And I think I said this over at Addicted to Quack “Our defense is good, you will come to know this whatever the outcome tomorrow.” I’ve never felt more prophetic than that. Our defense needs the offense to show up once. We were respectable here and that is all we can ask for after the first 2 minutes or so of the second half.

And frankly I’m not sure where to start.

All I know is I am one UNHAPPY camper tonight. Gonna need some cold Coors Light to get me through this night.

1. Brehaut much better looking as a passer today than Prince – no contest. Better mechanics, better zip on the ball, only real knock is speed of getting rid of the ball, and that takes some reps. Prince gets points for guts, but his passing mechanics don’t compare to the true freshman’s.
2. Defense played solidly, gave up only 10 points – that’s good enough to win.
3. When does the ROI on Norm Chow start to pay dividends? Right now it looks more like the Goldman Sachs bailout. Some of the red-zone problems this year are play-callng,
4. Much better on penalties, but the lapses at key moments more costly.

First time in 20 years as student and alum that I have left a game early – I left right after the third TD by Oregon. It made me sad but I realized that there was no way that the Bruins could could score 1 much less 3 times on Offense.

It was clear sittting in the RB that the Bruins had out played Oregon in the first half and I actually held high hopes for the 2nd Half despite not getting the TD on the board and getting robbed the refs on the non-PI call.

Twice in the red zone without any points was brutal – 1st at the 1 and 1st at the 12. Pathetic.

Does someone want to explain to me how Chow is the “genius” again? I haven’t seen it in his time with the Bruins, regardless of personnel challenges.

I hope all the Craft Haters/Brehaut+Prince Lovers are happy now, clearly there is little difference now, even if you could argue that there is potential. Not sure how throwing Brehaut to the lions in a very difficult situation in the 2nd Half makes sense if CRN didn’t do it at Stanford, but whatever.

The defense played pretty well but the inability of the defense to tackle properly the elusive LaMichael James was only too obvious, especially on the Oregon drive after the Prince fumble.

As N says “Winnable Game” – get used to it, that will be THE common thread of the season at the end.

People in the RB were already saying “hopefully Oregon will beat $c” or “maybe we can beat $c”. Pathetic. Why do we based our whole raison d’etre on those cheaters from across town? How about we just take care of business ourselves for once?

I’m not sure the team recovers from this loss. 5-7 is very likely in my opinion with wins versus WSU and either UW or ASU at home.

Just feeling like I’m Charlie Brown and CRN is Lucy with the football, pulling it out AGAIN. I really believed that this team could win today and to give it away like that is really a shame. Unfortunately we may be feeling like that at the end of the season as well.

I’m not sure you can put this on Prince. Being out for three weeks, Neu has to go into this game figuring that either he’s the best qb. I mean, when Prince first went out against Tenn, Neu pretty much said that Prince wouldn’t automatically start because of injury. That said, the start of the game saw Prince overthrow a BUNCH of receivers.

They have some big play ability, but I just don’t see enough big plays made by the offense, and that is what is killing them. Carroll should have caught that long pass even if he was being interfered because it was right in his hands. Paulsen open in the endzone. It’s these plays that are separating them from being mediocre to being above average offensively. It seemed like every big play that they made from passes were coming from simple screens or rollouts. A lot of work needs to be done with this team to get better, but there just does not seem to be any improvement on the offensive end of the ball.

Logan Paulsen yet? One good catch and run today – heck, maybe his best all season. 5 years in the program with his size there should be far more production from him. Can’t tell if that’s all on him or on Craft Prince – seemed like Brehaut had zero trouble finding the TEs on his first action – zip delivery passes to both Moya and Paulsen on the first series.

That play calling was horrible. How about moving the QB out of the pocket once in a while? It worked against Tennessee. How about a trick play or some misdirection? How about passing on first down some time before you’re down 3 TDs? This loss is not on the kids, it’s on the coaches.

