UCLA is Gift Wrapped a Win Over ASU 29-28
by freesia39 on Nov 5, 2011 8:19 PM PDT
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This season has been a roller coaster for UCLA. Lose, win, lose, win, lose, win... every time we lost a game, we'd come back the next game and win. Except we couldn't keep the train moving and would lose the next game. Tonight, we finally won a game after a win, with some luck, horrible refereeing (I may write an ANGRY LETTER) and two very importantly missed field goals. Also remember - ASU is a HORRIBLE road team. Their road win? Against UTAH, who was playing their back up QB.
In the first half, it looked the game would be the same old, same old. Taylor Embree was back there fair catching punts, Jerry Rice Jr is nowhere to be seen, Datone Jones is back at end, Eric Kendricks isn't starting, but hey, Tevin McDonald gets to play.
UCLA strikes first on the strength of our running game, with Kevin Prince with two nice runs for significant yardage. ASU might have watched the game tape but they were unable to stop Prince on our first drive. Aided by a beautiful hit by Anthony Barr, a nice catch from Nelson Rosario and a nice throw to Fauria, Jonathan Franklin goes VROOM into the end zone and we are on the board first, although the extra point was pushed wide right by Tyler Gonzalez.
However our overpursuing bug strikes the defense again, and ASU chugs down the field and scores easily. Thankfully we get a present from ASU in the form of a kickoff kicked out of bounds and we get a much shorter field. We get our first Vontaze Burfict penalty of the night, a late hit on Prince that I will take since he just glided over him instead of knocking him unconscious. But once again, we go for our "punting is winning"strategy, although more out of necessity as we do not have a kicker that can kick a 50 yard field goal. We miss you, Kai Forbath.
ASU scores. Yawn. We look like we're just going to strike right back, with a spectacular return by Josh Smith, and shockingly, no flags. Except we go backwards on our first two plays and Tyler Gonzalez puts 3 points on the board with a kick from 43 yards, with holder Nick Crissman. Good for Nick.
Finally, we rediscover Derrick Coleman and let him just eat up yardage and we march down the field, with Coleman capping off the drive with a touchdown. ASU can't take advantage of our horrible defense and penalties on their ensuing drive, but luckily for us, they miss their field goal. Spectacularly too. Way short.
To close the half, Jonathan Franklin goes off for a nice run that's negated by a penalty, of course. Then the timeout calling show begins, but UCLA goes into halftime with a 16-14 lead.
With the momentum from taking that final knee to close the first half, UCLA gets the ball and after a couple of short runs we totally fake ASU into thinking run again and throw a 76 yard bomb to Nelson Rosario for the first TD of the year for Nelson Rosario, and the longest touchdown in Prince's career.
However, the second half doesn't appear to improve, as the flags start flying. Jonathan Franklin had a nice run and is negated with a flag. Stan McKay tries to knock out Jamal Miles, and Miles calmly bounces off of McKay's attempt at a tackle, and scores. The facepalm is strong with me at this point. Kevin Prince has a nice run, and is negated by another flag. I'm thinking we're lucky Prince doesn't get hurt and doubly lucky that Jeff Locke is a fantastic punter.
In addition to the flags, we start turning the ball over. Jonathan Franklin fumbles after he bumps into Kai Maiava's backside. ASU scores and, boom, they take the lead. Josh Smith fumbles the kick off, and ASU recovers. Someone probably whispers into Rick's ear that they should fair catch kick offs. But we get a gift as the ASU kicker pushes the field goal wide. Remember that.
On our next drive, Derrick Coleman is stripped but we luckily recover. Coleman makes up for it with a beautiful run down to the 20. Unfortunately one bad snap and pass interference on Joe Fauria leads to 3rd and 29, and I start calculating if Gonzalez can kick from here. Somehow... we float a ball to Rosario and convert for the first down and three plays later, Derrick Coleman smashes the ball into the end zone. Unfortunately (I say this a lot) Fauria and Prince do not connect on the 2 point conversion and we have a precarious 29-28 lead.
In an utter fiasco at the end of our game with ridiculous flags for PI on Aaron Hester, ASU throwing the ball out of bounds but is OVERTURNED on a REVIEW THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, ASU is gifted their time out back, but on the final play, ASU misses the field goal short... and wide.
UCLA hangs on for a miraculous win that should have been a loss... or a bigger win given our opportunities. And guess what - we still control our destiny in the Pac-12 South, for the right to be annihilated by either Oregon or Stanford in the Pac-12 title game.
As for the eye test:
1) Is our defense prepared for each and every team we play?
2) Do we call offensive plays to catch our opponents off guard?
3) Do our players look like they know what they should be doing at all times?
4) Do our players play for 60 G-D minutes every game?
5) Do our players execute?
