Sunday Thoughts: Staying Even Keeled & Keeping That "Chip" on Bruins’ Shoulders
by Nestor on Sep 19, 2010 11:23 AM PDT
in Football
Email
PrintThere is a lot of euphoria and happy feeling after UCLA's first win of the season against a Houston Cougars team that came in with a vaunted offense, looking to bury the Bruins for rest of this season. I could sense the positive energy on television through the loud noise of the Rose Bowl crowd, which seemed to fire up the Bruins early on (BTW huge props to all the die hards who showed up at the Rose Bowl to support the team through thick and thin). Bruins on their part looked inspired (and relieved) following the win looking to carry it through rest of the season.
Now all of that feels pretty cool. It's finally nice to have a Sunday during 2010 season we are not dreading about football and dealing with irrational, reactionary rhetoric from drive by trolls (who only show up after tough losses) here on BN. That said, we all need to collectively check our excitement and maintain our perspective keeping us even keeled through this game week and rest of the season. As good as the W felt last night, the Bruins still have major rooms for improvements on both sides of the ball. Moreover, UCLA's offense still has ways to go, despite the positive steps the OL have taken thanks to the revolver formation in 2010.
Let's start with the good stuff and I will start on defense. It's worth repeating the kind of numbers Houston offense had before it rolled into the Rose Bowl for its "business trip":
- Cougars were ranked number 1 in the country averaging a mindboggling 61 points per game
- Cougars passing offense was ranked number 9 in the nation averaging 347 yards per game
- Cougars rushing attack averaged 229.5 yards per game and was ranked in the top-25 (no. 23) among FBS teams
Then the Bruin defense came out with Chuck Bullough's nickel package and instead of sitting back, they went out and attacked the Cougars. The Bruins physically attacked the Cougs like a pack of hounds, blowing up their QBs, and throttling the RB at the LOS. Instead of sitting back and letting Cougars dictate issue, this time Bullough unleashed his defenders with a package of blitzes and different looks from his base set.
The numbers last night speak for themselves. Bruins pounded their QBs and sent Case Keenum and Cotton Turner to the locker room (hope they are doing ok). The Cougars were limited to 360 total yards with only 108 of them coming on the ground. Cougars last TD was result of Bruins' second stringers getting little sloppy with personal fouls (more on that later) when the game was mostly out of reach.
So credit to Bullough for perhaps calling the best game of his career to date. He was under a lot of pressure (for good reasons) and he responded with fielding a team that was ready to attack and attack it did most of the night. I also specifically appreciated the personnel adjustments Bullough unveiled as Nate Chandler took over Justin Edison's spot at DT and Keenan Graham got the spot at DE. Those moves I believe played a part in Patrick Larimore letting it loose from the Mike LB. Those guys blew up Cougars with vicious hits all night long, making life hellish for Sumlin's squad which might have been looking to make a "statement" at the Rose Bowl.
All that said, our younger guys need to get themselves under control. There were some incredibly dumb personal fouls late in the game when the Bruins gave up chunk of free yardage for no reason. It was frustrating to see Damien Holmes committing multiple mistakes.
Also as good as Rahim was in his interception, he got tricked out by Case Keenum early in the game, and then looked rather ordinary in his attempt tackle. Don't get me wrong. Rahim is one of my favorite players and I absolutely love the passion and energy he brings to the game. However, for all the grief we have given kids like Sheldon Price in his need to get better at tackling, Moore still needs to make similar improvement to build himself up as one of the premiere if not the best free safety in the game.
Moving over to offense, let's start with the positive notes and it has to begin with our OL. Bruins rushed for 266 yards last night averaging 5.2 yards in about 51 attempts. Heading into the game we pointed out how for the Bruins to have a chance against the Cougars, they would have to run with the same effectiveness Cougars victorious opponents did last year. Well the Bruins came out and set the tone early with their revolver formation and running it straight at the Cougars undersized DL. They did it with the Jet Ski providing early spark and Kevin Prince starting to look like his old self when he got in a groove upon his return from injury last season.
