

So in the immortal words of Russell Westbrook, "LET'S GO! LET'S GO!"

Signs Of Improvement? Howland's Bruins Power Past Bakersfield For First Victory Of 2009-10

2009-11-21T05:56:27Z

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

Perhaps the play of the night: DG's emphatic rejection of Stephon Carter's dunk attempt from the first half against Bakersfield

Browse more photos »

Let's start this by offering the thoughts and prayers of the Bruin Nation for former UCLA head coach Jim Harrick. Mrs. Sally Harrick (who I will always remember smiling away in Seattle) passed away today (per Billy Mac during the second half of tonight's broadcast). Again all of our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Harrick and his family tonight.

Now to the game. Bruins start the weekend on a great note by posting a classic Ben Ball like 75-64 win over Cal State Bakersfield. Bruins were up by as much as 17 late in the second half after having to make a furious (identity developing?) rally late in the first half to tie up the score at 35. Here is the box score. DG was the most valuable player of tonight's game (which I gather at least by the score was a definite improvement from Monday night) scoring 19 points (shooting 8 for 10), hauling in 6 rebounds and 3 blocks (which included a sick swipe of a dunk attempt). DG did have one of his classic "DG like moment" when he tried to hot dog a little too much by trying a behind back nonsense during a fast break.

There were few encouraging signs from tonight's game. Our ball movement looked servicebale after the apparent disaster against Cal State Fullerton. Especially starting towards the end of the first half we started moving the ball around, attacking the bucket, pounding it inside to go for easier shots. It almost looked like we developed somewhat of an indentity successfully taking advantage of the height and athlectism in our frontcourt. After taking 84 shots in our last game, tonight we made 32 out of 54 shots which included layups and dunks inside. More quick fire observations after the jump.

While DG was the MVP of tonight's game, RN I think stole the hearts and minds of Bruin Nation. The kid is showing all the signs of protype Ben Ball warrior. I know everyone wants to throw around the Jon Brockman comparison (and I keep thinking of Mark Madsen). But the way he is playing, he is showing the same motor and relentlessness we saw during the freshman season of a certain Prince from Cameroon.

Also, on the frontcourt I though JK had a solid game filling up the box score with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He can get better but I thought he played the role of calming senior when team fell down early and helped bring a flow to our offense. In addition to JK, BL got his first significant mins as a freshman and also made meaninful contributions by playing solid mins on defense and not looking tentetive on the offensive side.

Now, let's not get carried away. Despite the improvement, Bruins still have issues. Our sophomores in the back court had another less than average night. JA scored 10 points but turned the ball over 4 times (looking very shaky) and record just 1 assist. ML wasn't all that hot either scoring 10 points, connecting in 3 of his 7 attempts. ML and JA went 4 from 9 at the FT line which is not going to get it done. These guys really need to work on their shooting and JA needs to develop more confidence in his ability to run the offense.

Speaking of issues, I am sure many have heard by now that ND was suspended for tonight's game after an arrest. From AP wire:

A statement distributed by a team spokesman just before tip-off said Dragovic was arrested earlier in the day and charged with felony assault by the Los Angeles district attorney's office.

The school said the 21-year-old senior from Belgrade, Serbia, was involved in an incident last month at a concert in Hollywood. Dragovic filed a report with campus police the following week.

After an investigation, the district attorney's office filed the felony charge against Dragovic, who found out about it Friday and turned himself into university and Los Angeles police. Dragovic was booked and released from the Hollywood station on $30,000 bail late Friday, Los Angeles police officer Julie Boyer said.

Coach Ben Howland said in the statement that Dragovic told him about the incident when it happened, but no one knew charges would be filed.

The school said Dragovic's status for future games will be decided as more information becomes available.

Let's hope ND gets his legal issues all worked out first. However, I wonder whether he is really focused on school and on Ben Ball in Westwood. Because if he is not it might better from him to take some time off and get his life back together. If he is not ready to go all in with Coach Howland's program, it was pretty clear tonight that there are many others who are chomping at the bit to step up. I am sure Coach Howland and his staff will do what necessary to help Dragovic navigate through the legal issues and make sure he is accountable depending on what the facts are. In the meantime, given what we saw today I hope Howland keeps going with the guys who are showing an all out commitment to Ben Ball.

Now we know that we can't get carried away by one win considering we were tied at 35-35 with freaking Cal State Bakersfield. That is not something to get giddy about. However, the goal at this point of the season is improving from game to game. From what we saw towards the later part of first half and the entire second half, it looks like the Ben Ball warriors have something positive to build on for the next game. That is encouraging. Let's hope they can keep it going in their next game against Pepperdine in three days (Nov. 23).

With that I will leave up to you to fire up quick takes, impressions in our post game thread. If you have extensive analysis to offer put them up in fanposts. On to football.

GO BRUINS.

Center Court: Ben Ball (Cal State Bakersfield) Open Thread

2009-11-21T03:00:13Z

Photo Credit: E. Corpuz

View full size photo »

Time to kick start the Senior Day weekend in Westwood with the Ben Ball warriors on Friday night. Cal Stake Bakersfield Road Runniers are visiting Pauley Pavillon tonight for UCLA's second game of the regular season.

We don't really need to rehash the nightmare from Monday night. At this point we are hoping that we will see a basketball team that will show some improvements on how it plays on Ben Ball defense and most importantly be patient and selective by taking good shots within the flow of our offense. A little improvement from FT line would be nice too. You can check out more of our pre-game notes here.

Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 pm PST. It will broadcast live on FS West. You can also follow the game via official game tracker over here. For those who are following the game along this open thread, as always please free to share updates and scores so that other BNers across the nation who might not be fortunate enough to get live broadcast can follow along the fun. Well I guess it has been more agonzing than fun in recent weeks. Let's hope that changes a little tonight.

So let's get this party started. Fire away.

GO BRUINS.

Pregame Guesses: Arizona State

2009-11-20T20:00:25Z

We're 5-5.

But we don't feel 5-5, do we?

I can't speak for any of you, the five game losing streak really took a lot out of me.

What I mean is, if you had told me before the season that UCLA would be 5-5 going into the Arizona State game and riding a two game winning streak at that, I would have taken it. I guess I would have figured on at least one non-conference loss, probably Tennessee because it was a road game for us and revenge game for the Volunteers. And I also would have figured at least one win out of Cal, Oregon and Stanford. But it didn't play out that way.