6) Do we have leaders on the field?
You can go ahead and answer it.
I do have to say kudos to Kevin Prince. Even with Richard Brehaut cleared to practice, he didn't shrivel up, and stood tall and moved the offense along. Derrick Coleman is a beast, and I love him.
UCLA is now 5-4 and one win away from being bowl eligible. Crazy thought, isn't it? Let's hope we don't completely lay an egg next week against Utah in Utah.
However, this doesn't change a thing. We may have lucked our way into a win, especially with ASU helping us out, but a few things remain the same. Dan Guerrero is still our top target, Rick Neuheisel should no longer be the head coach at UCLA, and there is a desperate need for a culture change regarding football in the Morgan Center.
Get on it, Bruin faithful. I flipped over to the LSU/Bama game after ours, and while they showed a quick highlight from our game, I didn't get the feeling they respected Neuheisel at all, or our football program. It was the sound of bewilderment coming from Verne Lundquist. I know I'm bewildered that we won, that SPTRs are still SPTRs, that we have fumble problems, and yet... our kicking game isn't as bad as ASU's... although I will be nervous if Tyler Gonzalez has to kick a game winning field goal.
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Look
maybe we did get gifted a win. But the fact remains, we beat a top 20 team tonight, and we played a very good game. Should this save Rick? No. But this was a very solid performance. That was an effort that I am proud to support
Let me repeat what I wrote in last thread
Because we are going to see a lot of BS about beating a “great,” and “top-25” team. It is horsesh!t.
ASU lost to Illinois on the road. Illi FREAKING Nois.
ASU beat Utah on the road, but that was with Utah being forced to go to their backup QB who was playing at D-2 school the year before the program folded. He threw 3 picks and the Utes had 5 TOs. So whatever.
ASU has always been a horrible road team. They were 2-4 last year. They were 1-4 on the road in 2009. Also 1-4 in 2008. That’s 5-14 in last 4 seasons. The 5 wins came against the following:
2011 — Utah (4-4, 1-4 conf)
2010 — Wazzu (2-10, 1-8), Arizona (7-6, 4-5)
2009 — Wash St.(1-11, 0-9)
2008 — UDub (0-12, 0-9)
So don’t come here making ridiculous arguments that we beat a good team. If you are going to do just argue based on emotions making blanket statements, you will need to go somewhere else.
The head coach is ultimately reponsibile for a defense that gives up yards like ..., well, that give up a lot of yards.
317 SJS
333 Cal
375 OSU
389 WSU
442 Stanford
464 ASU
469 Houston
488 Texas
FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY THREE Arizona
Why is Tressey still coaching?
since when has tresey ever "coached?"
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
There was that mandate
for all the coaches to coach “hard” this week. :) I’m still trying to figure out what that means…
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions
lololol
to do that to a top-rated Bruin Defense from years past… sigh
Well I guess if you can't enjoy a win....why even watch?
BTW, the penalty was against Aaron Hester, not Price. Price didn’t even play.
I disagree and believe ASU is a solid top 25 team, who dismantled SUC at home. Maybe they are not a GREAT road team. But who is? It is tough winning on the road anywhere in CFB. Furd almost gave it away at SUC.
ASU’s 3 road losses were close. Even the one to Oregon was very close until the end and even then they only lost by 14. Somebody remind me how many the Ducks have won straight at Autzen?
ASU has a tough D and can play llights out on Offense at times. We are very fortunate to beat anybody these days.
I am not a CRN supporter, but I am not in the Camp of wishing your team to lose to get rid of a coach. I will NEVER root against my Bruins no matter who is coaching or playing. A true Bruin would never do so. It seems like CRN has 9 lives. He’s like a bad rash and just won’t go away. Maybe the Arizona game finally woke this team up. They are if anything, finally playing with some passion.
There were still plenty of mistakes by the players on both sides of the ball and we failed to get a TO, yet again. On offense, I think our Biggest mistake from a coaching standpoint, was slowing the game down and calling TO’s when we obviously had ASU’s D tired and on their heels. That TO before the Franklin fumble, with the TV commercial, seemed like 5 minutes and I cringed at the time, thinking it was a HUGE mistake. BTW, doesn’t Wayne Moses drill these guys on holding the ball with not just both hands, but both arms when in traffic? Several times I saw both Franklin and Coleman carrying the ball like a loaf of bread in one arm in traffic.
I agree that NO one win or loss should change the coaching situation. It is based on a body of work and CRN’s body of work is the worst of any coach in UCLA history.
However, what if CRN wins out and then wins a decent Bowl Game? Then would you still call for CRN’s head? I think it would be impossible to get rid of him then. Not probable, but certainly possible. All year and throughout his career it has seemed like CRN has been learning on the job. I could NEVER understand how a guy could coach so badly after winning 11 games and 10 games twice.
What say you. If CRN wins out, still fire him? And how?
For tonight, I think I will enjoy, but not celebrate a good win.
by BruinFaithful on Nov 5, 2011 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I didn't mean you.
Just speaking in general. I do know some people who are wishing CRN to lose in order to get rid of him.
Not all the comments in my post were directed at you. In fact, most weren’t.
So if he wins out? What then?
by BruinFaithful on Nov 5, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Good Point!!!!
We very well might get blown out at Utah. I agree it should be based on a body of work. I personally believe he has the talent to win out and should, to keep his job. That would put us at 8-4 and in the title game. Which we would need to be competitive in. I don’t believe 6-6 does it, even if he wins a Bowl game.
I think we should throw $4 million at Petersen and pay his $650k buyout and call it a day.
Any credibility to Simers claim that Foster’s source says DG reached out to Petersen?
by BruinFaithful on Nov 5, 2011 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Gotcha
I think we have the talent to get to the Rose Bowl. We have underachieved the whole season. Last two games have shown the talent we have in our team. So for me … if we get to the Rose Bowl .. we can ponder the big picture. Nothing changes for me until then.
Mostly Agree.
I believe we have the talent to compete for the Rose Bowl. Not sure if we have the talent to get there yet.
However, we DEFINTELY have the talent to play MORE competitive against Furd and Texas and not get embarrassed and beat teams like Houston and AZ.
by BruinFaithful on Nov 5, 2011 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Addendum
It is ok to feel good about the “effort” of our players. Just don’t embellish by playing it up as some sort of huge win against a great team. It wasn’t. To do so would be absurd and not based on reality.
What if we characterized ASU as a "solid" team?
And called it a victory over a solid ASU squad?
Now I in no way am going to argue that ASU is a great team. However this is also a team that beat other ranked teams in U$C* and Missouri and remained semi-competitive in Oregon. I know they lost to Illinois, but as we Bruin fans know, one game (good or bad) does not define an entire body of work.
so delayed....
one wrong kestroke on my new mac and all my stuff gets erased…. anyways. here’s take 2…
you say asu is solid. i LO freaking L…
1-0 asu beats uc davis in tempe. seriously? i think my high school could beat uc davis. especially at home.
2-0 asu beats missouri. missouri who beat miami (ohio) in week 1. since ben roethlisberger is playing quarterback i guess this was a good win. oh wait… missouri is now 4-5. and you use them as an argument… the teams they’ve beat are as follows: the aforementioned miami of ohio, western illinois leathernecks (yes i had to look that one up), iowa state, and texas a&m. i must say that’s quite a juggernaut… seriously… do you even research before you post?!?!?
2-1 asu loses @ illinois… or as N calls them:
illi FREAKING nois.
illinois fattened themselves up (SEC style) by playing (and beating) arkansas state, south dakota state, western michigan, northwestern (RIP randy walker… so sorry about that 2005 sun bowl…) , and indiana. throw in the asu win and hey look! they’re 6-0. congratulations illinois…. now they start their REAL schedule against REAL football teams, and look what happens… they lose to “the ohio state university,” purdue, and penn state. next they have michigan and wisconsin. yes boys and girls, ILLI freaking NOIS could soon be 6-5… no wonder they beat asu. i mean, how could anybody beat the almighty fighting illini… /sarcasm
3-1 asu somehow, someway beat *$¢. let’s just say even a blind squirrel finds a nut. yes, even karl dorrell – see the mirage 10-2 season…. plus, pretty boy barkley had to play in tempe… sure, a good win. asu has exactly one win that makes them somewhat decent.
4-1 asu beats oregon state. oregon state, just isn’t good (2-7). and the (2-7) beavers had to play IN TEMPE…
5-1 asu wins @ utah. let’s just say utah probably isn’t too thrilled about being in the pac-12… i mean utah got thumped by cal, and how bad is cal if we thumped them? but let’s give utah some credit. they just beat ‘zona… and ’zona looked like the greatest thing since andrew luck a few weeks ago against tresey’s poor excuse for defense… then again, utah will probably thump our vespa clown through car wash defense next week but i digress…
5-2 asu loses @ oregon.. but hey, they kept it close. i mean you even admit it…
and remained semi-competitive in Oregon.
yes, folks, asu must be real good because they only lost at oregon by 2 touchdowns…. give. me. a. break.
6-2 asu beats colorado. yes, 1-9 colorado (damn they haven’t even had a bye…. poor buff’s…but hey at least they beat the rams…) and those poor buffaloes had to play IN TEMPE…
and today, dennis erickson screws up even more than rick neuheisel does…
they have three games remaining @ wazzu, home against ‘zona, and home against cal. [damn 7 home games… must be nice… we just schedule thursday night games on the road on nationally televised bspn… if only we had a real athletic director… but that’s off topic.] i’m just saying we need asu to choke again, because, well, i don’t feel so hot about us going to utah
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
One caveat
I can’t get a read on Northwestern this year. Their record should be better than what they are as today’s performance showed.
damn they won???
i didn’t even check that score… oops.
so then if northwestern is better than i thought, then illinois is better than i thought, then asu is better than i thought, then we are better than i thought, then neuheusel is doing a better job than i thought, then guerrero is doing a better job than i thought.
let’s give rick and dan a pay raise…
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
can you please be more disrespecful?
I really want you to try. Do I research before I post? Yes. I just draw different opinions than you. I think Missouri is a very solid win. Not great, but solid. But yeah, let’s rip their program for no reason. Cool, that’s classy.
The SC win? They smoked them. I don’t understand why you want to discount this, but they SMOKED them. It wasn’t close. That was a legitimate, good win.
They were beating Oregon in the 2nd half. No, they didn’t win, but didn’t we lose by 47 to Oregon last year? ASU played a competitive game on the road against a top 10 team – at one of the toughest venues in the country.
The lost against Illinois was bad, no doubt. But seriously, why is every win they have a bad one? You just say stuff about each game that is pure opinion. According to every college football analyst (who I know are mostly stupid), ASU has a very solid resume. And I agree with that, sorry if that offends you.
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions
didn't quite realize the post i replied to was nested within yours...
i actually quite agree with most of your original post.
1) we did get a gift today.
2) we beat a team that had a number next to their name (deserved or otherwise)
3) no it shouldn’t save rick’s job
4) a lot of the players had great efforts today and i was proud of my guys.
but damn the talent on our roster and it being at home, we should have rolled those guys. our defensive scheme flat out sucks. yes we had some stops here and there because our cupboard isn’t bare anymore. our talent level is considerable and our alma mater should be better represented in the 4th year of a head coach’s tenure.
i’m not saying every asu win is a bad win… i’m just saying let’s not blow this victory tonight out of proportion. they’ve had a good season. they’ve beat who they’ve played. and the *$¢ win was impressive. they did, in fact, smoke them. and i gave them credit a few comments….. V down there V where i said they have 1 good victory.
btw i’m thrilled that we did win tonight. i was rockin my true blue gear all day today, and will be tomorrow, and will be wearing it every day for that matter. but we won today in spite of our “coaching” staff. it’s time to bring in a new AD and a new head coach…
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
Look I'm not saying they're a good team
But those wins that they had? It shows that they are a SOLID team. You don’t get lucky that many times being a bad team.
Sure you do
You don’t seem to have a sharp memory. Karl Dorrell’s “10-2” team won a lot of games but it was not very good. It wasn’t all that solid as it was exposed when it was destroyed by Arizona and by Southern Cal.
when did i say that?
No, ASU isn’t a great team. But they’re a solid team that’s had a lot of good victories. Regardless, I’m just happy about the fact that I was proud to root for that team tonight…and that’s a new feeling this year. That was a solid game by this team, in my opinion
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions
on the road?
not a ton. They stayed with Oregon at Autzen, crushed Utah in Utah, and had a really poor game at Illinois. It’s not a lot, but they’ve got 2 solid road appearances on their resume, against one bad one.
Again, I don’t think they’re an elite team. But they lost the one tough game to Oregon, and crushed everyone else they’ve played in conference, including a very good U$C team. I think it’s worth enjoying this win
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions
The win against Utah was pretty garbage
I gave the reasons why above. And I don’t care about moral victories on the road. We have different standards clearly of what it means to be a good team.
I don't understand why you think that
I don’t think this was a defining win. I just think it was a win that I didn’t expect, and something that I was proud to watch as a UCLA fan. And that’s it. I think this was a solid, respectable performance from our Bruins.
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Huh?
Did you even watch their game against Utah? I wrote above Utah being forced to go to their backup QB who was playing at D-2 school the year before in a program folded. He threw 3 picks and the Utes had 5 TOs. It was not some great win. It was a win against a team that had no offense.
I am glad that you were “proud” to watch this as a “UCLA fan.” As a UCLA alum I am disgusted wit the overall state of my school’s program and not all that impressed with a win against an average team that should be routine home win for my school.
So we come from a different world with different standards.
I'm not proud of the program.
But I watched this game with a bunch of guys from the east coast who were impressed with our performance. Meaning I was proud to say, yeah, I support those guys. But that’s completely different with being satisfied with this program. I’m not, and I won’t be until DG gets replaced.
I never called the Utah win a great win. I just said they crushed Utah in Utah. That’s a fact, and you can take it as you will.
