Keep (Bowl) Hope Alive: Resilient UCLA Beats Washington In A Heart Pounding Win
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 4:03 PM PST
in Football
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PrintWell it's over. The head scratching, heart breaking, suffocating, and frustrating losing streak is over. Bruins, thanks to a heart stopping interception from Rahim Moore (aided in part by Sheldon Price's great effort) pulled out a huge win over Washington Huskies, and kept their post-season hopes alive.
Bruins win by a score of 24-23. Here is the box score. Lot of things didn't go our way today. We turned the ball over 5 times. We lost our starting QB (who was on fire until he went out) to an injury in the first half. Our bend don't break defense looked as if it was going to break our hearts again. However, our boys just kept fighting and clawing throughout the whole game and got us a huge win.
Rahim Moore clinched the game. Terrence Austin had the spectacular TD catch which gave us life in the second half. Okay it is debatable whether it was a catch but prior to that play we got screwed in Franklin's fumble call, which led to a Husky TD. So they can't really complain. However, the game ball today IMHO goes to the Bruin OL, that did a spectacular job of providing both of our QBs time, who picked apart the Husky defense for 370 passing yards.
Of course we still have lot of issues with our team. While Terrence Austin had some great catches he cost us with a fumble. We also suffered from some really dumb penalties, which included costly mistakes from seniors such as Logal Paulsen. Still what I really like is how our boys haven't quit. They keep fighting and fighting. They are resilience and that speaks volumes in terms how they feel about CRN's leadership at UCLA.
Let's hope Kevin Prince is all right. He was being treated for concussion like syndrome after that hit. He looked ok in the sidelines and seemed completely plugged into the game. Let's hope he can come back. Meanwhile, despite couple of tough throws and bad snap, I though Craft did a great job of managing the game. Other notable mentions from today are Nelson Rosario, Derick Coleman, Milton Knox, Brian Price and Akeem Ayers. Rosario has now emerged as the go to guy among our receiving corps. Coleman was just solid and Knox showed how he can be a special player. On the defensive side Price and Ayers did their part in making Locker uncomfortable.
We will have lot more reflecting on this game. Hopefully we can build on the resiliencey we showed today (and actually through the whole season) and get a different kind of streak going for rest of this season. Oh, a quick note to the coaching staff. Those jerseys and gold heldmets are pretty freaking sweet. Can we stick with them for rest of the season?
Fire away with your post game thoughts (and use the fanposts if you want to throw up extensive reflections and analysis). Let's get the homecoming party started.
GO BRUINS.
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I think it was said late in the last thread
but Prince is our QB now
Craft is #2
and Brehaut the future
Congrats to all Bruins who have waited this long for a needed W
On to WSU – DO NOT OVERLOOK ANY OPPONENT
Especially Up There
You never know what the weather’s gonna be like up in Pullman.
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Nov 7, 2009 4:10 PM PST up reply actions
We can win the rest of games
We beat Washington who beat SC and we should have won the Oregon game. If we put everything together, we can do it! Go Bruins!
by NNL on Nov 7, 2009 4:58 PM PST up reply actions
I don't know
If Prince keeps playing the way he has been the last 2 games. I don’t forsee any other QB taking his place in the next 3 years.
Wow
Those throwback unis did look pretty cool.
Also, Stanford gets late FG to pretty much ice the game against Ducks.
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Nov 7, 2009 4:08 PM PST reply actions
They should roll into the Mausoleum in those threads.
A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden
I do have to give him props
for making adjustments in the second half.
He did
the question is … whether he will apply that lesson from the opening drives … or wait till we fall behind again?
Don't forget . .
. the 8-10 yard cushion he gives receivers.
Stanford
I heard Harbaugh’s got a kick ass recruiting class. Anyone confirm?
Hope not . .
. . bec/ he’s getting it done over there.
Because Bay Area teams should never, ever beat us!
Additionally, it annoys me how Tedford gets Cal to use “admission by exception rule” to get talented players who have no business being at Cal (academically).