I had to LOL a little about commentators on TV and some here and other places voicing surprising at Prince's mobility and Jet Ski's explosion. Lot of these guys were the same guys questioning UCLA coaches move to use the "revolver formation" as their base set completing forgetting the mobility Prince showed last season. Lot of these guys also forgot how last night wasn't Jet Ski's first 100 yard rushing game, as he had 2 of those before getting banged up last season.
What is clear at this point is that UCLA coaches should stick with Jet Ski as their starter (even when Derrick Coleman is 100 percent healthy). Jet Ski provides the kind of spark that Coleman will never be able to provide. Moreover, Jet Ski should work closely with Malcolm Jones to make sure the freshman doesn't get into any kind of funk from his fumbling issues from last night.
Speaking of the running back spot, it was good to see Damien Thigpen return at the F-Back spot. He also clearly provided a spark. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that up. If Thigpen continues to be productive from the F-Back spot, I wouldn't mind seeing Barr shifted over to defense, where he can used at the Will LB spot given his size, speed and athleticism. Just something to think about.
As for Prince his overall leadership was solid (loved how he got excited during Ayers' interception return). He was instrumental in giving UCLA momentum early on as he manufactured TDs with 57 rushing yards. However, his passing numbers remained mediocre. Prince completed 9 of 17 passes for 99 yards. Although he was stung by (at least) 3 drops from Corey Harkey, Ricky Marvray and Taylor Embree. Harkey dropped a 3rd down conversion which would have kept the drive going, while Embree dropped what appeared to be a TD pass for the second time this season. I like the effort Embree brings to practice. However, as an upperclassmen he really needs to make those catches and help out his QB.
The offense as a whole has ways to go to improve as a unit. FWIW our receivers did a great job blocking last night. Couple of Jet Ski's TDs were helped out by great blocks from Embree and Morrell Presley (who seemed to have crushed a hapless Cougar). But they need to get way more aggressive in attacking the ball. They just seem passive as a group (except for Marvray) when the passes are thrown to them. This is something that Reggie Moore has to teach and instill in his unit. While they took some baby steps last night, they are still way behind in terms of optimizing their talent level.
Honestly, I was also not a big fan of some our offensive play calling last night. I don't like QB sneaks (especially with Kevin Prince) on 3rd and short situations. As Coach Neuheisel mentioned himself during his post-game interview, the offense also became a little too conservative towards the end. After getting off to a solid start running the ball and putting together some long drives, our offense sagged with 2 fumbles, interception, FG and 3 punts in our last few possessions. I think three of our TOs came in or right around the red zone as were in position to score.
Norm Chow has to find a way to unlock this offense a little more. It might also mean not being afraid to change up personnel, who will show the tendency to go after the ball. It would have been nice to see kids like Josh Smith and Joe Fauria get little more opportunities during the second half.
Going back to the big picture, it's worth reemphasizing again not to get too caught up over one win. Houston was a top-25 team but as detailed this past week they didn't have any significant road win last season except for a victory over Oklahoma State at Stillwater. Their defense was obviously porous and undersized and our offense didn't completely take advantage of them. Meanwhile, our own team was not as bad as our 0-2 record suggested, given our 2 opponents are now 6-0.
Things could have easily be different if we played a little cleaner against Kansas State. The second game of the season would have been more competitive if the Bruins didn't shoot themselves in the foot with mistakes and go into the locker room down 7-13. Similarly, Bruins can't hurt themselves with visions of grandeur after what was basically just a nice win over decent team. As Jet Ski said following the game:
"All of us had a chip on the shoulder coming into this game," said running back Johnathan Franklin, who gained a career-high 158 yards and scored three touchdowns. "We need to keep that chip on our shoulder. We haven't done anything yet.
"We were 0-2 and 4-8 [in 2008] and 7-6 [in 2009]. We haven't done anything as the UCLA Bruins."
As Rick Neuheisel said following the game Bruins still have "thousands of things to correct" (via Blair Angulo):
BTW speaking of CRN I thought kneeling down to close out the clock was the absolutely the right move. I always expect a UCLA coach to do that kind of sportsmanship. IMO he did send a message to the team when we went for it on 4th and 1, effectively icing the game. There was nothing to be gained from pouring it on. I would only suggest CRN save that kind of karma for certain team (we all know who they are) when opportunities present themselves.
For now , let's hope the Bruins stick with the mindset described by Jet Ski heading into this upcoming weekend's monster challenge. They will need to stay even keeled and keep perspective no matter what happens against Texas, so that they can fight through rest of the season.
GO BRUINS.
48 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Attention: Texas Fans
We really have no clue what UCLA team will show up next week. – But we sincerely hope that it’s the one that played the first 3 quarters last night.
Texas will win easily
If we don’t get our passing game going. Muschamp will most likely load up the box and challenge UCLA early. Hope our QB and WRs are specially dialed in and focused this week. Otherwise, it is going to be a long Saturday afternoon in Austin.
Chance For Reverse Rout 66
But at the same time I don’t think Texas will surprise the Bruins with their physicality the way Stanford did. If the Bruins don’t commit a turnover(For the first time this year) anything could happen.
by KaponoMagic on Sep 19, 2010 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Run v. Pass
While that’s a wise perspective, I think 3-4 possessions at the beginning of the game where we pass on first down and go three and out will be disastrous. We need to get some first downs early on. I really think we can run on Texas, I expect an improvment in the running game from yesterday. I think Prince will/could run for 80 years or more.. seems lots of plays he left it with Jet-Ski/Jones he could have pulled the ball back and run for yards, even more than he did. I think the QBs run option does to the rest of the running game what you are asking the passing game to do… if you load up the box and there is a quick hitter through the middle the RB is suddenly in the secondary. Prince running the option well will keep them in run D, but get them over-reacting, reacting wrong.
by harry bruin on Sep 19, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Some quick thoughts
I think this paragraph speaks volumes about our talent:
Speaking of the running back spot, it was good to see Damien Thigpen return at the F-Back spot. He also clearly provided a spark. It will be interesting to see if he can keep that up. If Thigpen continues to be productive from the F-Back spot, I wouldn’t mind seeing Barr shifted over to defense, where he can used at the Will LB spot given his size, speed and athleticism. Just something to think about.
Now, there were certain folks clamoring for Jordon James to get into the game, especially with Coleman out. As last night proved, JetSki and Jones are certainly capable of carrying the load, leaving only a few carries for Thigpen. It makes no sense to burn James’ redshirt for a few carries per game. I’d rather see us save his eligibility when he’s bigger, stronger, more up to pace in terms of college game-speed, and more familiar with our offense. I think folks need to think about the long term viability of the program rather than instant gratification.
Also, I’d love to see Barr at WLB, given the issues Westgate is having. It’d disconcerting that Love hasn’t been able to make the job his own, but Barr has the speed and size to do the job. If Thigpen and Presley can get the job at the F, then we should move an incredible athlete like Barr back to defense (which I’ve been advocating since his recruitment).
But they need to get way more aggressive in attacking the ball. They just seem passive as a group (except for Marvray) when the passes are thrown to them. This is something that Reggie Moore has to teach and instill in his unit. While they took some baby steps last night, they are still way behind in terms of optimizing their talent level.
Great WRs go up and win the ball. Look at guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, TO (in his prime), and Andre Johnson. They all use their size and height to go up and fight off the defensive back to win the ball in the air. Rosario has the size, so there is no excuse for him to be sitting by, waiting for the ball to hit his hands. I want to see him aggressive and mixing it up in the air to win those balls. That’s on the coaching and if doesn’t improve, CRN needs to bring in a receivers coach who can get it to happen.
by Bellerophon on Sep 19, 2010 11:41 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Dude -
You gotta fanpost that. I should have given you the HT wrt need for our WRs to “attack the ball.” I think you mentioned it in the threads but didn’t have the energy this am to look through thousands of comments.
No worries about HT
I’ll put it up in an FP
by Bellerophon on Sep 19, 2010 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions
WRT
Glenn Love – he looked totally lost out there when he went in. Seeing him after Westgate, Westgate still looks like he deserves to start.
