Flashpoint

by Nestor on Oct 12, 2006 5:48 AM PDT in Football Comment 13 comments

While Pat Cowan is getting ready for the biggest road game (to date) of the season, Ben Olson is working hard on rehab and fighting to come back sooner than anyone expects. According to Ben, he may be back by the Washington State game (emphasis mine):

UCLA quarterback Ben Olson, on crutches and on his way to a third rehab session Wednesday, predicted he would be back from a tear in the medial collateral ligament in his left knee faster than anyone anticipates.

"I will be back for Washington State," Olson said, pausing for emphasis between each word.

Olson was injured in the first quarter of the Bruins' 27-7 victory over Arizona on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, and the initial prognosis was that while surgery was not required he would be out 4-6 weeks.

UCLA plays Washington State on Oct. 28, which would put him back in game preparation just two weeks after the injury.

Olson said the same to Jill Painter from the Daily News. The one thing I hope is Ben doesn't push this too hard. Elite athletes like Olson are often so competitive that they forget their natural limitations. As a Forty Niner fan I still have nightmares about Jerry Rice, who tried to return earlier than he should have (after he was injured for the first time in his incredible career), and ended up reinjuring himself in a Monday Night game. He was never quiet the same afterwards. Anyways we all want a swift and complete recover/rehab for Ben, but given the confidence everyone is showing in Pat, let's hope he doesn't rush back at the expense of doing any further damage to his knee. Ben is going to have his moments at UCLA before he leaves Westwood.

Speaking of confidence in Pat, Dohn has a nice profile of Cowan, which notes an important distinction between the scenario Cowan found himself against Arizona vs. the one he may experience this Saturday:

[T]he performance against the Wildcats came in a surprise situation, when there was little time for nerves to register and the opposition had no scouting report.

Cowan is spending this week as UCLA's most important player, and with Oregon's defensive coaches game-planning to stop him.

Whereas Arizona appeared clueless in how to defend Cowan rolling out and finding oodles of open receivers, the Ducks should be prepared for it.

"(Cowan) ran the ball well, moved the offense well and threw some passes under duress for touchdowns to win the game," Ducks coach Mike Bellotti said. "I think he's done a great job so far, and we don't have a lot of (tape) to go by."

There are off-the-field issues associated with being UCLA's starting quarterback, and Cowan is experiencing them for the first time, although the program is isolating him from some perceived distractions.

He was not made available to the media Monday, meaning after Tuesday's practice was the only time he was available. During most weeks, UCLA quarterbacks are available Monday and Tuesday.

But if UCLA wants to keep him away from the media pressure, how will he react to 58,000 Oregon green and gold-clad fans Saturday at Autzen Stadium, one of the noisiest venues in the West?

Guess we will find out the answers this Saturday. Right now though Dorrell, his coaches, and players exuding confidence in PC. Here is Svoboda in the LA Times today:

"Pat is a guy who has always been meticulous with his preparation," said Svoboda of Cowan, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns against Arizona. "He's a blue-collar guy who likes playing ... he likes every phase of being a player.

"We are not changing a thing. We will continue to progress in the direction that we want to go. I guess the biggest change is that we have all right-handers now."

Well I guess we will see if the Bruins' play can match their game week confidence at Eugene this weekend. We sure hope so. As noted earlier Dorrell's team needs to go at least 2-2 in this upcoming 4 game stretch if they want to keep hopes alive to meet the minimum expectations for this season.

This is certainly not one of those "program-maker" games but it is an important one. A win over Oregon (which is hurting on defense) could become a huge momentum boost for Dorrell's program going into South Bend. As our poll indicates on the right at this point of the season, Oregon probably provides Dorrell the best chance to pick up his first win against a team with a winning record on the road. If he gets it done on Saturday, it will take huge pressure of him and rest of the program psychologically heading into South Bend. They will head into the ND game with all the momentum, and no real pressure to win that game. They would be able to play with nothing to lose and unleash the new Bruin defense on Brady Quinn. If they lose though then all the self-doubts will creep in because it will become obvious (at least record wise losing all games this season to opponents who are in top-30) that they are probably not that good, despite their head coach mouthing off before the season started that this is probably the best team he has had in Westwood. Of course if the Bruins had beaten Washington, they wouldn't have been in this predicament (but we will not bring it up anymore).

So that's what's at stake this weekend's game, which is a flash point for rest of the season. It will be interesting to see how Dorrell responds to the pressure against playing a good team on the road. So far he hasn't delivered. Let's hope he can reverse the trend this weekend.

GO BRUINS.

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A win on the road vaults us in to the top 25!

This is a HUGE game for our team. I can't stress it's importance enough. To defeat a top 25 team in what is arguably the loudest stadium in the country will be HUGE for our program. This is our chance to vault in to the top 25. This is a must win if we want any kind of momentum going in to South Bend. GO BRUINS!!!! WE WILL EXCEED THE EXPECTATIONS SET FORTH!!!!!

by bruinelder on Oct 12, 2006 9:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I tore my MCL - B.O. back for WSU not likely (imo)

With all due respect to Olson, and fully hoping he can return for the WSU game, I highly doubt it with his injury. A sprained MCL, or grade II tear, while not close to the seriousness of an ACL tear is still a serious injury.

I had the exact same injury a couple years back, and while I did not have UCLA trainers attending to it 3 times a day, it was 2 months before I could even jog with confidence. The pain fades very slowly, and the stability returns even more slowly I found.

I still feel that injury sometimes stretching, and the stability never came back 100%.

Like I said, fully admire his attitude, but unless the sprain is very mild (which would not warrant the 4-6 weeks announcemnt) I think it probably more likely to count on OSU rather than WSU for his return...

by SouthBayBarney on Oct 12, 2006 10:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am with you on this

I sure hope Ben doesn't rush back. Not worth it.

by Nestor on Oct 12, 2006 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Age affects it

Not sure your ages, but as I have found out over the years, it pays to be young.....

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on Oct 12, 2006 10:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

On Age...

I was 28 when I tore mine, so I'm sure an extra 5 years and the normal 4-days-a-week physical therapy program cost me something on my recovery in comparison.

But is there any way I can see recovering from this injury in 3 weeks (at ANY AGE), ready to play quarterback for UCLA?

I seriously doubt it. But perhaps, with a little divine intervention...

I kid, I kid.

by SouthBayBarney on Oct 12, 2006 10:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

On Rushing it...

Great point Nestor. The only thing that saved his ACL was the fact his MCL took the heat on that hit (and it was not a stronger blow).

Rushing back and playing with a weak MCL puts you at much higher risk of blowing an ACL and/or PCL, even WITH the robo-brace.

Were this his senior year, might be worth a push. But with two more years of eligibility, play it safe, play it smart.

by SouthBayBarney on Oct 12, 2006 10:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

And I also think the coaches need to play a smart role in this. Coach up Pat so that he is put in best position to win on the road. I sure hope they don't shackle him with conservative/predictable play calling the way Ben was shackled during Rice and UDub.

Morever, they need to make sure Osaar Rasshan is ready getting him necessary reps in practice:

by Nestor on Oct 12, 2006 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Since no one's saying it, I will

Everything that I've seen transpire in the past few days has led me to believe that we are heading toward a Corey Paus/JP Losman or Drew Olson/Matt Moore situation. What happens when Ben Olson comes back? Does Pat Cowan get put back on the shelves near the back of the store? The past couple games people have been complaining about conservative and poor play-calling. Pat Cowan was quoted as saying he merely ran the plays the coaches called for him and many people on this site voiced their opinions that even in the absence of Olson, the coaches called the game conservatively. Well, that aside, what I saw was this:

Pat Cowan made it happen on two key drives and probably would have made it happen on a third had his wideouts helped him out with a couple of passes that should have been caught. He displayed mobility and accuracy on the run and in the pocket and a very strong arm. Most importantly, Ben Olson had a knock in spring practice that he wasn't deciding quick enough.. that he wasn't reading defenses and making quick decisions and that is what I saw happen in past 2-3 games. There were moments of greatness, but he held the ball too long and frequently halted his delivery, pulled back- these instances resulted in INTs and incomplete passes.

If Pat runs the offense smoothly and we pick up a few wins against top competition. The coaches are gonna have a difficult decision to make. Everything that I'm seeing feels indicative of an impending controversy - the quarterback not chosen might really really be disappointed enough to transfer just like Losman and Moore.

by bostonusurf on Oct 12, 2006 12:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Corey Paus/JP Losman

Paus/Losman never even devloped into a QB controversy. Per rumors on various UCLA boards Paus and his team-mates drove Losman gave him a stiff shoulder when he showed up early at UCLA. Losman was reportedly incredibily cocky who came in with a sense of entitlement, but totally whined and cracked under pressure when he faced the defense in practice. There was never any controversy.

Now Moore/Olson situation may be more telling.

But it is still incredibily premature to even suggest the existence of a QB controversy given Cowan has played only 3 quarters. Read Dohn's article. Even he said how Cowan is going to face a different situation now that the opponent will have time to prepare and scout him. Lets see how he does in next 4 games.

by bluestreet on Oct 12, 2006 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

QBs

I never said Losman/Paus was a controversy. I said if Cowan puts on a good showing the next few games before Olson is ready to return, the QB not chosen might be disappointed enough to transfer as Losman did and as Moore did.

Also Bluestreet, you probably know more about the Paus/Losman situation than I. All I know is Losman was reportedly unhappy because he thought he wasn't going to get a chance to play. Different situation than Moore/Olson and Cowan/Olson (God forbid we have have a controversy), but it still resulted in a transfer. Hope it isn't the case here.

You are also correct that it is premature to throw out the word controversy. I really hope Pat Cowan does well. I really like Ben Olson, but I'm a fan of putting the best QB out there possible. If, in the end, it means benching Olson and winning games, I'm for it.

by bostonusurf on Oct 12, 2006 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What trainer would sign off on Ben

in three weeks? four weeks? five weeks?

by cv on Oct 12, 2006 1:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WAY to early to say...

that we're headed for a quarterback controversy. Had Ben not gotten injured, he could have shredded the UA defense for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns. Plus, as mentioned in an article quoted on BN, Pat came in totally loose, with basically nothing to be nervous about. Much easier to come in like this vs. having the presure on you going in as the starting QB, with opposing defenses game-planning against you all week.

by norcalbruin95 on Oct 12, 2006 1:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs