UCLA Pulls Out A Convincing 33-14 Win, Blitzes San Diego State With 30 Unanswered Points
by Nestor on Sep 5, 2009 8:14 PM PDT
in Football
45 comments
Well as the old cliche goes a win is a win. Early on it looked like if the Bruins were going to pull this one out it was going to be a ugly win. However, thanks to a productive offense (which was mostly steady despite expected freshmen mistakes) and a dominating defense in the second half, Bruins finished with a convincing win against a well caoched San Diego State. Bruins beat up on the Aztecs by a score of 33-14. Here is the boxscore. However, the score would have been more impressive if not for typical (again expected) freshman mistakes from Prince and the offense, and early sloppiness from our defense.
Bruins fell back early on by a score of 3-14 due to some unexpected slow and sloppy defense against an upstart and fired up Aztecs bunch that seemed to be on a mission to break their school's winless (0-20-1) streak against UCLA. However, thanks to a freshman QB - Kevin Prince's - fast start, the Bruin offense hung in there and eventually took over to win the game. The early sloppiness on defense was disconcerting but they responded with a dominating effort in the second half. We can talk about it more in this thread and also in next couple of days. However, we also have lot of positive data points from tonight to talk about. We saw some glimpses and flashes of promise tonight which we didn't see a lot of last year. More after the jump.
While Prince looked as good as any UCLA freshman QB in recent years and will be inevitable toplines in most post game reports, let's talk about our running game. The combination of Jet Ski Franklin, Derrick Coleman, Milton Knox and Damien Thigpen ended up rushing for 162 yards in 30 carries, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. That wasn't bad at all. Franklin flashed his speed with a TD in his first carry. DC showed power with an impressive TD run, and Knox really showed determination with tough runs in the fourth quarter. As for Thigpen you can see his speed in the way he darts out of the field.
Going back to Prince he had his share of mistakes. He fumbled twice which included a classic freshman mistake of not falling on the ball. He also had two bad picks. He finished the game with 18 completions on 29 attempts with 179 passing yards and nifty TD pass to Austin. At the same time he showed all the signs of why the coaches are so excited about him. It's pretty clear he can throw all kinds of passes - long, short, touch and with power. He also showed decent pocket presence and good mobility. It is going to be fun to see him develop this year but it's going to require patience and constant reminders that he is a freshman.
As for the defense, we all had a lump in our throats when Price went down. Thank God he came back and he was ok. They had a very sloppy and slow start. Perhaps they came out with a little too much intensity as they made couple of costly mistakes in the first drive. But they did settle down after the first two Aztec drives and then simply overwhelmed the Aztecs. They popped them with some vicious hits and then shut them down in the second half. What a great night for Rahim Moore who had 3 picks. Sweet night for Courtney Vinney, who stepped up when Hester went out with a leg injury (we should know more about his status in next 2 days). Of course ATV was ATV, taking it to the House in a blocked FG.
Oh there is so much more to discuss in this game. For now though I will leave it up to you guys with your insta-analysis and reactions. Fire them up in the comment threads. If you have detailed thoughts (more than 75 words), please put them up in fanposts. Looking to also hear back from all the Bruins (perhaps with pictures) who were at the Rose Bowl.
Overall not a bad way for the Bruins start the season. From my count at least 5 true freshman played just on offense. It was a roller coaster early but we survived and ended up overwhelming perhaps the best coached Aztecs team in years.
With that let's get the post game party thread started.
GO BRUINS.
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Virginia Tech driving
Great carry takes them to a 1st and goal/1yd
Now being revewed as a possible TD
by bruinhoo on Sep 5, 2009 8:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Tech won the review. Now 27-24 Bama
9:22 left
by bruinhoo on Sep 5, 2009 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Go Hokies and Huskies
Beat those arrogant SEC elitists.
by rhoticity on Sep 5, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
I always felt they had more than enough talent to compete, just lacking the right motivation and leadership. I liked TW, but I am glad that Udub made a change, they have always been my second favorite PAC-10 team besides UCLA, because their fans are classy and their University has high academic standards. I have always related to UW fans the most out of all the PAC-10. I pray that they defeat the Tiger’s!
by westwood12003 on Sep 5, 2009 8:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Re: UCLA4Life
The game thread was closed so I couldn’t post there.
Any word on Prince
I thought it strange that Brehaut was used in this game, burning his redshirt year, but moreso because of whether it’s a case of Neuheisel disappointed in Prince’s second half performance or if he’s more hurt than he’s letting on.