Meh ... I am not worried about Bay Area programs
I don’t really buy about Cal’s admission rule I hear from UCLA coaches and fans. I have never seen any kind of written proof of that argument. So I just don’t buy it.
As for Stanford, I don’t think they will hold on to Harbaugh. I think if UCLA takes care of business (I think CRN will eventually) we are going to be just fine.
I Tend To Think The Same Thing
Especially if things don’t pan out in Ann Arbor with Rich Rodriguez. I think Michigan got beat at home AGAIN today – by Purdue no less.
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Nov 7, 2009 4:14 PM PST up reply actions
Yep
Chargers will also take a hard look at him when they get rid of their version of Karl Dorrell. Plus apparently he is good buddies with Al Davis.
Harbaugh is not an option for the Chargers
The Spanos family still feels burned by the last college coach they took…Mike Riley. Not that the Chargers record during that time was entirely Riley’s fault.
But good description of Norv Turner as Dorrellian…only moreso if that were possible.
Good to know
I will defer to Chargers’ fans in this case on what is going on behind their team. My take was based on general news reports.
The Raiders?
Harbaugh seems too smart to go there.
by SuperBruinMan on Nov 7, 2009 6:54 PM PST up reply actions
Lots of NFL teams should go after him
after seeing how well his brother has been doing.
And Stanford really plays like a Pro team.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
The Raiders are for coaches desperate to get a head coaching gig
so I agree that Harbaugh would never go there with Al in charge.
by bornagainbruin on Nov 7, 2009 7:00 PM PST up reply actions
That's why
Fox and other tried to convince Al davis to hire CTS!
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
my thoughts exactly
The Harbaugh to Oakland rumors have been around for a couple of years now, predating Kiffin’s tenure. I do think that he knows better.
by bruinhoo on Nov 7, 2009 7:30 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I initially
began writing a post about how pointless it is to speculate on Harbaugh taking a job at a place where there is no opening nor will there be an opening in several years at the very least (unless RichRod gets in some sort of trouble unrelated to how he coaches football).
But I guess I shouldn’t bother. It’s funny to me that you think Michigan’s season has been bad considering the team has deficiencies that no coach could overcome—most notably an awful defense, bad offensive line, and a freshman quarterback.
Jim Harbaugh would be a significant downgrade from Rodriguez.
In defense of Bullough
Pun only partly intended – our D does well when we pressure the QB. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be able to do that consistently with our front 4. That forces us to bring a safety or LB (which BN realized quickly) to get effective pressure, which reduces the players back in coverage. BP is a beast, and takes up 2 blockers, but the rest of the DL needs to find a way to get to the QB in a 1 on 1 matchup, or we gotta recruit some who can.
greg in denver - UCLA guy for life
I agree that is true, but if your front four can pressure the qb
then you don’t need to blitzing. Biitzing is done to put pressure on the qb when you can’t do it from the front 4. I understand bring up a safety or lb does make coverage tougher, but you have to mix it up effectively, particularly when you aren’t any stronger outside the front 4.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Nov 7, 2009 4:22 PM PST up reply actions
I think he needs to get more confident
The way we come out … at least schematically our defense looks too scared to attack.
He does cooperate more in the morning
In two weeks we have to go to Atlanta for Mr. BB’s conference, but we should be back in time for the ASU game. I’ll have to think about how to pose him during the week.
by bruinbabe2000 on Nov 7, 2009 4:23 PM PST up reply actions
the real difference in the game
was 3 touchdowns and 1 field goal. Most games this year we would have had 1 touchdown and 3 fieldgoals.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
Seriously
that O-line needs to get some serious congratulations. Paclic too. They have come a long way since last season…
The offense
in the first two touchdown drives is the kind of offense I think many of us had been expecting to see this year – imaginative, effective, and touchdowns instead of field goals. KPrince does not seem to have the look or the style of a great QB yet but in the 4thQ vs. Arizona and 1stQ today, he gave me a lot of hope for the future. And, KCraft proved again that he is a very adequate backup QB. Props to him for staying ready and focused. The turnovers were very disappointing but to be a -4 and still win the game is huge.