Instead, we took care of business against a relatively weak non-conference schedule, then rolled off the table during an October from Hell in which we lost five straight games.

As a result of that what-could-go-wrong-went-wrong stretch, I'm not so trusting of the current two game winning streak. Like the child of an alcoholic mom whose been trying to stay sober, I keep waiting for the other cleat to drop, to come home from school looking for milk and cookies only to find mommy passed out on the coach clutching an empty bottle of Beefeaters, while dinner burns on the stove.

But I suppose there's another way to look at this up and down season -- one that doesn't involve gin or a grease fire.

It's really just perfectly possible that we've beaten the teams we're better than and we've lost to the teams that are better than us. Think about it:

On a neutral field, wouldn't we still beat San Diego State, Kansas State, Tennessee, Washington and Washington State? And on that same neutral field, wouldn't we at least be underdogs against Cal, Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State and Arizona? I'm not an oddsmaker, but that looks about right. From that point of view, maybe we can describe the season up to this point simply by saying that we've beaten the teams we should have beaten, but failed to upset any of the teams that are having a better year than we're having.

Stay with me on this.

If that's true, then the question I have at this point is "Why didn't we upset any of the teams on the schedule who are just better than we are at this point in the Neuheisel era?"

My answer goes back to the end of the Tennessee game. We've debated Rick Neuheisel's decision to roll Kevin Prince out and go for a first down that would have allowed us to run out the clock. Part of me wants to admire that call, because it sends the message that we're playing to win, that we're not just playing "not to lose." You'd like to call it a gutsy gamble -- and I'm someone who actually admires Bill Belichick for trying to pick up a sort of similar first down for the New England Patriots against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

But if I had a time machine and could change one play this season, I think that would be it. If that's not it, it would be Alterraun Verner's just-missed pick six against Oregon State -- actually that's probably the play I'd alter, so let's change the premise to "if I could change one offensive play this season" and go from there.

Not only did that play not entirely make sense strategically (the smart money was to take a knee on third down, let the clock run down, then take the safety on fourth down before turning the ball over and letting the red hot defense slam the door shut), it cost us Prince at a key point in the season.

That's the point I was driving at, in an admittedly roundabout way. The reason we never elevated our game past the team's that we've lost to, the reason we scored no upsets in my opinion is that we lost the quarterback we went all in on at a turning point in the schedule and we're only just now seeing him approach his potential. I'm stating here that had Prince played the whole season without getting hurt, the guy we've been watching check down to his fourth option, the guy whose been not just a quarterback but a leader the past two weeks would have emerged much sooner and we would have beaten a couple of those teams we played in October.

But I don't have a time machine and we can't unbreak Prince's jaw. Instead, we face Arizona State in the last home game of the year with a quarterback whose just now peaking. And that's a good thing.

Look, it's an unwritten rule around here that we don't look past the next game. And the next game is a tough game, no sure thing. But, if you indulge me one quick peak at the rest of the year, I'll just say this:

I remember Pete Carroll/Norm Chow's first season at USC. With that in mind and that as a model, It would not shock me if Rick Neuheisel spends January and February bragging about a five game winning streak that closed out the season with an 8-5 record.

Here are your Pregame Guesses for Arizona State:

Within ten, how many yards will Kevin Prince throw for?
In what will likely be his last game in the Rose Bowl, how many tackles will the great Brian Price record?
True or False, Alterraun Verner will intercept a pass in his final home game as a Bruin.

Bonus True or False question

True or False, the Bruins will be 6-5 and on a three game winning streak when the face the Trojans next week at the Coliseum?

Arizona State is counting on the sophomore quarterback also being electric when he makes his first...

2009-11-20T21:20:32Z

Arizona State is counting on the sophomore quarterback also being electric when he makes his first start Saturday against UCLA at the Rose Bowl, less than a one-hour drive from where he grew up.

Coach Dennis Erickson confirmed the expected after practice Thursday - that Szakacsy would be ASU's second first-time starting quarterback in as many weeks and third overall in a 4-6 season.

"It's one of those years where we've gone through some things," Erickson said. "At the end of spring, Samson was competing for that No. 1 (job), and he never really got a chance to do anything until his arm was healthy enough. It's more an opportunity with him at full strength compared to half strength."

Szakacsy to start for ASU vs. UCLA per AZCentral.com

Spaulding Roundup: UCLA On The Brink

2009-11-20T13:42:49Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Chane Moline, Trevor Theriot, and Jeff Baca (60) find themselves on the brink (of becoming bowl eligible and possibly something more)

Browse more photos »

About 32 hours to go till the biggest football game of the season. This has been one of those weeks when I was wishing for football game to be on Thursday night on ESPN. I was thinking when was the last time Bruins had this kind of opportunity to seize total control of momentum heading into that last regular game of the season. The game I keep thinking back to is the one against Washington Huskies in 19978?

Do you guys remember that Washington game from 978? IIRC Brock Huard was the QB for the Huskies at the time while number 18 was of course marshaling the offense on our side. Heading into that game everyone had that sense. Something special was going on with our program. Our offense was showing signs of clicking on all cylinders as Cade was in total control. Long's defense was flying around the field. I wasn't at the game but I remember when ABC's camera zoomed in with the aerial shot. There were about 80,000+ Bruins fans waving towls and going berserk making the Rose Bowl sound as loud as I have ever heard. That was the game when everything came together. Cade was flying around decking Husky LBers in his classic roll outs while Brian Willmer and co. were just demolishing Huard into the turf. Up until that game Bruins always found a way to choke whenever they had opportunities to seize momentum but they came through in a huge way, blowing out the Huskies by a score of 51-21.

Well there is no way I see the Bruins blowing out the Sun Devils. I think getting a W tomorrow is going to be a huge battle. However, I do think this year's Bruins have an opportunity to recapture some of that magic from 98 (while making a season ending run following 5 game losing streak ala 92). All season we haven't had a game in which both the offense and defense clicked together at the same time. I can't think of a better occassion than senior day at the Rose Bowl, so that kids like ATV, Carter, Austin, Bosworth brothers, and Paulsen finally getting rid of some of the pains from Dorrell years. Tomorrow's game is so huge. It will put us on the brink to make that charge we all have been hoping to see signs of. We are all thristy and desperate for it and I am praying our guys can come out and play with the ultimate urgency. Our guys - at least on paper - during this game week have sounded like having the right mindset heading into Saturday. More on that after the jump.

Brian Price and co. have been hearing a lot about the ASU defense (for good reasons). They sound anxious to playe their role in a possible defensive slugfest:

UCLA's game against Arizona State could be a defensive affair, and most are touting the Sun Devils in that department.

ASU has 24 takeaways, including 15 interceptions.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion," UCLA junior defensive tackle Brian Price said. "It's going to be a showdown, I guess. Their defense versus our defense. It matters. It's motivation, more fuel to the fire."

The ASU defense allows opponents to gain just over 300 yards and convert just 30.7 percent of their first downs, both of which lead the Pac-10. Neuheisel hopes UCLA would win a defensive battle.

"We'd love for it to be to our advantage," Neuheisel said. "I know this: In a defensive game, you can't turn the ball over. We have to do a great job not turning the ball over, knowing what we can and can't do and not let their pass rush be a huge factor in the deal. And see if we can find a way to get this win."

It looks like Price and co. will be facing either soph. Samson Szakacsy or senior Danny Sullivan tomorrow at the Rose Bowl:

Coach Dennis Erickson narrowed his choices (for starting quarterback) to two Wednesday, opting not to start true freshman Brock Osweiler for a second consecutive game.

Sullivan started the first nine games then sat out last week against Oregon with a right biceps injury.
"I don't think he's totally healthy," Erickson said. "That's part of the decision. He's throwing it OK, but not like he can. It's still bothering him."

If Szakacsy, who played in the second quarter and the entire second half last week, gets his first start then Erickson would prefer that Sullivan back him up because of his experience.

Osweiler left the Oregon game because of a left-shoulder injury but is healthy enough to play, Erickson said.

All signs point to Szakacsy getting the start particularly because his right elbow tendinitis is not flaring up even with his extra throwing.

"He's practiced very well," Erickson said. "He's smart and he understands what's going on. He gets the ball out quick. It (his elbow) is closer to where it was in the spring than it has been because really early in the season he couldn't have played. He couldn't throw it from here to the fence."

Whoever starts tomorrow our defense cannot let him get comfortable. They need to disrupt him by making him hurry by bringing pressure on him from all over the place. I really liked how Bullough used Akeem Ayers this past weekend. He finally figured out it seems that Ayers has a lot of potential to destroy opposing QBs in number of ways, if we get him lined up as DE. I would love to see more of that along with pressure coming from other angles. Tomorrow is the day our defense needs to come out and fly around all over the field, making the same statement they made on national television in Tennessee.

Elsewhere the LAT focuses on the competition at the RB spot in Westwood. Milton Knox is embracing it:

"You can't call it crowded. I call it competition," Knox said. "We're in a program that is trying to be the best right now. We've got two more guys coming in. They will compete just like everybody else. If you don't like competition, what are you doing here?"

JetSki has the right attitude as well but he has his RBs mixed up:

"It's the big leagues," Franklin said. "They're always trying to find that guy, that Reggie Bush, that O.J. Simpson, to come in and take the position. You just have to come out here and work hard."

Uh no. Johnathan we are not looking for (alleged) double murderer and (alleged) cheaters (turned into NFL busts) in Westwood. We are looking for you to do the same thing as Skip Hicks, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Gaston Greene and of course MJD. That means better focus and concentration on the field:

"I don't care how big you are, how fast you are, whatever, you got to hold on to the ball," running backs coach Wayne Moses said. "Your team depends on that from you. He understands it. We've got to keep working toward that end."

Hopefully JetSki, Knox, Coleman and Moline can find a way to come through and help out Kevin Prince against the best defense in the conference tomorrow. If they can play a big role in getting us a W, forget the giddiness around being bowl eligible, it will put our program on the brink of something special.

GO BRUINS.

On the eve of UCLA's biggest regular game of the season the LAT has a feature on the MJD. Following...

2009-11-20T13:03:52Z

On the eve of UCLA's biggest regular game of the season the LAT has a feature on the MJD. Following excerpts give us a glimpse of classic MJD:

So when a cluster of New York Jets fans taunted him before Sunday's game at the Meadowlands with a singsong chant of "Over-rated! Over-rated!" this 5-foot-7 Elmo impostor was -- what else? -- tickled.

"It got pretty bad; they almost rattled me," the former UCLA standout said. "I just went over to them and I was like, 'You know what, man, I'm just happy you know my name. Thank you. You've helped me out so much today.' They just looked at me and started laughing.

"It's funny. Kill them with kindness. That's how you stop a trash talker."

And then he just bowls over the opponent on the football field. HT to What's Bruin Blog for directing us to that nice piece.

GO BRUINS.

ESPN's Ted Miller Debunks LA Times UCLA Beat Reporter's Latest Hitjob On Rick Neuheisel

2009-11-19T23:32:20Z

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

"OMGZ! Rick Neuheisel (a former Rose Bowl Winning MVP QB) communicates passionately with his QB on the sidelines," reported LA Times "UCLA Beat Reporter" Chris Foster!

Browse more photos »

I am sure many of you have already read the latest piece of trashy reporting from Chris Foster today in the LA Times. Chris Foster is the same beat reporter who has been pushing misinformation on Stan Hasiak in recent weeks.

Well today Mr. Foster wrote a huge story on - get this - a college football head coach (who was a former Rose Bowl champion/MVP quarterback) being tough on his QBs! It's an epic piece for the LA Times. They had their UCLA beat reporter (who hasn't provided anything of substance on UCLA's upcoming opponent on what is shaping up to be the biggest regular season game to date) write up 1,109 word novel on how UCLA head football coach communicates with his quarterbacks.

It's huge expose! Foster tried to get something negative out of both Kevins (Craft and Prince) on Neuheisel but neither Prince nor Craft bit on Foster's gotcha game (no link for trashy articles per BN rules so I am just going to bold the parts I would have linked if it were a legitimate news story):

"It took me a little bit of time to understand why Coach Neuheisel does that," says Kevin Craft, who was often the object of red-faced, drill-sergeant-like rants when he was the starter last season. "He's passionate about this and wants to coach us, and he's doing it in a manner that it's on you." [...]

"You just have to play like you know how and accept the criticism when things go wrong," Prince says. "That's the way Coach Neuheisel coaches. He gets riled up and wants to win badly."