Sorry missed that – too amped to post. Could not agree more

Weren’t there like 30 recruits at that game (per J Gold)? Thank god we locked up Malcolm Jones last week (even if we were already ok at RB).

trouble, especially on early drives, is a huge issue. Last week was brutal with Embree running wrong route and they couldn’t get 7 with good drive. Today, down to the 1, QB sneaks, and can’t get in. Bad play calling on that one . sets the tone for the game, has to be overcome.

The MOST irritating thing about Norrie isn’t his past life regression through the classic rock FM playlist, it is his mastery of the obvious – his penchant for stating the self-evident in a voice and cadence which purports to impart the wisdom of the ages – he’s on his way to becoming the Dennis Miller of CFB.

3rd and goal on the one yard line and NORM CHOW…calls 2 quarterback sneaks…with the 2nd one coming out of a timeout…WTF!!!…it was the play calling that hurt us their…or the lack of ANY IMGINATION IN PLAY CALLING…

but Norrie just goes too far with some of that stuff. Salivating over Barkley and Oregon. Agree on stating the obvious.

so let me start with the positive

thought the defense played pretty well, though temper that with Oregon smartly realized we can’t score touchdowns so going conservative the entire second half after getting an 18 point lead.

We went for at on 4th down and didn’t settle for a field goal.

We landed Chris Ward as a recruit today, a highly touted OL from Mater Dei, which is a big SUC school.

Now the negatives:

Special Teams is terrible. CFG needs to be fired. The unit gets worse week to week and there is no reason for Austin, our slowest returner, to be returning punts or kicks.

After another week of hearing about opening up the offense, we ran exactly the same unimaginative risk averse garbage we have been running all year.

Use of time outs to call a qb sneak and a field goal show indecision or lack of execution which is inexcusable in a staff’s 17th game. Too much slopiness

Offensive line and qbs took a step back, looked like they did last year.

but shouldn’t we take a look at the receivers? Seriously, is anyone else pretty frustrated at embree, TA, and Co? It just seems like it’s pretty dull and lifeless in that department. Rush is improving, I like what I see. QB talent is there, but play calling has got to be better with more efficient use of personnel. Defense is great, with the occasional lapse, but can you really fault them if they’re on the field that long and for merely field goals no less? 2 completely winnable games gone to shit… arrrrrgghhhh, the frustration! :(

the older guys just don’t have enough talent to give us a chance. I would rather take our lumps this year like Miami did last year, and get these guys experienced and better.

Our seniors outside the TEs are just not very talented.

But there were some major positives today. Step back for a second. Six weeks into the season, Oregon looks like the top team in the conference (Stanford and USC are the other 2 in the running). We absolutely shackled them in the first half. We were a poor playcalling and blocking sequence from being up 10-0. They made two, game changing plays in the first minute of the second half and then recovered another turnover one minute later that led to a short field and a 21-3 lead. It’s not that we didn’t back down that was impressive. Playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores, we were nonetheless able to regain our composure after that and make it somewhat interesting. Our next opponent, Cal, is a stark contrast, with the way they folded after about 15 minutes against Oregon and USC. That is why I like our chances next week.

Yes, we have deficiencies. No, we are not one of the top 3 teams in the Pac-10. However, having played two of them and seen that we played them tougher than their other conference victims does make me think that we have some potential to finish strong this year. How do we do it? We need to win next week, and win one of our next two road games (arizona and osu). Do that, and we’ll be 5-3 with our easiest 3-game stretch: UW, @WSU, ASU. Take care of business there, and we could be 8-3 before the last game.

Last year, we were pathetic, losing games by a ton of points and not showing toughness when we fell behind. This year, we are tougher up front, give our guys time to throw. We need more playmakers to make plays, obviously. To be 3-2 with two of the 3 toughest Pac-10 teams behind us is not such a bad place to be.

Something happened in the half. either the Defense checked out, or something else happened but the players just come out less focused and in tune with things.

The coach has to assess that, and try to correct it.

The other thing is, we shouldn’t change threads during the half if we’re winning. We should only change thread if we don’t have momentum. It’s superstitious, but whatever.

…that we have lost 7 OF 9 to Oregon now. I know that we had to weather the KD experiment and they have had some good teams, but that’s really unacceptable.

If you think we’ll win at Autzen next year (or Berkeley or Seattle, the list goes on) with another year of experience and the current coaching lineup (particularly CNC), you’re reaching. Road schedule next year is brutal and the PAC-10 is only getting better.

Not to mention that Carter, ATV, Bosworths (likely Price) and pretty much the heart of the D are gone.

This was the year to make a statement, and saying “wait until next year” is getting a bit old after 10 years of a proud program largely brought low.

And gloating over $c losses or possibly even beating them isn’t going to take that horrible feeling away, at least for me.

Sorry for the negativity but today as N says was clearly the worst loss in two years (even worse than the no-show at BYU IMO).

I am hopeful that we will be able to pull off another 3 wins. Obviously, I would want us to finish better than that, but our offense relies heavely on forbath. We show promise. Cal went down 42-3. It’s our second year with a new coaching staff and we’re getting some good recruits. Let’s continue supporting our team and staff as they try to improve from their 4-8 record last year. With that, let’s focus on cal. Btw, Oregon state is scoring at will on Stanford

Ricky Stanzi doing his best Kevin Prince impersonation from earlier today had his first pass picked off and ran back to the house by the Wolverines.

I may need more Coors Light tonight than what I originally bargained for.

I would hardly call this game an implosion by the bruins. I think you need to man up and give credit to the Ducks for making big plays. Oregon returned a kickoff for a TD. Our corner TJ3 made a great read and jumped on a pick6. And Kenny Rowe forced a fumble. That isn’t gift wrapping anything, those are plays and points earned.

and i’d say the Bruins D can thank Costa for the lack of points. meaning, Prince really wasn’t that big of a factor. it was costa’s inexperience.

as for your 4th and inches at the goaline effort, more credit needs to Oregon for that, too! I don’t blame you if you haven’t watched Oregon’s previous winning efforts this season, but our defense has come up big time and time again. stopping UCLA at the goal line is no fluke.

Stanzi atones for his early mistake and it’s 7-7 in Iowa City.

Also, I see the CU has Texas in a bit of a hole early on down in Austin and the Buffs lead 14-3. Hawkins needs a big win as his ass in on the hot HOT seat.

I can’t figure it out. He must have pictures of CRN with a goat because the special teams gets worse game to game. Why have a special teams coach if he doesn’t improve the unit?

Forcier looks good on long drive to put Michigan back in front 14-10.

…Stanford run roughshod over our ‘stout’ defense last game and now Gerhart only has 59 yards in a blowout in Corvallis.

Amazing what getting out in front and making the other team pass will do for you.

Amazing what actually preparing for a very predictable offense will do for you.

Hawkeyes regain lead at home in Iowa City 20-14 in entertaining game.

Have to admit I’m shocked at what Oregon St. is doing to Stanford. Kirk Herbstreit was on the verge of falling in love with Stanford this A.M. on College Gameday.

KSU getting pasted early in second half my Texas Tech…

51-7

really holding out hope for this era but I am PUZZLED at some other teams out there that are able to manufacture so much more with much less than we have on the sideline and on the field.

I think we lost all the momentum we had built up on our offense this year when KP got injured at Tenn. The entire team stunk it up today in the 2nd half. It’s not all on KP but he regressed and it clearly showed when compared against Brehaut. Demoralizing for players and fans. If Aliotti is blitzing every down why the hell didn’t we call more screens more, dump offs, something. Offensive playcalling was horrible. WTF kind of home game was this in front of a huge recruiting party. Just great. We gave the effing game away in 2 minutes.

Hawks able to move the ball against Wolverines but seem to have trouble finding the end zone which, somewhat frighteningly, kind of reminds me of our current offensive woes.

And I so have a headache after watching this game. The attempts by our offense to punch the ball into the end zone three times without success. I was sitting with the UCLA Alumni Band right on the end zone and our line didn’t budge the Ducks one inch! The implosion…the interception…Kevin Prince looking simply lost…the buzz when Brethaut suddenly is standing on the field and looking pretty good…the missed tackles on defense…the dropped balls by the receivers…probably the most complete breakdown by a UCLA football team that I have seen in a very, very long time.

I stayed until the very, very end of the game. Most of the announced crowd of 77,000+ had already left and I was watching the players walk into the tunnel looking dejected and angry. Then I heard CRN’s voice. He had taken the microphone in front of the student section and was pleading with those still in the RB to stand with him and the team. I looked at hundreds of people walking up the stairs without looking at the coach or stopping to listen. CRN said something like “We didn’t play well today and I want to thank you for being here and I am asking you to hang in there with us. We will get better. Please come out and watch us play Cal next week.” And it just broke my heart.

This football program is just one big gnarly bunch of problems, challenges and yes upside potential. I still think that we have the best coaching staff in the country and we just have to stay the course and support this team. Not excuse them for the stuff that they can control on the field, but we need to stand with them. They will make us all proud to be Bruin football fans. I’m sure of it.

Hawks take advantage of good field position and Stanzi throws his 2nd TD toss of the night to put Iowa up 30-21 in the 4th quarter.

Still, a lot of time left and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Forcier work some more magic to try and get Michigan closer. I think that’s what we’re looking for in our young QB’s: Someone with that “it” factor. Don’t think we’ve had anyone like that since #18 graced the Rose Bowl field along with other Pac 10 venues.

Am I missing something here. With a 4 – 2 start in sight, where is the cause for such discontent. As I mentioned last week, most people were expecting a 6 – 6 season with a minor bowl. So why all of the sudden is there so much discontent?

Yes, the Bruins had a special team lapse, the starting QB threw an ill advised out pattern, and the defense gave up two huge runs. Take the special teams lapse off the board, and the interception for a TD, and the game is tied.

I agree that you should be able to punch the ball in with first and goal. Two more red zone stalls obviously hurts. There were coaching errors, too. But please, this is what a team with growing pains does (trust me, I’ve been living and dying UCLA football outcomes since 1974). In fact I hate losing more than anyone I have ever met. Yet, what is to be expected with a team against the #13 team at this point in the program? Seriously, young teams come together later in the season, or has anyone looked up the record of then QB Neuheisel’s Rose Bowl championship team after 5 games?

This is legitimately a 7 – 5 team that is coming together. I guarantee a win over Cal, Washington, WSU, and ASU. Every other game will likely be close. This team is developing character, and I hope the fan base is following suit.

Iowa squeezes out a 30-28 win vs. Wolverines. Wouldn’t shock me at all to see my alma mater playing on our home field on January 1.

Lets start this off with Oregon is a VERY good team. We are not. The worst loss in Neuheisel era, are you kidding me? Anyone remember BYU 59, UCLA 0?

This game came down to big plays, Oregon made 3 (KR for TD, Int for TD, Fumble that led to TD), we made 1 (Int for TD).

Calling for Norm Chow’s head? Are we crazy?!? We are questioning one of the greatest offensive coaches in college football today? This guy has coached more heisman players than anyone else in these forums.

Now lets talk about the offense. Yes they suck, but there are 8 first year starters on offense this year, what do you expect of them? The entire offensive line is 1st year starters, 2 Fresh, 2 Soph, 1 JC transfer. The entire backfield are first year starters, all Fr or Soph. The QBs are first year starters. We have a Senior FB, a senior TE, and a senior WR (the rest of the WRs are Fr/Soph). You really expect FR/Soph to be able to hang with the Oregon defense, which is a pretty damn good defense?

These young offensive linemen need a few years to really be able to dominate. As bad as you want to say the QBs were – our rushing game sucked. 2.0 yards per carry. You really expect a freshman QB to carry you when the running game is getting nothing?