Craft did better than manage the game.
Kevin Craft did a great job at helping our Bruins win the game, not manage the game. For a kid who has been a great example of what heart means, let’s give him some credit. He’s never made any negative comments about being dropped to #2 or #3 in the depth chart. I say we go with Craft the rest of the way and let him finish our his senior year as our #1 QB.
Uh agree with you partially
Craft did a solid job today but Prince is healthy and ready to go there is no debate right now on who is our number 1 QB.
Yay!
No more arguing! Yay
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:15 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Ummmm...no
I love the kid…I really do, but we saw today what Chow and Neu saw in Prince all the time. He is the guy who can execute our offense the best. We was having a phenomenal game before he got hurt. If he is able to play, Prince is the QB, period.
I hope most of the haters who have maligned the kid for 2 years now feel better about Craft playing when we need him, but he is not the guy who can move this offense the way we need it to move
by UCLABruins4Ever on Nov 7, 2009 4:43 PM PST up reply actions
Totally agree
KC is well on his way to becoming one of my favorite Bruins due to his heart and his willingness to come off the bench and make things happen. However, I think Prince is our best choice as a starter, period, and he really needs the game experience if we’re going to contend for anything next year.
For the record, I also think that the backup QB’s job is possibly the most under-appreciated in all of football. These guys are unsung heroes, and it takes a special person to do what KC is doing right now.
GO BRUINS!!!
Yes to heart
No to starting. Prince was rolling before he went out and there’s no reason to replace him unless he’s physically unable to go. Not only does he give us the best chance to win but Craft being a senior is actually a good reason to not start him because he will be able to handle coming off the bench an really he’s at the peak of his development and it’d be a waste of opportunities for Prince who will be around next year.
by Tydides on Nov 7, 2009 4:45 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Relevence to my comment?
None that I can see.
by Tydides on Nov 7, 2009 4:50 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Why does he get pulled durning games?
This coaching staff shouldn’t pull him out of the game if he our starter! When he comes out due to injury is another issue.
I still can't figure out how this is relevent
You want craft to be starter because Prince hasn’t played well in previous games even though he played well in this one and Craft hasn’t been any better when he’s been in when Prince gets pulled. This logic does not compute.
by Tydides on Nov 7, 2009 4:55 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Totally agree with Bruin2000
The under appreciation of Kevin Craft only reflects a lack of understanding of last year’s team weaknesses. Bruin2000 said it all. Stay with KC the rest of the season.
Totally disagree with both of you
I don’t understand why anyone would put the QB who completed 75% of his passes on the bench if he’s healthy and ready to go. Not only is the ceiling on Prince higher, but he also gives this team a better chance to win NOW. This is the exact same crap we saw after 13-9; people were so happy to finally beat SUC that they were willing to turn a blind eye to all the negative things about the KD era and give him 3-4-5 more years. In this case, people are so relieved to see Craft finally do well that they’re willing to let that emotion compromise their decision making. Bottom line: Prince was still the better QB today before he got hurt. If Prince is healthy, Prince is the starter.
How did this happen?!
Prince looked better in all phases. I don’t get how people see KC as a starter. Senior or not, he isn’t the best QB right now. He had his chance, last year. KP is BY FAR the best QB we’ve got
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
I will say this
I don’t think comparing KC last year to KP this year is fair. KC had a far worse situation than Prince does. That doesn’t change the fact that Prince is the better QB this year and I will be pissed if we’re not playing our best players and treating this like an AYSO everybody wins and everybody feels good league.
I wasn’t trying to compare them last year
I should include this year. KP proved in his limited time here that he is the best QB at UCLA in a while
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
Check the stats
KP has completed 55% of passes not 75%. I think KP is our QB of the future. In my opinion KC gives us the best chance to win this year. Their stats are very close. I just give the nod to KC due to time on the field. No emotion involved just look at the stats.