Rosario one hand catches
Maybe wrong here, but it seems like Rosario likes to go up for high balls with just one hand. IIRC, he made one spectacular grab last year. But I think he’d have a better chance with 2 hands up. Willing to be corrected by guys who have actually played the game. ;-)
by mplsbruin on Sep 19, 2010 12:06 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
More a problem of body angle
If Rosario was square to the ball(Like Marvrey was on his amazing catch) he’d use two hands. But when the ball is thrown to the outside it’s very hard to get both hands up because your shoulder pads flex up but not diagonally across your chest. So simple catches become a little more complicated.
by KaponoMagic on Sep 19, 2010 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions
What I mean about shoulder pad flex limitation...
When wearing receiver pads it’s almost impossible to reach your back with your left hand by going over your right shoulder; the pads are to high and the upper chest section prevents full mobility. Because of this, most overhead catches are made by lining the ball up with your helmet. Rosario isn’t doing a good job of that; thus the one handed attempts
by KaponoMagic on Sep 19, 2010 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I see what you mean.
Yeah, his footwork and positioning is a little off. Lets see if the coaches will work with him a bit this week, he needs to iron out the little things with a healthy Prince in practice.
Yes.
Your tought to go up with both hands and beat your man to the ball. Rosario for example has such a huge advantage with knowing the play and also just his sheer size.
absolutely
It is concerning to see our upperclassman wide outs not being aggressive whenever the ball’s in the air. From my own experience in practice, we Used to have the receivers go against each other, one on offense one defending, that drill teaches both players to be aggressive going after the ball in the air practicing separation and getting in front of the ball and defender. Lets get it going guys! Good observation of their downfield blocks. Little improvement each week and we’ll be fine.
Go bruins
by westwood12003 on Sep 19, 2010 1:26 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
IN all the open practices they ran those drills.
So they’ve been challenged in practice, but that aggressiveness is not translating into the game for 1 or 2 of the receivers.
Go Bruins!
yep
Its a mystery to why, maybe the next sign of progress will come next week when we really need our receivers to step up. I have a feeling they will, with two full weeks with KP practicing the timing and urgency to step up each play will be there. Time to put up boy’s!
by westwood12003 on Sep 19, 2010 2:59 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
The most exciting part for me is the potential...
Jetski and KP ran the ball well and our running game was as good as we’ve seen it thus far this year. Yet, there is so much more potential with M Jones. Not only that, but once we get more involvement, as mentioned above, with both the receiving game and the F-back position. For me, its like we still have so much more to go that when we see flashes of it, such as Thigpen’s run or Marvray’s catch, I can’t wait to see more!
Same on D. The 3 on the line (plus Ayers) and the blitzes seemed to work well to keep their offense off kilter. If we clean up some of the late hits and continue to improve on tackling as well as some other weak points (I seem to remember one Houston throw where the receiver had gotten good separation and, if not overthrown, had nothing but green between him and the endzone), this D will really start to shine as well.
And totally agree that the key is keeping that ‘chip’ and the intensity that we heard about in this past week of practice, or as CRN mentioned in the post-game press conference (IIRC), stacking up the days in practice.
Overall a very good game
-Prince may have had mediocre passing numbers, but he did the one thing most here have wanted. He didnt try to make to much happen and he managed the game.
-Huge props to our OL and Franklin. The line bulldozed their d-line all night opening up hole for franklin. Franklin will eventually break a long TD run.
-As stated alot the WR’s are dont go after the ball. They need to go out their like Marvray has and act like they have something to prove.
-Defense gameplan was good but we still need to work on our 3rd downs. To many 3rd down conversions for the opposing team in the last 3 games.
—Defensive line did well. should have had a sack or two where the dline had a bad angle.
-Secondary did a good job going up against a good QB. Abott had an amazing game. He really deserved the scollie.
-Linebackers did a good job stuffin the run in the beginning but later on it seemed like they let up. and Larimore is a beast. BIg hit after hit, he seemed to be everywhere.
Big Hand!
All of us here have to give a big hand of thanks to Nestor for the great job he does.
by Blue Critter on Sep 19, 2010 1:12 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Unstated Advantage of the New, Effective OL
In the past few years, to play at running back you had to be able to block — because more likely than not there would be a defensive player in our backfield before the ball got there.
The inability to consistently block cost Milton Knox playing time. And, Coleman’s excellent blocking earned him some.
Now, with the O line doing a much better job, the RB personnel decisions can be more narrowly focused.
That’s not to say that the running backs we are using cannot block. Quite to the contrary. I’ve seen Franklin, Coleman and Jones throw some great blocks. But, blocking no longer defines the position and I thinks that’s a definite improvement over last season.
sjh
by Class of 66 on Sep 19, 2010 1:50 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
OL
They are improved, part of that is also the offensive scheme. I like the fact they need to account for Prince every play. That alone buys you time by keeping them guessing.
Also, not an expert on this, but didn’t they also switch from man blocking to zone blocking?
The best part is, they still have plenty of upside. Hopefully they’ll get even better as the season progresses.
The passing game still needs a lot of work
Great to see us get on the board yesterday with a W, but it’s becoming more obvious on a week-to-week basis that the passing game is going to very much be a work in progress in the new pistol formation.
Prince still isn’t entirely comfortable throwing the ball in this formation, or generally comfortable under center, or something. He sailed a number of balls yesterday and still got happy feet in the pocket at times.
He at the very least did a much better job of running the read-option and deciding the keep the ball at times. He made himself a threat on the ground, which you need to do in order to run the ball effectively in the pistol.
Keep in mind this game was only a ‘blowout’ because of a long INT return on the goal line and a couple of very short fields for UCLA due to curious special teams calls by Houston. This game easily could have been 24-20 UCLA as opposed to 31-13.
We played well, but there’s still a lot of work to do.
Excellent points N!
Am I the only one who cringed everytime I saw KP at the bottom of those dog piles?
by UCLABRU1 on Sep 19, 2010 2:12 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
OT but I just saw the print edition of the fishwrap.
Why was I surprised to see a big picture filled with ketchup and mustard and a little picture below the fold of the Bruins. Weren’t we the ones that pulled the upset against a top 25 ranked team? Didn’t they have a so-so victory over the bottom of the Big 10? I’m sorry, I should get it, but I just don’t. Shouldn’t the upset be the top story? Wow!
Go Bruins!
Great post
Nestor, I don’t always agree with you but this time you really hit the nail right on the head. We’ve still got a lot of improvement to do – passing game, penalties, just to name two – but it’s clear that we lost to two very good teams, and beat one decent team.
We don’t know what the future holds, but the fact that Stan. and KState are 3-0 really means something. These losses may look a lost less bad in another 4 weeks.
To give ourselves a chance to win next week we need to run the ball well in the pistol offense, execute on special teams, and stop the run. We saw with both Stanford and KState that we’re still undersized upfront and can be pushed around by bigger O lines. Of course, the point of running the ball is to rest our defense while we tire theirs. We’ll see how it works out in six days.
Is Stanford as good as Texas? The answer may actually be yes. They’re clearly the best team we’ve played so far this year because they are incredibly tough, big, and experienced. Loosing Gerhart hurts them, but everybody else is a year bigger and a year wiser.
As will be my trip home to Houston next weekend
Now, to beat UT, which is doable and I’ll be in hog heaven.
And, I really mean doable.
UT is very good but not as dominant as in the past few years. If we play our best, and they don’t, we will win.
sjh
I was thinking last night that if we were to beat UT-Austin
this would be the year. Let’s hope we are both right.
Anyone notice that on the AP picture N put up, the person on the upper-left frame jumping up is none other than our honorary captain?
Still pumped as a Bruin? I think so.
Off the subject - a little
Has anyone noticed that stores like Dick’s sporting Goods, Kohl’s, etc. have a bunch of $c stuff, even a $c Santa Claus, and not much UCLA stuff? I complain every time I go into one of those stores. Is it them or do we not do a very good job of selling our school? I am constantly turning all the shirts, hats, jerseys, etc. around so no one can see those ugly initials together. Our athletic dept. needs to get on this immediately.
by Forever a Bruin on Sep 19, 2010 4:17 PM PDT reply actions
Usually the Manhattan Beach/El Segundo store (Dicks) has a lot of Bruin stuff.
But I have noticed it in a lot of other places. It’s stupid for many reasons, but mainly, because unlike us, they only have one color.
Go Bruins!