Yes it sucks watching them only score 3 points. But can you imagine how dominant this offense will be in 3 years? They are GOING to suck this year. They’ll be good next year. They’ll be great in 2 years. In 3 years, they’ll be one of the top 5 offenses in the country, provided that we don’t overreact, start firing coaches early, leading to coaching inconsistencies that always force players to take a step back.

Now, looking at this game, the positives:
We didn’t make any stupid penalties. A HUGE step forward.
The defense played well – 10 points given up.
Brehaut looks confident, and looks like a natural passer. Excited to see what this guy can do in a few years.

As for Prince, the guy had his jaw broken a few weeks ago. I’m sure he got some practice in but he’s gotta be rusty.

Yes, it sucked everything went downhill in 4 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Had those TDs been spread out over the course of the game, would it have made a difference?

We gave up a TD on special teams. We couldn’t punch it into the endzone (with 5 1st year starting Olinemen) in the first quarter. Take those two plays out and it’s a whole different ballgame – that’s pretty decent against a team that utterly destroyed Cal. The other mistakes you expect from such a young team.

I don’t see it the way a lot of the other commentators see it. Sure, the game was a disaster. And what should we have expected? We are a mediocre team—but the last two years we were a dreadful, absolutely dreadful team. This site has laid it out time and time against. It is a manifestly understated football truism—Coach Dorrall was an unsuccessful recruiter as evidenced by the absence of UCLA players being chosen in early NFL draft rounds. What amounts to one and one-half recruiting cycles is not going to put us in the Top 10.

About a decade ago, I had lunch with Gary Beban. You can imagine what an honor it was. He exemplifies UCLA—intellect, class, and beating inmate O.J. Simpson’s distinguished alma mater. And I asked Mr. Beban, "Is there much difference between an excellent Division I football team and a lousy team?" He said the difference is really "very little" and I am pretty sure those were his exact words. Call it game of inches or what can happen if your great quarterback is injured (ala the New England Patriots last year), but the game is complex and there are so many talented players and coaches. The truth is we are step or two away from being able to beat the likes of Oregon.

Look at it this way. Richard Brehaut is 18 years old. Kevin Prince is 19 years old. Old pro Alterraun Verner, an absolutely special Bruin, if we do not get into a bowl game, will start for 4 years at UCLA and never play a down when he is older than 20 years of age. My point—the team that just got rolled by Oregon—is young in age and experience. Our coaches are experienced and able. And if Mr. Beban is right, and you know he is, the difference between a mediocre team like us and a Top 25 team is very little. Hope and victory are on the way.

I think there are a few reoccuring problems.

1-If you watch the games closely, every game our opponent has a ball fake that completely dekes the cameraman. I don’t remember a single time this season where that has happened when we have had the ball.

2-We have very little misdirection. As a result, teams are confident to pin their ears back and come after us knowing they won’t get burned by doing so.

3-Have we ever run the ball out of the shotgun this year? Virtually everyone we have played against has done it and with great success.

4-We seem to run our offense at “33 rpm” when our opponents run theirs at “45 rpm” or 78 rpm." Perhaps the one exception is Franklin.

5-It appears Coach Chow is used to 23 year olds or a line full of all americans to run his offenses. He doesn’t have the luxury of a line that will protect forever while the play slowly unfolds.

To sum up, all of our plays develop way too slowly and we should be adding mis-direction and really sell our ball fakes (instead of the almost slow motion way our QB’s extend their arm to hand off tipping the world HEY, THIS WILL BE A RUNNING PLAY! GOT IT?)

Our line needs all the help it can get as they can only protect for so long.

I don’t mean to intrude on what I know from painful experience is a tough moment.

BUT, your offense may not be in as much trouble as you think.

In the last three games the Ducks have surrendered 19 points. The drive the Bruins mounted for it’s field goal was, by far, the longest in that group. In fact, the total yards gained in all the other scoring drives COMBINED is -7.

I’m as amazed as everyone else is. The Duck D was NEVER EVER supposed to be a wall. It wasn’t even supposed to be particularly good. But, truth is, it’s far, far better than anyone, and I do mean anyone, expected.

Some surprises are pleasant ones.