Prince did the postgame interview and seemed to be fine, so I don’t think it’s an injury issue. But coaches might also choose to protect their starters in those kinds of late game situations with the lead, so I’d be hesitant to say it’s because CRN is disappointed in Prince as well. I just figure CRN wouldn’t want to hurt Prince’s confidence as he knows it’s important for his starting QB to have. Probably just an issue of getting Brehaut some game experience and resting Prince, in my opinion.
by rhoticity on Sep 5, 2009 8:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
To even speculate that CRN was disappointed in Prince in someway is just ridiculous.
by Nestor on Sep 5, 2009 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Misconstrue
My statement may sound a little more harsh than I intended. What I mean is that perhaps CRN was disappointed that Prince got into some bad habits in the second half. Sending in Brehaut could possibly be a way to subtly hint to Prince that the season is long, there’s another hungry QB waiting for his chance, and to not take for granted that he’s the starter so far.
by UCLA4Life on Sep 5, 2009 8:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Prince was just fine
Brehaut came in because the game was in hand. We don’t need our starting quarterback (with a history of injuries) to get injured in garbage time. I think what it shows is that Brehaut is going to be, or even already is, the backup. This says more about Craft and Brehaut than Prince. He is our solid number one until he proves incompetent on the field, which was not the case at all.
by mdjohns4 on Sep 5, 2009 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crissman
So Crissman is out? Or perhaps he’s the one redshirting?
by UCLA4Life on Sep 5, 2009 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Brehaut
is the second best quarterback on this team. He might even be better than Prince by next year.
There is no guarantee Prince starts next year with Brehaut on the roster. Remember, Brehaut is Neuheisel and Chow’s guy. They recruited him specifically and he has the potential to be better than Prince.
Crissman might not ever be the starter at UCLA.
by mdjohns4 on Sep 5, 2009 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure
that Brehaut has more potential. He throws a nice touch pass, but I don’t think his arm is quite as strong as Princes and he’s probably not quite as mobile.
by captainqtp on Sep 5, 2009 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
They recruited Prince specifically too
They actually recruited him away from Washington, where he was committed. I like Brehaut, but I think he’ll have a tough time wresting the starting spot away from Prince.
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Sep 6, 2009 2:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
unfortunately
I think the concern is Prince remaining injury free throughout a whole season. The coaching staff knows with his injury history, they must have a competent backup ready to play.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Sep 6, 2009 9:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why the he'll did neu
Burn brehaut’s redshirt. That just does not make any sense to me.
by Karl II on Sep 5, 2009 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It makes perfect sense
You need a competent backup quarterback. Craft is not.
by mdjohns4 on Sep 5, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
my friend said the same thing. But...
We have to have a solid backup. For those who weren’t at the game, when Kraft entered, there was a collective audible moan from the crowd. it wasn’t booing, but it was loud. If we lose Prince, how many really think we can win with Kraft? I think he has to Brehaut sharp and give him confidence. Totally agree that it’s a Brehaut / Kraft thing.
by bruin_nerd on Sep 5, 2009 9:59 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
After Today's Action....
Will be interesting to see what WWL late-nite crew will have to say..
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Sep 5, 2009 8:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Cal Just Scored Again On Maryland
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Sep 5, 2009 8:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
And 'Bama Did Likewise To Go Up On Va. Tech By 10
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Sep 5, 2009 8:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Just back from an all-day event.
I got back with 20 seconds to go, and didn’t want to jinx anything.
It sounds like we played a nice ball game, and pretty much dominated. I don’t care what the experts say. A team like SDSU is always a play or two away from an upset. They have undeniably good coaches, and their kids are highly motivated. This was a good win for us. It was especially good to see Prince have a taste of sucess.
I’m now watching Washington -LSU and Alabama – VaTech. The sound is off, naturally. I gave the Washington game a little try, but Bob Davie literally makes me hurt when I listen to him. He’s a bigger pontificating blowhard that Joe Morgan or Tim McCarver, but he has no credentials. He has done nothing in football that is worth mentioning. Anyway, he’s now off. I won’t waste any electrons on that guy.
Alabama looks good. So does LSU. (Until that fumble.)
by Fox 71 on Sep 5, 2009 8:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
SLOPPY win
We were very sloppy on offense. Fumbles and interceptions are killers, and against a better team, it would have showed on the scoreboard.
Overall, I’m actually quite pleased with the defense despite the slow start. They finished very strong. Hard hits, flying to the football, getting into the backfield (albeit 0 sacks IIRC, they hurried the quarterback quite a bit).
On offense, our pass blocking was far worse than our run blocking. A lot of those designed rollouts were intended to hide that fact. Run blocking was quite good, but we’ll see next week about whether or not it can withstand a bigger, faster, and stronger defense.
Pleased with the outcome, but like CRN, would very much like to see the mistakes trimmed down, as field goal blocks for touchdowns rarely happen, and we were gifted some very, very, very bad turnovers. Let’s get it cleaned up and fight hard next week.