Passing Statistics
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YDS/A TD INT RAT
Kevin Prince 92 167 1052 55.1 6.30 4 4 111.1
Kevin Craft 41 75 465 54.7 6.20 1 1 108.5
Quick question
What’s 13 divided by 17? Let me do that math for you: 76.5%. Those were KP’s stats from yesterday, and quite obviously what I was referencing, so either you’re being intentionally obtuse or you’re trying to troll me by parsing words.
Now, I’d would love to hear what you think KC has that KP does not that gives us the better chance to win. Is it the greater amount of underthrown balls (the Austin TD grab was BADLY underthrown to a wide open receiver over the middle) or is it the greater amount of bad reads he makes (he was only picked once, but should have been picked at least a second time on another bad throw into double coverage over the middle…and he only threw 14 times)? I will give you this: I’m sure KC knows how to slide better than Prince, so let’s chalk that up to the almighty “time on the field” that hasn’t made Craft a better decision maker or passer than Prince and put a point in that column for Craft. Any way you slice it, starting KC is an emotional pick and not a logical one, because, as the song goes: “Anything (Craft) can do, (Prince) can do better”.
quarter
Thanks for doing the math for me. I am not looking at it from just the game against UW. 55% comp. includes the other entire season. I just don’t see where KP is head and shoulders better than KC. I realize you see things one game, half, or quarter at a time. I will rally behind any QB CRN trots out onto the field, not talk bad about him. Hey, KC with his ability to do one thing better than KP helped us win the game. Let’s just hope that he can keep that going if he is needed again.
So you concede that KP should be the starter
KC is a capable backup (now). No one can dispute that he isn’t. But he’s not better than Prince, and the best player should play, and that player is Prince if he has a clean bill of health. Glad that we can agree.
What happened?
Are you blind? There is no debate! KP is in control of the offense, and he is OBVIOUSLY the better QB. The stats are drastically confused as well
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
Not blind just informed.
No debate huh? Then why has CRN rotated QB’s this season i.e. vs. UA? If he was "OBVIIOUSLY’ the better QB, then he should not be pulled at any point for lesser backups. Look up the stats on WWL’s website.
Interesting stats
Prince has a higher rating, higher yards per attempt, higher completion percentage, and same TD/Int ratio.
by SuperBruinMan on Nov 8, 2009 1:52 PM PST up reply actions
B2000 - I think your heart is in the right place
but if Prince is healthy, he will be the guy. Craft deserves all the credit in the world for taking the high road. I have no problem putting him in before Brehaut. But, Prince showed today why he is and why he deserves to the the starter.
My Observation
Craft is higher on the chain FROM Brehaut than Prince is from Craft. I actually hope NOT to see Brehaut out there again this season.
Oh UCLA you sweet bitch, you've BRUINed me for anything else.
Our Running Defense is not there all season
After nine games, I concluded that we don’t have any running defense. If I were the other team, I would keep on running. The special team still gives me creeping feeling every time the opponents returned our punts or kicks. The only answer I find is we are too slow or don’t know how to tackle on the defense.
Just got back from the game
I might have some more extensive thoughts in a post later, but if not, I wanted to make sure I shared my favorite part of the game.
As soon as Craft took the final knee, Prince and Crissman took off in a dead sprint for him, with Brehaut not far behind once he got all his cords off of him. They had a huge group hug out there on the field, celebrating the win. It was great to see.
Formerly ryebreadraz
On Offense
It was nice to see things opened up a bit and the spattering of a few new plays. something other than Franklin off tackle and short passes. We actually saw them go down field several times and some sweeps. Our receivers were getting open and holding onto the ball. It was nice to see Chow get our speed guys in the mix, I think they really help open things up. The defense seemed to be more consistent this week even though they still gave up the big play early on. The D really stepped up in the 4th and preserved the win. I am not sure how much of that was the D growing a set or Washington’s offense being mediocre. All in all, an improved performance. It will be interesting to see if we can improve upon this and finish the year off strong and us as fans salivating for more.