OT -- Texans and Redskins
In overtime, Texans in overtime with Redskins. Drive to the Redskins 39 and are 4th and 4. Rackers is a good kicker.
Instead they punt into the end zone. Net gain 19 yards.. Texans sack McNabb BUT after he’s on the ground, a Texan spears him in the back with a helmet hit. Give them 15 yards.
Chicken shit move. Play for the win, Kubiak, play for the win. Especially on the road.
McNabb drives the Redskins to the Texans 39. Exact same position as Texans were in.
Shanahan brings out the kicker. Houston calls time out but kicker kicked it anyway — and drilled it right through.
So, he had to kick it again. And, he missed it.
Whew!
Game should have been over. We should have kicked the damn thing. But, we got lucky.
On Houston’s next series, on 3rd and 8, Houston comes up 6 inches short. But, Redskins off sides. So choice, 3rd and 3 or 4th and a few inches. Kubiak takes 3rd and 3. and on a contested play, Houston competes a pass for a first down. Whew!!!
Schaub completes a 28 yard pass to the Redskin 20. Shit, throwing a Chris Horton. I’m conflicted. But, hey, this is my home time team..Reviewed by the booth. It’s a catch.
Now Kubiak brings in Rackers.
And, then CBS switches to 60 Minutes? You’re fucking kidding me?
This is like cutting to “Heidi” during the end of a super bowl.
Damn, Kubiak, you should have kicked the damn thing so that I could have seen us win.
Now, I don’t know whether I did or not.
sjh
Texans won
Great game. I hate the Redskins but really hard to root against McNabb.
by Nestor on Sep 19, 2010 5:30 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I was there and everyone was loud.
I also didn’t think that there were “very few” of us. It would be nice to have more, but I thought it was a good turnout. But, heck yah…it was loud…I had a definite noise hangover most of the day today. What a blast!
Go Bruins!
Kevin Prince's TD
I totally understand all the hoopla about Franklin’s game, but is anyone else impressed by the cojones KP showed when he successfully rushed for that TD in the second quarter? He met the defender and kept going! What a tremendous boost for us at that point in the game! It wasn’t quite the “John Elway helicopter” play in the Denver Super Bowl win over the Packers, but he was out there showing his determination to win! I’m so looking forward to attending the game next week in Austin!
GO BRUINS!!!
Nice win for the Bruins
I was pleasantly surprised by the Bruins performance last night. I thought the offense looked much improved and I was very happy to see Thigpen back out there on O. Prince looked much better than the first 2 games but his accuracy must improve. Franklin looked better than any Bruin running back in the past few years. The Texas game suddenly got a lot more interesting.
Man what a great day all around!
I love night games !!!!!
It seemed like forever since I’ve been able to relax on my long drive home while listening to local sports talk after a win!
I love night games!!!!!!
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that count's" - John Wooden.
Yup
I’m happy for our team and for all the fans who’ve been dieing for a W. But like you noted, we need to maintain our perspective.
We both agree that we’d like to see Chandler at DT. I think a combination of Chandler and Carter is a must (at least for now until the youngsters are more comfortable at this level) in order to combat the run game. With Larimore (last night was very encouraging) behind them, the middle of our defense could be very tough to run against. I think Chuck is hesitant to make this move because he doesn’t have confidence that our DE’s can hold the edge. IMO, Bullough needs to fortify the middle and use our strength (speed) off the edge. There are plenty of so called smaller defenses past (Auburn, VTech, etc) and present that had smaller defenders on the edge who utilized their speed. Let the quicker/smaller defenders (Ayers, Graham, Owa, etc.) knife through or just flat out beat the big uglies to the QB/RB. We played a lot of nickel so why not try out a Hilliard or Riley as a Rover? I’m hoping Bullough grew up a bit but something tells me we’re going to be in base defense next week against Texas.
Lots of positives but we have a ton to work on. I’m hoping KP gets a bit crisper timing and accuracy wise this week. Going down to Austin is a tough task but Texas is not invincible IMO.
convincing
more than a win, last night showed that with the right mindset, the Bruins can dominate games. with the strength of this year’s schedule and young players, the team needs a high level of execution and consistency
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bruins Nation
Related FanShots on Bruins Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