Nice to see some competence at quarterback.
by mdjohns4 on Sep 5, 2009 8:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Designed rollouts
I loved how well Prince was able to throw on the run with pop and accuracy. And he even did it well runnign to his off side, so we’ll be able to roll out competently in both directions.
by bornagainbruin on Sep 5, 2009 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not bad
You expect to see mistakes from so many underclassmen playing. I just don’t want to see any more injuries. Very early when Price went down — #$%#! Then later on in the game when Hester was out - $%#$ . And then Prince going down — #%!#. Only the first game and there were some scares. Price was okay. Prince from what I hear is fine. Hester is a tough break… don’t know how long he’s gonna be out.
by UCLA4Life on Sep 5, 2009 9:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I hate
to see Hester go down, but Viney did a great job in his place. I think we’ll still be ok at corner. I am worried about nickel packages after seeing Abbot get beat.
by captainqtp on Sep 5, 2009 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Washington game
Even with the sound off, “Davie Jones Locker” is really unwatchable. And of course ESPN thinks so highly of them that it keeps the camera on them and generally misses a play or two. I don’t think ESPN does a particularly good job of broadcasting football.
Ah, and here is Davie Jones locker again. That’s it. Game over.
by Fox 71 on Sep 5, 2009 9:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
17-13 LSU lead at halftime
Much closer game than I expected
by bruinhoo on Sep 5, 2009 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My thoughts
I was at the rose bowl. It was hot, but overall a great day! I thought the student section represented more than is usually case early in the season. Unfortunately, when Craft took that snap, there were a lot of boos, which I thought was ridiculous. The speed of the team is impossible to miss. Embree is exactly what we thought he was. Prince defintely impressed me, especially in the first half. He needs to fix some stuff (obviously), but I am really excited about his future.
Apparently there were over 1000 firefighters and their families in attendance and they received a standing O.
by UCLA07Law10 on Sep 5, 2009 9:56 PM PDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
I thought the Oline improved
over last year, but was still not consistant. The improvement in the defense after the first quarter was great, and I agree Prince has “it” but still needs experience and game time to realize his potential.
Good game, progress is being made, but it made me a little more pessimistic about the season then when the game started.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Sep 5, 2009 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Same
but I was less pessimistic when it ended. I was also amazed at how well Prince did for his first game in 2 years.
by captainqtp on Sep 6, 2009 1:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ooops misread
I read more pessimistic when it started… anyways I liked what I saw. The O-line was impressive considering their experience, they were picking up blitzes, moving people around, playing mean, etc. The defense had me worried, but they turned it around. All in all, a good night.
by captainqtp on Sep 6, 2009 1:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My view from the Rose Bowl
I had a nice afternoon at the Rose Bowl, good food and good drinks. The smoke plumes did climb over the mountains; we should do another special for the firefighters once the fires are out. For the game, I was really impressed by the offense. Sure there are rough edges that need work, however I have confidence in the coaching staff. After the game I watched the UW/LSU game(I’m also a UW alum), and learned the wisdom of Fox71; the announcers were really bad. I turned the volume off; you miss the crowd noise and what the the penaties are but lose the mindless chatter. Thanks Fox71.
by 10amla on Sep 5, 2009 11:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Pregame guesses
I believe the correct answers were:
1. 6 (Sua-Filo, Carroll, Thigpen, Presley, Hasiak, Brehaut)
2. Embree/Austin (6 each)
3. False
by SuperBruinMan on Sep 6, 2009 12:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Does anyone
have a video of the Kyle Bosworth hit? Reggie Carter had a good one too. I’d love to see it.
by captainqtp on Sep 6, 2009 1:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Thigpen
Jon Gold of InsideUCLA wondered about why CRN used Thigpen when the game was at hand. The RB position is already crowded especially when Ramirez comes back. I hope we get the answer to that.
And I’d like to disagree on SDSU being very well coached. I don’t know what their track record is, but that flea-flicker was just horrible.
by drebruin on Sep 6, 2009 2:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Thigpen was being used all game long on special teams
so the redshirt is out the window. if that’s the case, why not get him some carries.
by Ryan Rosenblatt on Sep 6, 2009 2:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was looking forward to seeing him
He didn’t do that great though. He missed one HUGE cutback lane he could’ve had. If he had seen it, he might have taken it to the house, but you need experience to see all of those.
by captainqtp on Sep 6, 2009 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
flea flicker was pretty horrible play
but they looked way more physical and aggressive then any San Diego State team has appeared in recent year. In that aspect they looked pretty well coached IMO.
by Nestor on Sep 6, 2009 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Quarterback is supposed to eat it
Borges dialed one up. If it’s not there, don’t throw it.
I’d say our team was well coached last year. But Craft still threw some BAD interceptions.
by mdjohns4 on Sep 6, 2009 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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