So then Chris tried to get something juicy out of former UCLA QBs. Unfortunately for the so called beat reporter, the former Bruin QBs essentially validated what CRN has been doing by comparing him to legendary Homer Smith (the best OC UCLA had in last 20-30 years prior to arrvial of Norm Chow):

"Homer Smith demanded you soak up knowledge," says former Bruins quarterback Tom Ramsey, who entered UCLA with Neuheisel in 1979.

"You not only had to know what 11 guys were doing on the field, you had to know what all 22 guys were doing. If you didn't, you weren't going to be on the roster."

So nothing there either. So Foster then called up CRN's former QB at Colorado to find out whether he would dish out some dirt on CRN:

Hessler remembers that in 1995, after he threw for five touchdowns in his college debut, an upset over 10th-ranked Oklahoma, Neuheisel told him, "You deserve it, kid. You deserve all this."

But then, two years later against Michigan, a national television audience watched the coach rail at his quarterback before Hessler even got to the sideline.

"We had a love-hate relationship for a long time," Hessler says. "He chewed on me harder than any steak I have ever chewed on. It's because he expects a ton."

Well nothing unusual there either. So then Foster tried to dial up another former CRN coached QB and OMG looky here apparently he found some dirt!:

Another former Neuheisel quarterback doesn't seem as forgiving. Toronto Argonauts quarterback Cody Pickett, who played four seasons for Neuheisel at Washington, declined to be interviewed for this story, saying through a team official that he was uncomfortable talking about his former coach.

Oh man. There it is! Did you catch it?! Neuheisel's former QB is not "forgiving"!! The LA Trojan Times found the big scoop!.

[Serious news face via MainStreet Photo Galleries]

So Chris Found this huge scoop! Apparently one of Neuheisel's former QB is not so "forgiving" for the interaction he had with CRN during his time at Washington. Except uhm not so much per Ted Miller on ESPN, who covered Neuehisel for years when he was the beat reporter for Washington Huskies (HT to Centric.):

I covered the Huskies when Cody Pickett was the quarterback, and I don't recall Neuheisel being terribly hard on Pickett. What I do remember is Pickett hating interviews, which strikes me as a more likely reason he turned down an LA Times interview request.

So what's next?

Will the ~~Los Angeles~~ Trojan Times sports editor issue another update or correction to fix the latest ~~bit of shoddy reporting~~ hitjob on Rick Neuheisel's football program?

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Arizona State Corner Back: "[W]e Will Beat UCLA" (And Other Game Week Notes)

2009-11-19T14:00:33Z

We have talked a lot about how big this Saturday's game is for UCLA. On the other side ASU is treating the game with same sense of urgency. They are also getting a little fired up about rest of their season starting with UCLA:

"To take the fall that we have been taking for the last couple of weeks, we are doing pretty good," the redshirt freshman cornerback (Devon Carr) said Tuesday. "I still haven't seen anyone walking around the halls moping. … I still see positive energy within my team. I believe we will beat UCLA."

Carr is not the only one who thinks so. ASU players came off the practice field Tuesday giddy after coach Dennis Erickson's we-have-something-to-play-for speech.

"We got a two-game season," Erickson said, referring to Saturday's game in Pasadena, Calif., and the next week against Arizona. "Our kids have a lot of pride."

Good for the Sun Devils. I have no doubt those guys are going to be breathing fire when they come out on the field on Saturday. At the same time I also think our guys are going to remember what took place last time UCLA took on ASU:

UCLA held Arizona State to 122 yards last season but lost, 34-9, when the Sun Devils returned three interceptions and one fumble for touchdowns at Tempe. "It was a hard film to watch this week," Neuheisel said.

Painful indeed. It will be awesome if our defense can match the performance from last year's effort against ASU. This time the Sun Devils will have a different QB though and right now even though Erickson is being coy about it signs point to Sam Szakacsy as the starter for Saturday. Again, I said it yesterday and I will reinforce it again this am. This is a huge game for Chuck Bullough. We need his defense to come through and make a statement on Saturday with a strong performance from start to finish.

The numbers we put up against Washington State were nice. However, we also have to be realistic about putting up "good" numbers against a team like the Cougars. Doesn't really count for much except for gaiining some measure of confidence and sense of momentum. To hold on to that momentum, we need our defense to play with the same sense of aggression they did during the second half against Jake Locker and the Huskies when they were bringing pressure from different directions. More after the jump.

Aaron Hester is one of the defensive players who is looking to make a contribution on Sat. He has been woofing it up a bit during practice this week:

UCLA defensive back Aaron Hester locked down wide receiver Nelson Rosario in practice Wednesday, then let the world know.

"Oh no, no sir, I'm all over that," Hester screamed.

Standing on the sidelines, tailback Damien Thigpen chuckled and said, "He thinks he's Deion Sanders."

There may be no better way to judge whether Hester is ready to play than to hear him at practice. His season has been one of disappointment, first a fractured fibula in the season opener and the waiting for a chance upon his return.

But Hester appeared fit and ready in practice.

"I feel just like I felt in training camp, exactly the same" said Hester, a redshirt freshman. "No pain. My confidence is back. I'm just out here trying to make some plays."

Hester is once again getting antsy about mixing it up on the field:

"I've been showing them this week in practice," Hester said. "I've been flying around making plays, making big hits. It's up to the coaches now. All I can do is play football and all they can do is put me in or not. I was the original starter here; I haven't forgot how to play football."

I like the kid's passion and enthusiasm but I am also going to trust the coaches on this one. The coaches were clearly making the right decision when they held out Hester and taking extra precaution to make sure he was completely healthy. I am pretty sure Hester will make his mark before he is done in Westwood but I am willing to be patient to make sure when he gets in, he is not only confident but fully healed and healthy. Either way, whoever is in at CB on Saturday will need to be physical. Especially if we have a QB like Samson Szakacsy, who can gain yards through scrambling, we are going to need our defensive backs not only provide tight coverage but also provide also recover and provide solid run support.

Speaking of QBs, Kevin Prince and the Bruin offense are showing lot of (deserved) respect for ASU defense:

"They just play real sound football," Prince said of the Sun Devils. "They don't do anything too crazy, or anything. They have their share of blitzes and all that but they just play really sound and fundamental football."

Prince's backfield team-mate called them the "best defense" in the Pac:

"They're the best defense in the Pac-10 right now, and their run defense is outstanding," said Chane Moline, who ran for three touchdowns last week. "Being a running back and fullback, it's a big challenge for us to go out there and start running the ball so the passing game will open up. We've got to go out there and execute, not shoot ourselves in the foot. Hopefully the running backs can break a couple of tackles and the wide receivers can make some big plays for us."

The key here will be not killing ourselves with self inflicted mistakes (Hello Mr. Paulsen, it's your last home game!).

Our offense a lot of fun to watch last two weekends (since didn't really get to watch that fourth quarter against Oregon State LIVE). This Saturday we will find out what kind of progression this offense has made against a legt defense from this conference. I think they also know the opportunity they have to gain a measure of validation to finish the season and also set themselves up for a great future. That will have to start with not just making solid plays but also emhasizing execution of little details on all facets of our offense.

Right now I am anxious to see how our offense performs against ASU. I haven't had this kind of excited (can't wait to watch them again) feeling about our offense in years. Hopefully they will take another significant step forward by getting us a victory on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Wildcat and the UCLA Running Game

2009-11-19T04:09:57Z

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

I meant to do this last week but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy of the UCLA-Washington game until now. So here's a look at some of the plays UCLA ran against UW and earlier from the Wildcat package. I did not get to see the WSU game, and don't have a copy, but from what I heard they used it there as well. For some background see this article on the Power, Zone, and the Wildcat - what Cal did against USC is pretty much what UCLA has been doing the past month or so.

What the Wildcat Is and Is Not

Against UW UCLA lined up unbalanced - with a tackle uncovered.

QB.................................TE...T...G...C...G...T...................

...........WR.......................................................................................RB

.........................................FB

.........................................................RB

The right tackle is eligible, the TE is not as he is covered by the QB. Some teams will swap the RT for the TE, to hide the TE on the right side and two tackles on the left for extra muscle. From what I saw UCLA did not, as this way you are not committing 100% to running to the left.

Fly motion is the speed sweeper coming across, timed so that he crosses the man receiving the snap just before the ball gets there. He is the key to the Wildcat, as without this, you just have a back lined up in shotgun. With this player there is an immediate threat to the outside the moment the ball is snapped, and the defense has to respect that.

The most obvious trait is the running back behind center and the QB split wide. The reason why teams leave the QB on the field is that it doesn't tip off their hand until they line up. However I think that this is the least important aspect of the series. If you have an athletic QB, you can leave your QB behind center and run the Wildcat, or you can take him off the field completely and run the Wildcat - doesn't matter, he does not make the series go. You just need someone who can not only run but take a hit back there to receive the snap. On TV they will call Wildcat every time a back is lined up to receive the snap, but that doesn't automatically make it a Wildcat - for example, some teams just snap it to a back and let him run, that's just called getting the ball to an athlete and letting him work.

The least obvious trait, but the most important, in my opinion, is the series-based approach. You have plays that complement each other. The Wildcat is not a formation, play, or substitution package; it's a series. Much like you have the series of inside zone, outside zone, bootleg off a zone look, playaction rollout off a zone look - you have plays that begin with the same action (fly sweep across the formation) and several different options afterwards. The Wildcat works because you can run your base play of power up the middle a few times until the defense cheats in, give on a speed sweep to force them to respect the outside, run counter to force them to respect the backside, and then pound it up the middle on your base power play again. If you have a PA pass installed you can use that as well, but for a series like this I don't even think you need to go that far unless you plan to use it heavily.

The Wildcat is not a trick play or a gimmick - it is structurally sound, possibly moreso than a inside zone run play where you are bootlegging your QB out and counting on him being able to draw attention from the backside DE. It uses all the same basic schemes that teams use, like power and zone. I think that people who don't really understand what is going on are against it because they don't really understand it - but if you take a look it isn't really a giant shift from what teams have been doing the past decade. If you watch the Dolphins at all, they have almost brought the Wildcat series full-circle, and brought that 4th trait to what almost looks like a conventional NFL offense minus the personnel substitutions, and if/when Pat White takes over it basically will be a conventional NFL offense based on the speed sweep with an athlete at QB.

Power

UCLA's "base" Wildcat play seems to be their power. Again, take a look at this article for some background on power, which is one of the most basic running plays that is run by most teams around the country. Here is UCLA's first play from the Wildcat series, as Milton Knox has a big hole up the middle off power.

I think that the reason there is such a big hole is that UW was in a slant to the weak side and for some reason did not check out of it - the DL slants away from the run. They are in a 7-man front (the SS is lined up on the slot WR), and UCLA blocks down vs. the slant with 5 linemen for 5 defenders. The backside G pulls, the FB kicks out, taking care of the 2 frontside LBs, and there is a big hole.

S and B slide outside to respect the speed sweep and the rest of the defense conveniently slants the other way and are easily down blocked. Everyone is accounted for and the FS (the RB's counterpart) makes the tackle.

Notice that this isn't different from this except that there is only one unaccounted-for defender rather than both safeties - direct snap to the back gives the offense one more blocker. If you took the QB and put him under center, the strong safety would be hanging around somewhere.

One of UCLA's main running plays so far has been a power play where they use the FB to pull across and the guard to follow and lead through on a backer - here are two examples that show the play well. Notice in the first clip against Stanford, they even use an unbalanced line with twins to one side and run power that way - except for the speed sweeper and outside threat you have the QB under center handing off.

Here's another clip from the Wildcat where UCLA throws in a wrinkle, running the ball to the weakside - UW has in the box, 4 linebackers slanted towards the unbalanced side, and UCLA runs it the other way. Would've been a nice gain had Brehaut at the bottom lined up on the LOS, covering the TE.

Here are a few more clips of UCLA running power. Notice that in the second clip, the defense has 8 in the box again and is shifted towards the strong side, causing Milton Knox to cut back. In the third clip you can see the defense begin to play some games, it looks like the backside corner is not respecting the backside at all, and the LBs are playing some games and exchanging responsibilities to the strong side. Same kind of thing that you would see if you were running power from under center - you need to adjust as they do - although in this case you can just move onto the next play in the series.

Zone

Here's a breakdown of Oregon's inside and outside zone. Zone's a pretty big part of the UCLA run game, but from the games I have seen they haven't really incorporated it much into the Wildcat. I saw them run outside zone twice off of the Wildcat series, once against Oregon, and once vs. UW towards the end (resulted in a fumble). Here are both clips.

