Deja vu? The last time U$C lost at Oregon State in a close shocker where OS had a huge lead, they pulled themselves all the way back to contend for the national championship only to be upset by UCLA. Well, they lost at Oregon State again in a close shocker where OS had a huge lead...
Ugh, this game should've been ours. A few thoughts I had after my ride back... Saw a bit of the Wild Hog today. Interesting that all the football teams I normally root for are using it. Terrence Austin is dynamic. Guy had huge returns including one called back on a phantom holding call. Speaking of phantom calls, horrible Pac-10 officiating for both sides. Weird ST day today. Blocked XP's, punt returns, kickoff returns, blocked XP's for a score... I outran Michael Norris in Exercise Physiology and I see other people do too. Huge dropoff in the secondary from previous years. This unit gets an F. Defensive pressure was there though not as consistent as I'd hoped. Got a pick and sacks and really prevented Fresno St. from getting more than 2 yards through the middle (save for the last one). LB's and safeties are not doing their job eliminating the stretch runs and screen passes. Big improvement in the running game and mostly thanks to the return of Khalil Bell. But Coleman's fumble was a heartbreaker in the red zone and winning score within yards. Moya's a good TE. Too bad his QB sucks. Lots of close calls that could've been picks. Rick Neuheisel blew it by not taking the penalty. Horrible decision and that was the deciding score. The only coach who deserves any praise is Norm Chow right now. What a difference replacing a 4th stringer with the hobbled starter can do.
at the time though, the field goal points would have put us in a bad situation as well. and, they ran a screen on 3rd and 25 or whatever it was, not really attempting to get a TD but better position for the FG try. our defense should have been able to hold a screen for less than 30 yards. should have won that game though. that fumble was heartbreaking. and man, there were so many FSU fans there like was said would happen. we were getting drowned out towards the end there.
Well, they certainly wouldn't have gone for it on 4th and 12. Even at 3rd and 25, you know you haven't been able to stop the pass so conventional wisdom is take the penalty and take the field goal which lets them go up by 4 rather than 8. A flag for the WAC? Beats me what those hicks do out there....
I will, it's the first game where everyone's finally back from summer vacation so I don't have to be the chauffeur this time.
I'll be in the Den. Bruins better win since I had to sell my Dodgers Game 3 tix (gf is a Giants fan ).
not too many people there but it was a fun one. glad to see our guys whoop up on them like that. glad the rain pretty much held off too, the mist wasn't too uncomfortable
Good Game/Win(even if its WSU ). Finally getting Moya involved again since UT game. Austin is also finally coming along.
Wow, the first time we face off against a team that's fielding a QB with even less starts than Craft. Which works well because our CB's are just horrible against the pass. Moya can play but he needs a QB who can throw it to him. Even saw some Wildhog plays in there and it seems Norm's on the Wild train.
Bleh, almost could've won in Oregon. And my prayers go out to Terrence Austin, the sole playmaker on offense and ST. Some good news so far but he could be out for the season. And since I graduated, I dunno if my Stanford curse will work anymore (they have not beaten the Bruins in all the years I've been in UCLA)...
THE CURSE IS STILL ALIVE!!!!!! 5 years and running baby! That's how bad the Stanford passing D is. Empty today at the Rose Bowl. Anyone else go? If you didn't, you missed out on a great game.
A few things learned in the UCLA-Stanford game: Wopamo Osaisai is possibly one of the worst cover corners I have ever seen. I know Stanford's pass D is horrible and I think he's a big reason why. 1 pass interference call that set up a TD, 4 blown coverage assignments that led to huge plays and 2 FG's, a missed tackle on the TE that set up the winning score, and numerous occasions where his man had a 7 yard cushion. Sorry, adamprez, this guy is a track star and not a football player. He let a hobbled guy who had to be taken off on a stretcher the previous week and a true freshman totally own him. If the OL blocked better and Craft was a better thrower (outside of the 4th qtr that is), it could've been a much longer day for him. I wouldn't touch him with a 7th rounder at this point. UCLA ran a Wildcat variant with 2 QB's (Forcier ran the ball for about a 9 yard gain). That may be something I could see the Dolphins running if we get a mobile QB (Tebow?). Direct snaps to Coleman and Bell were pretty successful and they've been running that formation as long as the Dolphins have.
yep i was there. amazing game-- and i'm even happier because the d-bag in front of me in the den who was gloating about 'playing against and beating khalil bell in high school' left early saying it was going to be a lame ending. HA! glad you missed a spectacular ending. i agree on Osaisai. defintely not a 2nd round pick. the dual qb worked for a bit but started becoming a bit predictable. in hindsight, i suppose it was fine that we kicked the FG to go to 14-6 at the half, but man was i steamed at the time. we had all the momentum for the TD there..
