Outside Pressures Building On Dorrell

by Nestor on Jul 10, 2007 4:52 PM PDT in Football Comment 20 comments

I think we may just be seeing signs of outside pressures starting to grow on Dorrell. Yesterday DD pointed out the Blue Ribbon preview of UCLA in ESPN, which essentially amounted to a vote of no confidence on Karl Dorrell.

Now once again as we have made the distinction tons of time that was a prediction on how UCLA football will perform under the leadership of Karl Dorrell. In terms of expectations check out what Terry Bowden thinks how UCLA should perform this upcoming season. Here is Bowden in Yahoo Sports (emphasis ours):

If there ever were a chance for head coach Karl Dorrell to solidify his position at UCLA, this season should be it. The Bruins have more starters returning than any other team in the league, and with that number (20) spread out evenly over the offense and defense the team should be strong on both sides of the ball. The schedule also is favorable and could allow the Bruins to be 11-0 going into their regular-season finale with USC.

Obviously that perfectly jives with our expectations here on Bruins Nation.

It is also interesting that certain college football observers are already putting Dorrell on the hot seat. For instance, CoachesHotSeat, a site dedicated to tracking college football coaches who are going to be tracking coaches under pressure this season, already has Dorrell in their top-10 list of coaches in trouble.

Safe to say if UCLA football experiences more moments like these, Dorrell will be rapidly climbing up that list:

Yeap if see more endings/results like that game, you can bet Dorrell will be rocketing up this top-10 list.

So all those writers from the Daily Bruin (and apparently LA's traditional media in general) who are lurking on BN, perhaps this is the obvious story line you can write on in next couple of weeks. Because given Dorrell's track record finishing at the top of this list seems to be the only way he will ever finish on top of any list that is a result of performances (or in Dorrel's case lack of) on the field.

GO BRUINS.

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First Miami

and now ND. What have we done to deserve this? (To be fair, the replay of Cade's game was terrific.)

Here's to many more Highlight films and no more Lowlight reels for UCLA football.

by Barnes2JJ on Jul 10, 2007 5:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wait. We lost? HOW?

My reactions exactly.

* holds up glass for the toast *

This is what's pop'n

by PopnFried on Jul 10, 2007 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lowlight football reels

Here are the games that still bug me wrt to UCLA football (I started following UCLA from 1988):

v WSU (1988)
v Michigan (1989)
v Southern Cal (1990)
v Cal (1991)
@ Stanford (1991)
@ Arizona (1992)
v Nebraska (1993)
v ASU (1993)
v Wisconsin (1994)
v Kansas (1996)
v ASU (1996)
@ WSU (1997)
v Tenn (1997)
v Wisconsin (1998)
@ Oregon St (1999)
v Southern Cal (2000)
v Wisconsin (2000)
@ Stanford (2001)
@ WSU (2001)
v Oregon (2001)
v Southern Cal (2001)
v Southern Cal (2002)
@ Colorado (2003)
@ Stanford (2003)
@ WSU (2003)
v Southern Cal (2003)
v Fresno St (2003)
@ ASU (2004)
v Southern Cal (2004)
v. Wyoming (2004)
@ Arizona (2005)
v Southern Cal (2005)
@ Washington (2006)
@ Oregon (2006)
v WSU (2006)
v Florida St (2006)

All these games are burned into my head.

The general common denominator behind all these losses: bad coaching.

by Nestor on Jul 10, 2007 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm speechless

Is the first game on your list, the 1988 Wazzu game, the one where we were ranked #1 in the country, and at home, with T. Aikman on the 5 yard line (or around there) and we couldn't punch it in?

That game just ruined me. Ranked #1 for one week and we blew it at home.

by Barnes2JJ on Jul 10, 2007 7:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I remember sitting @ the 20 yard line

during this game, right behind the Wazzu bench, North end of the Rose Bowl. Man, that was hard to take.

by TheStick on Jul 10, 2007 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not my list...

But yeah, that was the game. Aikman hit Arbuckle with a 34-yarder to get us to the 6, then four straight incompletions, Aikman dropping back each time, no play-action, no rollouts, just failure IIRC. I was in the student section for that one (my senior year) and the atmosphere walking out from the section was funereal. WSU was very good that year, I think they finished 10-2, but we should not have lost that game. I got back to my house and threw my TV out my third-story window when the ESPN highlights came on-I was really drunk by then.

Second most painful game for me in all my years. It was topped only by the USC game the year before with the Affholter non-catch in the end zone.

by ucladj89 on Jul 11, 2007 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

Both of those were more painful than the 1998 Miami game? Must have been horrible...because I was going to jump out of a window that day.

by tasser10 on Jul 11, 2007 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

KD = Trauma for Nestor & me

My list is similar to yours. 14 out of 36 (39%)games were giftwrapped by KD. Man, that is a lot of heartache caused by one stinkin' coach.

Put up or shut up! If not, I'd be happy to light the match that will turn that hot seat into a blazing inferno.

by BlueReign on Jul 10, 2007 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

@ Notre Dame 2006 didn't make your list, but @WSU and v Tenn 1997 (2 losses right before our 20 game win streak and our 66-6 demolishing of Texas) did!

That's a lot of pain right there!

by godblesstyus95 on Jul 11, 2007 7:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

Don't see @Miami 1998, but since you did a whole write up on that game just a few days ago, I'll assume that's on there as well.

by godblesstyus95 on Jul 11, 2007 7:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

simple answer to your Q

What have we done to deserve this? Hire mediocre head coaches.

by Nestor on Jul 10, 2007 5:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Ugh

So true.

I won't be hitting the beach like DD, but there's a martini somewhere with my name on it.

by Barnes2JJ on Jul 10, 2007 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

why the heck did I watch that trainwreck again

"and the legend of Brady Quinn continues ..." bullshit. That just pisses me off. I live 2 blocks from the beach in part for times like this. Im outta here.

by DumpDorrell on Jul 10, 2007 5:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

When I hear about "expectations"...

... I'm reminded of a scene from "The West Wing."

It was a flashabck scene, where the future Chief of Staff tells the future President why, of all people, he picked HIM to run. With some modifications, I think it can apply here:

Because I'm tired of it. Year after year after year after year, having to choose between the lesser of 'who cares?'

Of trying to get myself excited about a coach who can speak in complete sentences!

Of setting the bar so low I can hardly look at it.

They say that UCLA can't win the Pac-10 Championship. I don't believe that.

DO YOU?

WHY NOT US? WHY NOT NOW?

by Meriones on Jul 10, 2007 5:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

that makes me sick to my stomach

by bruin95 on Jul 10, 2007 6:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

What are you all talking about?

"That was fun!"
---Karl Dorrell at post-game press conference after leading his team to defeat.

by Ajax on Jul 10, 2007 7:49 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

As he sat there grinning

reeking of moral victory yet again.

by bluegold on Jul 10, 2007 7:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bowden is not alone

in seeing UCLA as primed for a strong year.

I believe someone else has mentioned this in recent days, but Phil Steele, in his preseason guide (newsstand only) stated that due to the favorable schedule and returning starters, that the Bruins could be 11-0 going into the USC game, and should be favored in all of those games (pre-USC). While this is his best case scenario, the actual prediction for the Bruins is a 3rd place Pac-10 finish (#21 overall).

Going by the 2-deep, Steele cites the Bruins as the most experienced BCS-conference team, and 2nd most in Division 1-A, behind only one of the military academies (West Point?).

by bruinhoo on Jul 10, 2007 9:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs