FanPost

Dear UCLA

Bumped from the diaries. GO BRUINS. -N

Dear UCLA,

The forecast called for rain in the morning, but no one I know felt a drop.  It was another perfect day for football at the Rose Bowl.  You do have it lucky and every opposing fan I've spoken to this year agrees.

The tailgating was the best part of the day.

You won't like some of what I have to say but you need to hear it.

You are not going to beat Oregon.  You are not going to beat SuC.  There will be no miracles this year, even though I would love to see one or two.

It's not always about effort or coaching "hard" or giving "110%."  You are going to lose because you do not have an offense.  You're pretty good at field goals, and your special teams play is, overall, very good.  It keeps you in games, but only for a while.  In the end, you cannot win without an offense.  You couldn't even beat Notre Dame.

That's right--Notre Dame.  There's no need to re-analyze any game this season except for that one.  After the game yesterday, an ASU fan in front of me said to his friend, "We should have beaten them (UCLA) by 60 points.  I mean, they lost to Notre Dame."

Normally, I would have been pi*sed to hear someone say that in my house.  Not today.  You know why?  Number one, his statements were meant as a criticism of ASU and not of UCLA.  Second, he was right.  Think about it and you will agree.

I will say your playcalling has improved through the year.  I saw very few (if any) runs up the gut on first down.  I applaud you for this, but I wonder why it took 10 games for you to figure out that this play doesn't work.  I guess that's why Dorvell gets the big bucks and I'm just a fan.

I don't know if the key penalties--you know the ones--were legitimate or not.  The people in charge of "Bruin Vision" at the RB don't like to show replays of anything controversial.  I do know that penalties are the mark of an undisciplined team.  Sorry--that falls on the coaches.

My dear UCLA, I guess what disappoints me the most is that losing begets more losing.  It also leads to a losing attitude.  When I walked out of the RB after the Notre Dame game, the feeling among the fans was one of absolute shock.  Expectations for the team were still high but our playcalling, preparation and performance were disgraceful.

Yesterday, the feeling after the game was one of complete apathy.  It was almost as if everyone now expects to lose.  I'm starting to feel like a New Orleans Saints fan back in the "paper bag" days.  You put on your gear, you support your team, but in the end, you know you are going to lose.  I know UCLA is not as bad as those old Saints were, but I'm just trying to convey the mood and attitude.

It was been said on BN by many that ASU was very beatable.  They really were.  I don't know if they are just not very good, or if they had an off day, or what.  But if we had any sort of an offense, we would have won--easily, in my humble opinion.

OR was fun to watch.  He is big and fast and strong.  Sure, he made some "freshman" type mistakes (stayed in the pocket too long, forced a couple bad throws) but he also took some ferocious hits and kept on trying.  Put a healthy BO or PC in there against ASU and I think the game result ends up the same.  I really do.

I'm sorry, UCLA, but you are now at a crossroads.  What you have now is not working.  You can be a middle of the pack team who tries to "fix" things and "work and coach harder" each week, or you can chart a new path.  This season is over.  You will not beat Oregon and SuC.  It is not possible even if you give 110%.

I hope you "fix" things when the season is over.  Quite honestly, the season has been over for a long time.  Just replay the Notre Dame game.

Yours,

An apathetic fan in Section 17

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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