I just think that ASU is a solid team that we put up a good performance against. If that’s disagreeable, I apologize, but that’s how I feel
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
You can argue ASU is a solid team
But it’s not based on reality. I am glad you felt good watching this game with some buddies but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we scraped by in a poorly coached game against a slightly above average team at the Rose Bowl.
Jesus
What will it take to enjoy this team? I’m bummed that the program is mired in mediocrity, as you’ve correctly pointed out, but I can still enjoy a good win, even if it is out of the blue and unlikely to be repeated
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions
The rush of the crack pipe
but when it wears off, you remember that it feels like shit.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I'm also happy with the win.
But I’m not kidding myself about the state of the football program. It’s at rock bottom. Wins against the teams we’ve beaten and losses like the losses we’ve had makes that perfectly clear. It might be different if I didn’t have a set of good old days that was actually good. A one-point win at home against any school from Arizona was something that you hung your head about. Now, we rush the field.
I’m not going to get carried away with a win until we start looking like a football team again.
This win, doesn't mean anything out of context.
If we win the next three, get in the championship game, then it starts to mean something. Our goal is still championships.
Yes, it’s “nice” we won, but by this point in CRN’s tenure we should beat Arizona St. at the Rose Bowl.
what good "VICTORIES?"
i count 1. 1 good win. my arguments just got posted ^ up there =)
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
Totally agree with Bucknell here..
Let’s all just enjoy this. Remember this ASU team, with a better offense than last year, rang up 52 points on our 2010 Defense, which was arguably better than the 2011 D. That tells me a lot.
The Bruins played their guts out and won this game tonight.
They deserve kudos for that.
Yes there were mistakes.
Yes, it does next-to-nothing to change the overall body of work of the staff/admin, but the reality is they played their asses off and are now in 1st place…
And us fans and alums should just appreciate that for what it is, at least for the next 24 hours…
Read my comments closely Rich
I have no problem with celebrating our players’ effort. It’s a different deal if you want to advance the argument that we beat some great team.
i never made that argument
I don’t think ASU is some great team. But they’re by far the best team we’ve beaten this year, and I think we played a good game to accomplish that. Again, IT SHOULD NOT SAVE RICK’S JOB. But I’m glad to see the effort being put forth, and ASU is a solid team. Not great, but solid. And we beat them despite extremely shoddy officiating
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with you
about the effort. I appreciate the effort I saw from the players as they beat a barely above average team they should always beat at the Rose Bowl.
sorry trying to write BCS
Wasn’t Arizona State ranked 19th in the BCS rankings? That seems to have a lot of input from numerous sources that all are watching the ever evolving landscape of CB. I don’t always agree with the BCS system but its what we have and so have to live with it sometime. I think that would qualify ASU by definition as a "solid " team at least. So hey, good win BRUINS! Don’t party too much as we now expect even greater things! Let’s beat down some Utes!
Here's what it tells me
Especially in light of the record that N highlighted: We are lucky this game wasn’t in Tempe, because our road record is worse than theirs and we’d probably be staring at Arizona 2.0.
thank you....
i was at the game and agree that i totally enjoyed it! only people i wanted to kill were those SPTRs jeez! i didn’t see anything but did Fauria really commit a PI on the 2 yard line? or was it just some 6’8" guy killing some tiny DB?
what i like is the fact that the team is improving. Tresey may not have been RN’s #1 pick but he seems to be getting the hang of things. the DB’s are playing up now and being more aggressive to the ball. they still need to turn and look for the ball periodically. but it was totally awesome to see randall carroll blitzing and getting in osweiler’s face forcing bad passes!
and nelson’s touchdown, that was an adjustment from the first half where they ran a screen pass to embree and the DBs jumped on him for a short gain but nelson was wide open. they ran that exact play on their first drive of the second half only prince faked the screen pass and that is how nelson was SOOOO wide open! TD! and the pistol does continues to evolve with prince having more options ie runs with screen options.
i would really like to see the total results for the rest of the year before i pass final judgement! haha GO BRUINS!
seriously?
i’m not saying this should save Rick’s job. I’m not saying this is a season saving win. I’m saying this is a solid win, a win we should have but one that UCLA football has been lacking in the last decade. We didn’t beat an elite team, no, but we won a game that in the past – dont’ lie – ucla fans expected to lose. It shouldn’t save Rick, but it was nice to see. Personally, I loved watching that game tonight. It brought me some pride to root for that team on the field, for once.
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually
I went on record few times this year making it clear this is the exact kind of game UCLA has won over the years with bad coaches in charge. It just showed how we had talent in this team who tonight won despite being held back with a playing not to lose mindset. Some UCLA fans are short sighted but we have been around long enough to not lose sight of perspective.
i understand about the "phantom win" that just comes out of nowhere
but I didn’t expect that in this game. I thought this was a game that ASU took very seriously, and we just beat them. I guess we just disagree about the type of win this was…you think it was another random “fluke” win, and I think it was a good win i’m not sued to seeing. I guess we both could be right. But I want to be optimistic after watching this game tonight.