Because we have 5 TO's
Anytime you have 5 turn-overs, you lose. I am glad we beat the odds.
by NNL on Nov 7, 2009 4:53 PM PST up reply actions
Turning point?
Am I being too optimistic to think we can secure a bowl bid before the $C game? Yes, I know we need to take these games one at a time and we better not look past Wazzu and lay an egg up in Pullman.
But for the first time this season I feel like we have built on something. Overcoming 5 turnovers with the youth on this team is no small feat. I loved the dimension Milton Knox brings to the team and I think Rosario is becoming an absolute weapon on offense.
We have to take care of business next week
and start strong in the first quarter. That’s all I am going to think about this week.
6 wins won't secure a bowl bid
it will only make us bowl eligible.
no guarantee than any bowl wants to take a .500 UCLA team this year
by UCLABruins4Ever on Nov 7, 2009 4:57 PM PST up reply actions
USC winning could actually benefit UCLA
Assume the Bruins finish 6-6, we’ll be 7th in the conference among bowl eligible teams, which leaves out out of a bowl. If USC gets into a BCS bowl though, there are 7 bowl bids available for the conference and UCLA gets in. I’m not going to start rooting for USC for the possibility of something maybe happening a month from now, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Nov 7, 2009 5:02 PM PST up reply actions
Or we could just win out, beat SC and go 7-5
I’d be ok w/ that. :)
by insomniacslounge on Nov 7, 2009 6:06 PM PST up reply actions
Rye - don't say that.
It is never good for just$c* to go to a BCS bowl game. They should lose every game in humiliating fashion.
+10
"Beating USC isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that" -Red Sanders-
by PrincetonBruin on Nov 7, 2009 9:07 PM PST up reply actions
OK
+10! lol!
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
You make a convincing argument, counselor.
You have me convinced.
Devil’s advocate however > our athletic department gets ~ $400-500k if the Pac-10 gets a 2nd BCS team (if my memory re. BCS rules holds).
We could have all our students sell cocaine outside the Crapaseum and give the proceeds to the school
That would raise revenue, of course. But I personally wouldn’t want that sort of money coming in.
We will probably survive if just$c8 goes to the nut bowl after losing out the rest of the year.
4 and 0
4 and 0 4 and 0 4 and 0 4 and 0 4 and 0 4 and 0
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
We would have to be really impressive in our last three games
and I don’t know if we are capable of that, either due to talent or experience. It would be a kick to see the team grow in confidence and play some outstanding ball these last few weeks. God knows that our hearts could all use a break.
Prayers for Jahvid Best
Wow he just landed really awkwardly in what looked to be an amazing TD. Man oh man. I hope he is all right. Prayers with him.
Watching now
That looked awful. Come on Jahvid!!!! Just some movement…
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Nov 7, 2009 5:10 PM PST up reply actions
Just a thumbs up or something
Anything at all
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Nov 7, 2009 5:14 PM PST up reply actions
He's carted off and there was no visible movement
Prayers are with Best right now.
Formerly ryebreadraz
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Nov 7, 2009 5:19 PM PST up reply actions
He was about 6 feet up in the air
and just fell flat on his back and neck. It was a brutal, brutal fall. I hope he is ok.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Concussion
He’s alive and has movement in his extremeties
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:25 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Sounds like
they expect him to make a full recovery
yep
he’ll be fine… at worst, acute memory loss. common in concussions
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
We've had some
Catastrophic running back injuries in the PAC10 this year. 2 is enough to make a trend when you are talking about something this serious
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
The streak continues
Under Neuheisel, the Bruins have yet to lose when they are favorites. Granted, we haven’t been favorites very often, but CRN also has a few wins as the underdog.
Beavers taking it to Cal right now, up 21-7 at the half.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Barkley
He doesn’t get rattled. Except in hostile environment. That kids got some mouth
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:20 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Won't be tonight
but against Stanford for sure.