The call against UW looked like it would have worked well if not for that fumble - everyone was accounted for and there was an extra lead blocker to pick up the safety.

There are 9 defenders in the frame, one is being "blocked" by the threat of Milton Knox to the backside, and the other 8 are accounted for by 9 blockers. There are two defenders off-camera, backside corner is probably too far to make the play and the safety should get picked up by the extra blocker.

The Next Steps

I didn't see the WSU game, but from what I've seen I would like to see more zone off the Wildcat series, It became pretty apparent late in the UW game that the defense was playing power every time Knox was behind center. Power is the base play that makes it run but once they begin to squeeze the kickout block and play games up front I think you need to move on to keep them honest before you can return to the bread and butter.

The next steps in the series are probably a counter play, something with guards pulling backside with the same backfield action as in the freeze-frame above - Knox pulling the ball and taking off weakside. You can also run read off of the zone look although that is practice-intensive.

Everyone wants to see Knox throw but I like what we have right now as it is built on top of our base run plays - the only thing you need to practice is the snap and exchange (which we still need to work on). From what I have seen our Wildcat series (much like what Cal ran earlier this season) isn't a whole lot different than what we've been doing and probably hasn't taken up a lot of practice time. I think that there are a lot more important things than repping a playaction play and giving our backs reps in practice throwing the ball, and there are still other plays in the series to flesh out. I did notice UCLA using the speed sweep motion a few times against UW, with the QB under center. Once was off of a PA rollout look and the other was an inside zone play, where they used the speed sweep to force the backside DE to stay at home, allowing the RB to cut back and pick up a few yards.

NFL teams like the Miami Dolphins have a lot more practice time than NCAA teams due to NCAA regs (even HS teams, where the Wildcat originated, probably have more practice hours than NCAA teams) are able to install almost whatever they want and spend a lot of time on a change-up series such as this one. I don't think that it is worth it for an NCAA team to really go that deep into the series unless they plan to use it frequently, as there is not a lot of payoff unless you fully commit to it (ie, practice-intensive schemes such as the flexbone and the Airraid, or even teams that base out of the zone read).

That being said, though, I wouldn't mind seeing Knox pull it once, step back, and launch one deep in one of our last few games this year.

Bruins Find Bats As Blue-Gold World Series Game 2 Goes To The Blues

2009-11-19T02:36:14Z

After the Blue and Gold teams combined for just six hits and one run in the first game of the Blue-Gold World Series, game two's 15 hit, nine run output seemed like an explosion. A tightly contested game turned in the sixth inning of the seven inning contest with a little small ball and a big hit as the Blues were victorious over the White team (who wore Gold Monday), 6-3.

The Blues were first to strike, picking up a pair in the bottom of the first. A pair of walks to lead off the inning, issued by Scott Griggs put Beau Amaral and Tyler Rahmatulla on to behind the inning. Following a pair of pop ups, Cody Keefer singled through the left side to plate Amaral and put the Blues up, 1-0. Griggs then threw two balls to Matt Mosher and was pulled in the middle of the at-bat, having reached his pitch limit. This brought Chase Brewer, younger brother of former UCLA pitcher Charles, into the game and he balked in another run, giving the Blues ahead 2-0 after one.

Blue starter Garett Claypool who threw a perfect first inning, went the distance with one-out in the second to Justin Uribe, when Uribe hit a fly ball to right that just cleared the fence, cutting the Blue lead to 2-1. Ryan Deeter relieved Claypool after the home run and got the next two outs of the inning.

The bottom of the second saw a one-out double by Cody Regis, but he never made it to third. In the top of the third, Aaron Weimer hit a double to begin the inning, but he too never made it to third.

The bottom of the third saw the Blues put another run across as Amaral walked to begin the inning and scored two batters later on an error by the third baseman, Dean Espy.

The White team answered with a two-out rally in the fourth inning. After a strikeout and groundout got the inning off to an ominous start, Espy singled and Uribe doubled off of Deeter to score Espy and make the score 3-2. Dennis Holt followed that up with a single of his own off of Deeter, scoring Uribe and evening the game at threes.

Brandon Lodge came on for the Blue team to throw 1.2 scoreless innings and Allen Aguilar got an out to give the Blue bats a chance in the bottom of the sixth against White pitcher Derek Klena, who had thrown 2.2 scoreless innings to that point.

Marc Navarro reached on an error by shortstop Niko Gallego and Brett Krill singled to lead off the bottom half of the sixth. After a fly out, Mosher singled as well. With the bases loaded and only one man down, Steve Rodriguez executed a perfect squeeze bunt, scoring Navarro from third and moving the runners to second and third as well. Regis then belted one the other way, dropping it onto the warning track in left field to score two more on a double that made it a 6-3 ball game.

Mitchell Beacom, who picked up the save in game one, entered for the Blues in the top of the sixth, looking for his second save of the fall. After a strikeout to open the inning, Trevor Brown singled to give the White team some life, but the next two batters were retired with ease and the Blues picked up their second win in as many games of the Blue-Gold World Series. Aguilar was the winning pitcher and Beacom got the save, while Rodriguez's squeeze bunt produced the game-winning RBI. Klena picked up the loss for the White team, while the freshman Regis was the best on either side, going 3-3 with two doubles and two RBI for the Blues.

The third and final game of the Blue- Gold World Series will take place at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday. First pitch is at 3:30 pm PST and I will be there to recap it and provide instant information and analysis on my UCLA baseball twitter.

Rebounding From 0-1, Basketball Podcast Open Thread

2009-11-19T01:00:14Z

That was a rough one. The Bruins fell at the hands of, gulp...Fullerton. It's only game one though. There are still plenty left to go, but UCLA will have to get better. What went wrong versus the Titans and what do the Bruins need to do to turn things around? We'll take a look at that, while also getting to the recruiting update that we hoped to get to last week, but ran out of time on. It's early, but there's plenty to talk about and we'll get to it all.

We'll also take any calls you have. You just need to follow these four steps:

1) Call (724) 444-7444

2) Enter the Call ID 68618 and press # afterward

3) When asked for your PIN, press 1#

4) Talk to us!

Call on in and share your thoughts and questions. If you can't call in, use this thread to share any thoughts or questions and we'll work them in as well. You can listen to the show live beginning at 7 pm PST by clicking play in the box above and can listen to it anytime after the show by clicking that same play button or by heading over to iTunes.

Greatness Bruin'? ESPN Profiles One Of The "Hottest" Recruiting Programs In Nation

2009-11-18T18:28:32Z

WWL: "UCLA is one of the hottest recruiting teams in the country"

View full size photo »

Well this was a matter of time. Look who is featured on ESPN's college football recruiting section today. WWL takes note of one of the hottest recruiting programs in the world of college football:

UCLA is one of the highest-profile collegiate athletic programs in the country. It's as well-known of an institution as there is when it comes to collegiate sports and is located in one of the largest cities in America, which happens to be the greatest talent-producing metropolitan area in California that produces more football prospects than any other.

There is a beautiful campus, home games played in one of the most historic stadiums in America (the Rose Bowl) and some winning tradition. When you blend those built-in factors with one of the top recruiting coaches in America in Rick Neuheisel, chances are the talent is going to start flowing in for the Bruins -- and it has. That makes for a bright future in Westwood.

With a five-star athlete, two elite running back prospects and the recent commitment of an ESPNU 150 linebacker prospect, there is no question that UCLA is one of the hottest recruiting teams in the country for this recruiting cycle. This comes on the heels of the Bruins signing the nation's No. 14 and No. 17 classes during Neuheisel's first two cycles.

Those classes currently are the backbone of the Bruins' program. "We've signed 47 players since we've been here," UCLA director of on-campus recruiting Angus McClure said. "Of those, 13 are currently freshman that are redshirting. That leaves 34 players. Of those, 33 are seeing playing time either on offense, defense or special teams. We had 18 freshman and sophomores start the last two games. That makes us one of the youngest teams in the country." While there is certainly talent on campus, a look at this year's class is even more reason for optimism. Earlier this week, the Bruins reached across the country to snag four-star ESPNU 150 linebacker prospect Aramide Olaniyan (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest). Olaniyan joined five-star athlete Tony Jefferson (Chula Vista, Calif./East Lake), and four-star ESPNU 150 running backs Jordan James (Corona, Calif./Corona) and Malcolm Jones (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian).

Again for a quick flashback let's recall the hint of concern trolling (OMG what's wrong here?!! Neuheisel has no commitments!!!!) from this past with blog posts going up with title such as "waiting for commitments." We LOL at the time thinking how premature that post was going to look in the coming weeks. Now it looks even sillier.

Anyway, as mentioned number of times already CRN and his staff are not done. The most important objective for them is to take care of business this Saturday. If they can get a win against an ASU team that will give an all out effort to fight for their bowl bid, the "Plus 2" factor will make UCLA's ongoing recruiting efforts even hotter.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: UCLA's Biggest Game Of The Season

2009-11-18T13:58:36Z

Honestly if we experienced a night like Monday 2-3 years ago I would have had a very difficult time getting putting that aside and getting out of a funk. I am not naive and I am well aware that our basketball team right now has a lot of issues to work on for them to develop as a team that will put together a winning season. Yet I am not really thinking or worrying about them all that much. I am going to watch the game on Friday night to find out exactly what is going on with our young guys. However, right now the basketball team is not really at the top of of my mind. That is because right now, at this time I am just thinking about Saturday.

I haven't been this excited about UCLA football in years. ucla13_usc9 has it exactly right. I can't think of a bigger football game for this program than the one we are going to play this Saturday. Let's think about it for a second. If UCLA can manage to pull out a win this weekend, it will be sitting with a record of 6-5 and find itself at the perfect pivot point to take the next step. Of course there is the angle of getting into a bowl game and getting our young team two extra weeks of practices (that will be valuable for development of a team with so many underclassmen sprinkled all over our lineup).

To me though the most important part of getting a win this weekend will be that incredible sense of momentum. With 6 wins CRN will be able to sell the notion of "Plus 2." Think about what he accomplished on the recruiting trail with a 4-8 record last season. Now think what he might be able to do if he can show recruits not just by words but by his W-L record showing a clear sign of progress with at least 2 more wins. A victory this Saturday will get us that palpable sense of momentum we haven't experience as a program since the late 90s when number 18 was driving the Bruin offense up and down the field. Although watching Kevin Prince driving our offense up and down the field in recent weeks, I can almost ... almost ... get a little sense of that magical feeling (of wanting the Bruin defense to take care of business fast so I can watch the offense again) I used to experience almost a decade.

This game is just so huge. It sounds like our guys know it and kind of feel it. Jon Gold posted last night that the Bruins had a "rowdy practice" as they "know full well what a win over Arizona State means to the season." CRN had this to say about the mindset of his football team:

"We're a young team, and young teams are impressionable. To come off a couple of victories and still have a chance to get in the postseason - those are exciting things for our guys. It's going to take a great effort, but we're capable of it."

It's going to take a great effort for our offensive line. They have gotten better at the expense of some of the worst defenses in the conference. They know that they will have to step it up to whole another level this Saturday. Here is what Jeff Baca, the sophomore left guard had to say about the challenge he and his linemates are going to face against ASU:

"Coaches tell us we're getting better each week, and that's what we're trying to do."

The Bruins will have a much tougher task this week in the form of Arizona State, which ranks 15th nationally in total defense and 29th in scoring defense.

They are particularly tough against the run and have averaged 6.8 tackles for a loss per game.

With a defense that has such ability to get upfield, the offensive linemen are taking it as personal.

"You've got to win one-on-one battles," Baca said. "Both in pass rush and run blocking. You've got to win those. Coach has told us this is a huge game. This is our bowl-eligible game. This is fantastic for a young offensive line like we are.

"We're growing up fast, but this is a challenge."

While Baca and his team-mates are gearing up for the challenge against ASU's defensive front, Jet Ski is working hard to set aside his personal nightmares from recent games. More on him and othe notes after the jump.

We have discussed how it is imperative for JetSki to get it back together and shake any kind of focus or concentration issue he might be having that could be causing his fumble issues. Well, it sounds like the coaches haven't given up on him and he is doing everything he can to have the right attitutude about it:

"It's rough, especially when ... it's just rough," Franklin said. "It's the worst feeling ever. It's one of those feelings that is indescribable, especially as a running back.

"You've got the team counting on you, you've got the coaches, you've got the family in the stadium watching, family at home watching. It's disappointing. A lot of people are counting on you and by fumbling, you let a lot of people down."

Franklin didn't include himself on that list but he could have. His recent turnovers have left him feeling frustrated but he insists that he has to continue to look forward.