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions
who's won a national title?
Seriously, i get that Erickson has his faults but he’s had plenty of success on this level. I’ll take him over Rick
by bucknellbruin on Nov 5, 2011 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Just got back from the game...
…At least the crowd, freezing as it was (and it was COLD), was way into this one. The refs were atrocious and there were some really bad coaching decisions as we’ve come to expect, but I’m just really happy for a win tonight.
The way this team is coached, it’s going to be difficult for there not to be an epic letdown against Utah, but I’m proud of the boys for not giving up, even as the refs + dumb mistakes made it look like this one was slipping away late.
Lol at cold
I’m in CT and have been without power for a week… what I wouldn’t give to be “cold” at the rose bowl!
This was a game that showed how good we can be if we had a legit ad. Guerrero sucks, and I have to wonder how much better we could be if neu was given a real budget for assistants.
by hicalliber on Nov 6, 2011 5:24 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
OT in Alabama...
Bama to start on offense.
My two favorite teams are UCLA and whoever is playing $C.
I thought it was a great win
ASU was favored by 9 points. We overcame two horrendous fumbles, and still hung on to win. There was a lot on the line for this one, and we came through. The team looked fired up, coach looked fired up, the fans were fired up.
With all due respect, this wasn’t gift wrapped. Our boys WON IT!
GO BRUINS!
Yeah the coach looked fired up
When we played not to lose the whole game. We have different definitions of playing “fired up” football.
I hear ya
And I know what you mean about Neu playing not to lose in his coaching tenure. Please don’t take this comment as me trying to call you out – just interested in good respectful football discussion. But I do want to challenge you a little bit: How exactly did we play not to lose?
Didn't we get backed up with a penalty though?
I don’t remember exactly but I thought we were.
Easy
The conservative play calling of run, run, pass almost the entire half when we were ahead. It was painful, unimaginative play calling. Not calling plays aggressively to build a lead vs. calling plays to merely protect the lead and win the field position game. That is what we did tonight and that is PNTL.
And don't forget the conservative bend-don't-break defensive mindset
that predominated our D except for few brief spurts here and there.
Agree
I don’t know what to say about the defense sometimes.
That makes sense
But we were successful running the ball. I also think you have to be careful what you ask of Prince. I like throwing downfield a few times, but that’s not his strength. There were a lot of 2nd and 5’s tonight. That’s good.
Bama blanks...LSU forces them out of FG range
My two favorite teams are UCLA and whoever is playing $C.
Is there a writeup on BN or elsewhere on Carroll plaing nickel back?
This was the first time tonight right? Was it announced by the coaching staff beforehand?
we discussed it in a couple of the roundups before the Cal fame
that he was getting significant practice reps on defense.
formerly bruinhoo
Gonna throw this out there now
Because people always seem to be unable to get this through their thick skulls: Whines about tone and content are not welcome. Preemptive whines about moderation are also not welcome. This is the warning for the entire thread so failure to comply will result in bans. Thanks.
Nothing less....
than winning out will suffice for me to feel good about this season. That will mean that we won five in a row against some decent and perhaps a couple of not so decent teams. If that means we keep Neuheisel for his final year( without renewing his contract) so be it.
Winning out would mean winning the Rose Bowl
And, like you, that is what I require for this season to be a success and then, and only then, do I even entertain the notion of Neuheisel returning next year.
So if we beat Utah, Colorado, and SC
but lost to Stanford or Oregon in the title game, you think it’s an unsuccessful season?
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 8:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes
That’s what happens when you mail it in for the first half of a make or break season. Your margin of error disappears. Problem?
Absolutely a problem.
If Oregon is in the title game then they beat Stanford with their only loss being to LSU, and we will be playing at Autzen. Take any team in the country to Autzen Stadium and they are not winning that game.
Stanford makes the title game then they beat Oregon and run the table and are #1,2, or 3 depending on what LSU and OK St do. Expecting to beat an undefeated Stanford (at worst the number 3 team in the country) on the road? Thats not an expectation for anybody, not even Oregon next week
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Tough shit
Come out firing to start the year and we don’t have this problem. Unfortunately we all saw what happened instead. Since they not only lost but looked terrible and clueless doing it, extraordinary evidence is now required to show that Rick can turn this around. Honestly, there are no expectations anymore. Rick is a dead man walking as far as I’m concerned, and as I’ve said elsewhere, the only way I even entertain the notion of retaining him is if we are Rose Bowl champs this year. You don’t like those expectations? Too bad, so sad. Rick and the team did this to themselves.