I never quit especially when victory against my personal arch-nemesis is at hand. The curse is still strong even with the lack of top talent on this team. I actually agree with the FG decision. You just had a turnover in the redzone previously and Craft's confidence was so poor, I could see Forcier getting some time practicing down on the field. And from where I sat, you could also hear Neuheisel's screams. Better to get points on the board rather than turn it over again especially with our past troubles this season. Either way, it's not a bad decision. The Dual QB got too predictable because we didn't use it effectively to air it out. Hypothetically, if the OL blocked better, teams would get more confused because both of the guys in the backfield can throw and run.
Regan, Penn and all other UCLA followers, what are your guys thoughts on the future of the team? Records? Possible bowl games? Certain players that will or do stand out?
Tough question. Right now the immediate future of the team is just about as unpredictable as Craft's performance. He goes south or struggles, and so does the team. He performs well, so does the team. Right now, we'll struggle to go .500 or even a bowl consideration. I don't know if Olson would return in top shape but lotta questions still need answering for this season alone. For the future, it's looking pretty decent. We had a good recruiting effort last offseason and the next is looking ok provided we get more OL, DL, and LB. We've got one of the best OC's and QB coaches in all of football with Norm Chow so that'll help bring in the recruits. Walker's always been great at getting top talent CB's. Currently our OL present and future looks a bit sketchy. Hard to tell about records but I believe if all our juniors stay (Moya, Kia, Austin especially), it'll look much better. We keep getting 4+ star talent in and we can finally make good on Neuheisel's vision for the team. I'd say at this pace, we could challenge U$C within the next 2-4 years. And that could include Rose Bowl visits and higher than .500 seasons. This team right now has had close games they should've won against better teams (Oregon, Fresno St.) and you'd think they can improve on that. Standout players on offense currently include Austin, Moya, both juniors. Rosario and Embree are freshman 6'4 WR's that run sub 4.5's who really showcased themselves against Stanford with crisp routes and sure hands. With solid QB play, they could be a force in the Pac-10 with their size and speed. Really just a glut of big target WR's who exhibit speed if you also include Dominique Johnson and Ketchum. Chane Moline's starting to show promise as a FB. Darius Savage and Sonny Tevaga are big guys to watch for at OG. In the future you may see some success out of a Derrick Coleman and Aundre Dean RBBC. If Micah Reed can stay healthy, he's got the size and smarts to be a very good C and possibly a draft pick. On defense, I think freshmen Steve Sloan and Akeem Ayers at LB will be able to make plays soon as starters and already showed glimpses. And they're pretty big MLB's at 6'3, 240lbs each. Rahim Moore is looking very promising at safety as a freshman and we have a great tradition recently at that position (Jarrad Page, Chris Horton). Haven't seen the freshmen DB's Aaron Hester, E.J. Woods, Anthony Dye but they're talented guys I'm paying attention to because they're all 6'0/5'11 corners with speed. Datone Jones has had limited exposure but he's shown he can get in the backfield and he could be a top DE in the near future.
interesting about Wopamo Osaisai. I dont know. I still like the ability. His flaw with me has been how he plays the ball in the air but that can easily be fixed with coaching. He can run with anyone on the hip. I havent really seen him have that bad of a game. maybe they'll show a replay this week ill check it out. OH Btw congrats on the win
That's true, he can't play the ball when it's in the air. It's not just coaching but absolute poor instincts which you can't coach, almost Vince Young bad. Very hilarious scene happened against a UCLA WR where Osaisai was trailing him, the ball was underthrown and ripe for Osaisai to pick it off if he would just turn his head. Instead, the WR did a loop around him, nabbed the ball while Osaisai was turning around wildly like a drunk man on a barstool, Osaisai was still looking up at the air and spinning while the safety made the tackle. And the pass interference call was just complete stupidity. You might as well bear hug him and it'd be less obvious. I don't doubt his speed but honestly, it's looking like you can train an Olympic sprinter better than him to play CB. Instincts are just not there and he just plays dumb when going back into coverage. Not a 1st day pick at all. Maybe just a late 2nd day but someone's going to gush over his combine stats and not notice he doesn't quite have much inside the skull. I figured it might be just a bad game but seeing the old Stanford games of this season, it's very commonplace and I also noticed he tends to tangent away from a WR on go routes which is pretty perplexing because the WR is running a straight line down the right side of the field and Osaisai starts lazily drifting left like he doesn't know what a go route is. Congrats to you guys too on the win against Michigan. I was shocked at the early boxscore before the half when they showed it on the scoreboard. Good luck against Ohio State.
Too bad Cal lost their ranking because it'd be nice to play another lower ranked team. Can't quite root against them as much since they're my dad's alma mater. We played them pretty well last year and that was when they had DeSean Jackson. Should be a good game over in Berkeley. Hopefully, we can get back some ground in the Pac-10.
Bad game vs. Cal. I wonder if Forcier's going to be given the nod. Rick is reevaluating it and considering Forcier's performance in limited reps, he may give him the starters job. We've got excellent WR's most are either really speedy and agile or are 6'3 with good speed. The OL needs some work though as do the LB's and CB's.
Norm Chow's really hitting his Hawaiian roots with 3 pretty good recruits from Hawaii. Current commits to watch for: 4-star QB Richard Brehaut - Reminds me a bit of Aaron Rodgers when he was in Cal. Pretty good feet in the pocket and on bootlegs. Leadership skills and a good arm for medium-short range throws. Ok arm strength and very quick release (he'll need that). 4-star DE Keenan Graham - Speedster DE may even project to OLB unless he bulks up. But I love his upside and agility. Good frame and technique so I think with a good training regimen, he can get that extra 15-25 pounds and not miss a bit on speed. 4-star OT Stanley Hasiak - Fills a huge need. Huge guy with strength. I think he may end up at guard or RT. Looks a lot like a poor man's Jonathan Ogden. If he can improve footwork and quickness, he could be yet another stud Pacific Islander offensive lineman. 3-star OLB Isaiah Bowens - Very athletic 6'3 LB with size and speed that most NFL LB's wish they had. What will determine whether he becomes a solid starter or NFL prospect is learning better technique, improving agility, and using his abilities to their max. 2-star WR Roby Toma - A versatile WR/PR/KR. Could be Austin's replacement down the line. Already helping the cause in trying to land Manti Te'o. Recruits Considering UCLA that I hope we get: 5-star LB Manti Te'o - Think Ray Maualuga. Two other fellow teammates have committed to UCLA and they've been helping Chow land Te'o, the top OLB in the nation. 4-star OT Michael Philipp - Another very strong offensive lineman. 4-star OG John Martinez - Is leaning very heavily towards UCLA.
Eh, it's a rebuilding effort. Probably why Neuheisel hasn't benched Craft yet. We have a very impressive WR crew but we just don't have the QB to throw it to them. OL is a bit better at run blocking than pass-blocking but they're really contingent on injuries right now. He certainly is. If we land him, it'd be a coup. From what I've heard, all his teammates and friends are trying to convince him to wear blue and gold. Worst case scenario is he goes the Trojans and essentially becomes a Maualuga clone.
Rivals High - Younger Favre sets Mississippi state record Interesting. He's a pretty darn good QB prospect and you gotta believe QB guru Chow's showing great interest. Good pedigree though.
Some quick bites: Neuheisel still doesn't bench Craft despite him scoring 28 points for the opposition which were the deciding points in the loss. Craft makes Ryan Leaf's NFL performance look like Dan Marino HOF-worthy performance. Yea, he has good work ethic but so does my co-worker and I don't think she's suiting up to play. I want to see what Forcier can do against $C. Onto Bball, Holliday has his first 20 point game. Guy's going to be a star if he gets minutes. I like him over "Can't get past the half court line" Collison already. Really hoping Drew Gordon and J'Mison Morgan get the start sometime this season. Keefe and Aboya are scrappers but they're too small and have too little offense skills to start.
USC will wear their home jersey's at the Rose Bowl...kind of disrespectful lol. Rivals.com College Football - USC will pay price to wear home jerseys at UCLA
I would love nothing more than to see that bite Carroll in the rear. Speaking of which, the cashier was kinda disrespectful today at McDonalds here. He went to $C. Got $20 on you guys against Bama.