Taylor Mays is a dirty ass biatch player. I hope he gets schooled by our freshmen receivers.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
7-3
There’s a shot. But Mays is a great bully, bad safety. He has the worst angle approaches… Ever
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:29 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
what channel are the Trojies on?
Also … Any update on Best? Is he ok?
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 6:46 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP)—California tailback Jahvid Best was carted off the field Saturday night and taken to the emergency room after he landed on the back of his head when he leapt more than 5 feet in the air and flipped over a defender to score a touchdown.
Cal spokesman Herb Benenson said that a preliminary evaluation showed Best sustained a concussion, but more tests were being done before a final diagnosis would be announced by the school. Best had movement in all of his extremities, Benenson said.
so it must be an ABC game
You guys have a score?
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 6:51 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
7-3 at halftime for the condoms
off a pick 6.
Barkley looks like crap, ASU has a good defense. We’ll have a tough go against them in 2 weeks.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
yeah their D is solid
Hope Prince can come back next weekend and stay in the same form.
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 6:54 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
ABC on the west coast
Best is moving his extremities, looks to have had a bad concussion. I doubt he plays for a while regardless, poor kid.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
bummer
But still a relief to hear he has movement.
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 6:52 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, it was really scary
When you play hard core football, you get hard core injuries…
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
ugh
Wth? We are getting Connecticut at Cincy in the East Coast.
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 6:56 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Well that's understandable
They probably wanted to show a matchup featuring a team that isn’t COMPLETELY OUT OF THE TITLE PICTURE.
It's halftime
But that should be fun to watch. Cincy is dominant.
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 6:58 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
meh
Can’t get myself over Big Least. Watching Oregon State. Man what if ATV held on …oh well.
by Nestor on Nov 7, 2009 7:02 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Personally
I think putting Canfield in any type of crunch situation makes him work. I doubt we would have hung on. Of course uncle mo was dressed in blue as well, there was not really much more to ask for
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
by ucla13_usc9 on Nov 7, 2009 7:07 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
one criticism
I loved the heart our team showed, but we’re still getting gashed on third downs for big gains. If the defense can make more stops on those third and longs deep in the opponent’s end of the field, I think we’d have more of a cushion.
by RandBruin on Nov 7, 2009 7:16 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Just came back from the Rose Bowl
It was great to see the team in the throwback uniforms. I hope we can do it at least once a year. The offense moved with confidence and added some new wrinkles. There were many throws down the middle and it seemed that we had an open receiver on every play. Kevin Prince was in a zone for most of the game and Kevin Craft also threw the ball with confidence. The Wildcat seemed to add some zest to the offense. The only drawback, the 5 turnovers! I’m also aware that we played against a horrible pass defense in UW.
The student section was about half full. Thank goodness for the I’m going back to college program because it added many extra bodies in the stadium. The kids actually started the wave several times.
BTW, I also have to read BN after I come back from the Rose Bowll because all of your comments help me relive the game.
Hope to see the Rose Bowl packed with Bruin fans for the last home game versus ASU.
by UCLA Championships Made Here on Nov 7, 2009 7:17 PM PST reply actions
Nestor
Spot on giving Sheldon some props on the pick play that clinched the game. The announcers just kept giving all the credit to Moore. And the OL today did pretty darn good, so I can’t disagree with giving them the game ball.
Both of the Kevins had plenty of time to throw
during the game. The OL was excellent in pass protection. However, there is a reason UW is 110th in the nation in pass defense.
by UCLA Championships Made Here on Nov 7, 2009 7:34 PM PST up reply actions
Absolutely amazing play in the ASU-USC game
the ball was deflected by 4 people before an ASU player picked it off. Then he fumbled down field (recovered by another ASU player).
One last chance for ASU
down 5, with the ball, under 1:20 to go. Bad holding call tho.
by Give me a B... on Nov 7, 2009 8:35 PM PST up reply actions
Oh, well
Suc went from most points given up to fewest points scored in Chetey era.
by Give me a B... on Nov 7, 2009 8:41 PM PST up reply actions
Not Quite
Fewest points in a win though. Fewest points overall though… long live 13-9!
QB situation, and other thoughts
QB situation: Contrary to what some people may think, I don’t “hate” Kevin Craft (just like I don’t “hate” Ben Howland or CRN; there’s a BIG difference between “occasionally being critical” and “hating”). I think he’s got guts, resiliency, and the potential to be just as good as Patrick Cowan. Which isn’t saying much, 13-9 notwithstanding (I think Ben Olson in 2006 and Osaar/McLeod in 2007 made PC look 100x better than he really was). I don’t think Craft’ll ever dominate games, I’m sorry. He’s a capable backup, as we saw today, and that’s it. The QB of the future, IMO, is KP, which is why it sucks that he keeps getting injured. I feel like we can set our future expectations a little higher for him, and he does give me confidence that UCLA can return to respectability soon.
Other thoughts: This game really confirmed most of my thoughts about our team and the program in general. I saw a team that’s still undisciplined and raw (the usual overflow of penalties, turnovers, and a lack of being 100% focused all the time), which can be traced back to both their inexperience and their coaching. Yep, I’m still taking the CRN regime with a grain of salt. The team’s young, sure, but I mean…they’re just as sloppy as they were at the beginning of the season, and don’t you think we should have seen some improvement by now?
Still, somebody told me this in the game thread, and I agree: this team is definitely talented, and could go places within 2 years. I guess I was part of the group that got swept up in the 3-game winning streak to start the season and figured that, incredibly, it had all come together much earlier than we thought it would. Like the rest of the members in that group, my expectations are now tempered, and 2010 looks like a reasonable target date for us to get back to 7-8 win respectability. For 2009…well, a three-game winning streak headed up to the USC game looks possible, and although I’m still throwing that game away, I could see us actually “matching up” with them in 2010 instead of “needing a miracle to beat them.” That’s not much, but it’s something.
Grain of salt
That’s I take someone’s comment who calls Coach Howland an “idiot.” You keep coming here with nothing except constant whine to offer.
Plus you are a bandwagoning quitter
Considering you can post openly about “throwing” the SC game away. Really don’t come back here again. Don’t want fans like your mindset here on BN.
Let's give it up..
…for Sheldon Price. Lots of criticism on these pages, and he looked bad earlier, but he came up big at the end of the game. To me it looked like he would have made the pick if RM was not there. Either way, he made a big play like they were talking about on PrimeTicket , saying someone had to step up (thanks again for that link to the streaming video).
Nah
I don’t think that one play is going to cut it. He got burned multiple times in this game
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
More like
even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while?
Agree
Sheldon had a few nice plays, mainly the breakup leading to the pick by Rahim, but he maintained his consistent long huge touchdown per game. In every game he has played in he has allowed a TD pass, and in all but one, maybe two, it has been 40+ yards, I believe. He is improving, and today was his best game, but I am not ready to give him props, yet.
I'm still not comprehending
why we don’t see Viney more… We don’t even see him in nickel packages.
Just back from rehearsal
Great win. (Any win is a great win.)
What is the deal with Prince? Did he re-injure his jaw? (I read about a helmet-to-helmet hit.)
Nah
Concussion. He’ll be on the 24 hour rule
There's no one in the world that wants to beat UCLA more than _______.
I saw him after the game
and I asked how he was feeling. He said he is fine and looked like he looked ok to me – seemed with it at least! Good sign I hope!
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
Washington Game
It is obvious that RN is a leader – this team has no quit in its DNA. They are also intelligent enough to know where they stand in the long term rebuilding process. Close to an upset last week, played Oregon a whole lot tougher than SC combined with the closeness of the SC Ariz. St. game it is evident that the PAC 10 is tough, has some parity and UCLA is not that far away playing with a lot of young guys. The future is bright and that includes the next 3 games. It was also good to see the breaks going our way – another indication that they hang tough.
Terry G Clark
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