5 game win streaks don't mean anything?
Beating a top 20 team in ASU and beating your crosstown rival who is also a top 20 team means nothing?
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Not when you start the year playing .500 ball
When your talent dictates that you should be doing better than that. Actually you’re right. It does mean something. It means that the preparation to start this season was woefully inadequate, and it deprived this team a shot to do something truly special.
Two new coordinators
This isn’t a typical year 4. At the time of the hire did you think Norm Chow wouldn’t work out?
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions
The two new coordinators
Didn’t mean that it gave Neu two more years. We expected big results in year 4. The window wasn’t extended b/c we hired two new coordinators, one of whom have turned to be an epic fail by all accounts.
Oh good
So you can just hire new coordinators and never actually show any results and use the rebuilding excuse in perpetuity. Good one.
Show any results?
Our defense is improving as is, and winning games is the best measure of showing results. It’s progress and a 5 game win streak including two 20 teams to end the year is definitely building something.
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions
You mean we're improving from getting our doors blown off by 5 TDs in a half?
Well damn, now you’ve convinced me. Next thing you’ll be telling me we’ve “turned a corner” right, Karl?
Correct me if I'm wrong
But the goal is to win games is it not? If we win out and have a 5 game win streak to end the year, that is the ultimate show of results.
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions
That's not what you asked me
You asked me if something less than winning out makes this a successful season. I said no, because the way we started the year was terrible, and we will thus need a spectacular finish including a Rose Bowl victory to counteract those first seven terrible games. The ultimate show of results is a good season from start to finish, not a 5 game winning streak, Derp.
Anything is an improvement over how poorly we've played most of the year..
They had 188 yards on us in the 1st friggin quarter. I and everyone around me at the RB thought they were going to drop 800 yrds on us easy. Easy easy to improve when you’ve been sooo bad early in the season.
Difference between the journey and the destination
If we had played solid consisent football all season and lost in the Pac-12 Conf Championship to a top 3 Stanford team or to the Ducks at Autzen, that is understandable (though not acceptable, if you understand my differentiation).
However, we have not played good solid consistent quality football at all. The last 2 wins have been nice. That doesn’t erase that Arizona happened, or Texas, or the issues with the defense, or the struggles against bad teams like San Jose St and WSU. And that’s just this season. Last season was worse.
It’s all about the path this team has taken, and not about where it ends up. It is the inconsistency and lack of development and poor personnel choices and terrible coaching decisions and schemes that have sealed Rick’s fate in my mind.
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
Absolutely
Getting blown out on National TV is another bad data point after the last one already broke the camel’s back. Now if we win and then then win the Rose Bowl, Rick can keep his job. However, this is asking a lot
"Beating USC isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that" -Red Sanders-
by PrincetonBruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes
8-5 with an appearance in the Pac 12 title game seems good. BUT, the Pac 12 South and the Pac 12 overall is down. If the Pac 12 was at his normal level…..oh gawd…I don’t even want to imagine what we’d be.
Also, LOOK at our team. I’m sure you have so stop denying what your eyes are seeing. We are an undisciplined, conservative, no identity, etc. team.
Pac 12 is down?
Stanford unbeated and #4 in the country. Oregon’s only loss is to the #1 team in the country? What is down about that?
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:06 PM PDT up reply actions
Furd
SJ State, @Duke, @Zona, UCLA, Colorado, @Wazzu, UDub, @suc, @OSU
Damn….murderous schedule. I think they should jump LSU, Clemson and Ok State in the BCS standings.
And Oregon hasn’t played anyone either. They beat ASU at home but so have we. So what does that tell you?
Stanford has absolutely dominated every team they've played
Besides SC. They went into an incredibly hostile Coliseum and won a great game. Anyone who thinks SC isn’t a good football team is crazy. Washington is a solid football team with a great offense and they absolutely rolled them
Oregon has beat every team by atleast 2 TDs since LSU. They are about to play Stanford which either validates one of the 2 teams and will play SC. If you honestly think neither team is a top team in college football then you haven’t been watching enough football as they are both great teams
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Have you watched every Stanford game?
I don’t think so. They struggled with SJ State, Duke, UDub and even OSU. suc has gotten better so that is their top win this season. Based on what you’re writing, you think they’re “elite”. Put them up against a true elite team and I’m pretty sure they go down.
And if you don’t think this is a watered down Pac 12 with plenty of mediocre teams, you’re the crazy one.
I've watched every game but Arizona and Colorado
because I was at the rose bowl. Stanford is an elite team, and I don’t think you can really argue otherwise til they prove you wrong. And winning every game by two TDs or more besides SC on the road gives you nothing to argue otherwise.