"It's something I have to learn from," he said. "It's something I have to learn from to better my career or to basically stay on the field."

Staying on the field doesn't seem to be a problem. Franklin was one of a handful of running backs getting his share of reps with the Bruins' No. 1 offense Tuesday.

Franklin is quick to push his successes and failures into the past. One of the worst things he can do is try to make up for the missed opportunities because that is when more mistakes are made.

"Regardless of what happens in a game, you have to let it go," he said. "It definitely takes time to get it out but to progress and better yourself, you have to let it go and move on. You have to. You always have to keep your head up and keep a good attitude to become a better player."

Here is to Jet Ski getting back into rhythm this weekend. The fun thing about our offense is that we still haven't seen it totally click yet. Early in the season Jet Ski was having success but at that time neither Prince nor Craft was giving him any kind aerial support by being in rhythm. Now in recent weeks we have had Prince spraying passes all over the field but not with a very productive rushing attack. If we can get Jet Ski and Prince to have their most efficient performances in the same game, our offense is going to be fun to watch. I am crossing my fingers that we get to experience it finally this weekend against ASU.

Meanwhile, over at ASU, Dennis Erickson is still being coy about who will be his QB. It looks like Szakacsy has been getting most of the reps with first time at least to start the week. From Ted Miller on WWL:

Szakacsy came off the bench and completed 13 of 22 passes for 113 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the 44-21 defeat. He also ran for a touchdown and used to his speed to elude heavy pressure from the Ducks.

"He'll get the most reps with the ones this week," Erickson said.

True freshman Brock Osweiler made his first career start against the Ducks, but was knocked out off the game with a shoulder injury. He had replaced senior senior Danny Sullivan, who was nursing a biceps injury. Both are expected to be available Saturday, but it appears that Erickson wants a closer look at Szakacsy, an athletic sophomore who's battled a nagging elbow problem since he arrived in Tempe.

"We've just never have seen him because he's been hurt all the time," Erickson said. "So we're going to let him take that first group quite a bit in the next few days and see where he's at."

CRN and his coaches took note of what Szakacsy did against Oregon last weekend:

"We certainly take notice of him and think he played well in the second half. He does provide different challenges, but I'm not sure that means a wholesale change in their offense. He's certainly capable of making some moves with his legs."

Samson is going to be an interesting challenge for our defense. Our guys have been vulnerable this season to QBs with mobility. Still have visions of Andrew Luck picking up key yards against us up in Palo Alto. Even Lopina when he entered the game in Pullman had success scrambling against us up in Pullman. So I hope Bullough and his coaches are doing their necessary homework.

The defense will really need to step up to the challenge on Saturday. We expected a lot out of our defense this season and frankly except for the Tennessee game they haven't really come through with a marquee performance in which they won the game for us. Well this is a huge opportunity for them to win us a game. I do think our offense will face a stiff challenge from the ASU defense. So, it will be up to our defense to unleash an all out attack against ASU's young QBs and distrupt and throttle them at the Rose Bowl.

This is going to be one of those games in which defensive turnovers, special teams play and penalties are going to be huge. I hope our guys are prepared in all facets of the game this weekend to make a statement and grab a chokehold on that sense of momentum of progress we haven't experienced as a program in almost a decade. Again, I will end with the same plea I made yesterday. If you are out in Southern California get to the Rose Bowl in Bruin Blue. Don't forget it's also Senior Day, which is only going to add to the emotion in what IMHO is the biggest game of this football season and again perhaps the most important game of this program (to date) in years.

If you are a UCLA student you have no excuse for not being at the Rose Bowl this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Remembering Gary Beban

2009-11-13T12:28:57Z

This post got a little buried late last week. Bumping it up because want to make sure no one missed it. GO BRUINS. - N

Seeing Gary Beban at the game last Saturday really brought back memories from my student years at UCLA. I was an undergrad from 1966-1971 which was really a great time to be at UCLA. We won the national championship in basketball all five years I was there, while in football we had Gary Beban my first two years and also had very good teams my last two years led by quarterback Dennis Dummit. (My last year at UCLA a freshman named Jimmy Connors won the NCAA tennis tournament).

At the game a few weeks ago there was on the seats a free Sports Illustrated magazine special on all the Heisman trophy winners which featured Gary Beban. It focused on the 1967 game against Tennessee when down 16-13 with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter and with 4th and 2 at the Tennessee 27 and the game on the line Beban moved right then cut into the line and then cut left towards the sideline for a touchdown run to win the game. I was at that game and vividly remember that play. I frankly can't remember much else about the game but will never forget Beban's great clutch run into the west end zone of the Coliseum. Beban was truly an all time great college quarterback. He was an extremely accurate passer, a really good running quarterback who ran for a lot of yardage, a great team leader, and maybe the best clutch player in UCLA football history. Of course in 1965 when I was still in high school and watching on TV he made those two great touchdown passes in the last four minutes including the game winning 50 yarder to Kurt Altenberg after trailing USC 16-6 with four minutes left in the game. That great comeback kept Mike Garrett from ever playing in the Rose Bowl. Beban of course then led UCLA to the historic upset of #1 Michigan St. in the Rose Bowl.

And of course I'll never forget the 1967 game against USC. While it was horrible to lose, it was still an amazing experience to be at that game which is considered one of the greatest in college football history. UCLA was #1 and USC #2 and the atmosphere was just unbelievably electric. In those days both sides got pretty much the same number of seats, and the south side of the coliseum was all UCLA fans and the north side was all USC fans. After many plays there would be a huge roar from either one side or the other. The student seats were all first come first serve, and I'll never forget what it was like a couple of hours before the gates opened with people crowded up to the gates hoping to get in first so as to get good seats. The crowd of UCLA students was so crammed together that people were fainting from the heat, and they were passing people who had fainted back over the crowd. We were so tightly packed in that I remember lifting up both my feet just to see that I could actually stand up without having either foot on the ground. Beban of course played great passing for over 300 yards while suffering from badly bruised ribs and sometimes having to be helped off the field. We really lost the game because of blocked and missed field goals and extra points.

(As an aside I was at the 1980 game when Freeman McNeil's deflected touchdown reception won the game. I was given free tickets by a doctor whom I worked with who had played for Howard Jones at USC. The seats were in about the 20th row on the 40 yard line. Unfortunately they were of course in the middle of the USC section. Boy was that weird! Thank God we won.)