There will probably be five 8 win teams in the conference with Stanford, Oregon, SC, ASU, and Washington. if we run the table that makes 6. Numbers don’t lie
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Too bad Stanford being up doesn't counter what BlueReign originally said
Which is that the Pac-12 overall is down. The mediocre mess that is the Pac-12 south is more than ample evidence of that. Bringing up how Stanford beats up on said shitty competition only enhances his point, not yours.
The conference is better then it was last year
And as good as it was two years ago. There will be 5 teams with 8 wins. If we win out that makes 6 teams with 8+ wins.
by blueandgold100 on Nov 5, 2011 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Let's throw them a freaking party then
For feasting on perpetually bad WSU, newcomers CU and Utah and previously winless-in-the-conference Arizona until we were so nice as to let them beat the hell out of us. Not to mention even the teams that look average by record, being us and Cal, look terrible on the field. I’d be a lot more impressed with this arbitrary 8 win metric you’re trotting out if there weren’t four win-donating sitting ducks within the conference to use to get there.
Haha
Sure buddy…whatever makes you sleep better at night. Just like: ASU 29 first downs v UCLA 19 or ASU 465 total yds v UCLA 416 total yards or ASU 77 total plays v UCLA 65 total plays.
These numbers clearly show that ASU got the W. Oh wait….numbers lie?
That's a rather circular argument you're using there
Seeing as how you’re using their domination of the teams they’ve played to make the case that the Pac-12 isn’t down when the cupcakes they’re dominating are Pac-12 teams.
Yes, because of how deep a hole Neuheisel dug for himself.
It takes something extraordinarily excellent to balance something so extraordinary horrible.
by Seth Chandler on Nov 5, 2011 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Happy to see the win
I won’t even begin to consider CRN returning unless we finish 8-4 and win the PAC-12 champ game and the ensuing bowl.
by DrJay32 on Nov 5, 2011 8:32 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
How many years does CRN have left on his contract?
Just one more, correct? I’m just wondering now if Guerror is thinking make a bowl game and let CRN finish out his contract before thinking about replacing him.
Go Bruins
wait... guerrerror? thinking?
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." --John Wooden
My takeaways from the ASU Game
These are my quick hits after wathcing a really entertaining win by UCLA. Let’s enjoy this, celebrate this, but understand what kind of game we’ve witnessed keeping in mind the big picture of our beloved program.
First, MAJOR MAJOR PROPS to the players. Coleman continues to be an inspiration. He runs with power and vision, his blocking is great (that flip on Burfict the second time he tried to leap him was awesome. I hope he gets the chance to continue to show us his game on Sundays. Also, the much maligned Rosario played very well after one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen from a Bruin WR at Arizona. Lastly, Tevin McDonald and Randol Carroll (the DB not the WR) need to see significant time for the rest of their careers as Bruins, they did a great job back there.
Next, let’s understand why we win these games, and why we also lose in such spectacularly bad ways. The Pistol offense under Kevin Prince is an offense with VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR (3rd and 29 miracle aside).
If we “stay on schedule” (as the announcers like to say over and over) by picking up our 3 to 4 yards on 1st and 2nd down, the Offense does well. We are able to pound it between the tackles, have Prince scamper around the crashing end when needed, and throw in just enough passes to keep the Defense off guard and not expose Prince’s passing woes.
HOWEVER, the flipside is this kind of Offense requires two things to succeed: an extremely disciplined offense and a Defense that is able to make some stops. We have such very little room to overcome false starts, holding penalties, or heaven forbid turnovers. The offense – oth in terms of pass protection and our QB-WR execution, is not tailored to get around 1st and 20s or 2nd and 15’s (again, miracle long throws aside). We also don’t have any room for falling down 21-0. If we try to grind it out against a team that is torching us on the other side of the ball, we’re grind ourselves to a 42-14 loss.
And that’s been the rub this season. Before playing against Cal, we hadn’t been able to avoid penalties, turnovers and giving the big plays on defense. Further, our defense is decent, but frankly the limts of the Pistol offense have placed a disproportionately heavy burden on our Defense to perform and perform well every game. That’s why our team has been getting blown out against the good teams, and has been grinding out ugly wins against the poor teams.
Against Cal, the Defense played well, our penalties were low and our turnover ratio was positive (Thanks TevinMc for that). The result: a good win against a decent team.
This game, the Defense also played VERY well – limiting ASU to well under their season average despite some crippling turnovers. The offense also did JUST enough to win. In the 1st half, we were on schedule in our drives, took advantage of an ASU busted coverage, and were in a good spot. Penalties and turnovers were brutalizing us in the second half, but the team made JUST enough big plays (and ASU made just enough bonehead plays/special teams blunders) to give us some breathing room. A little luck (the fumble recovery), a little grit (DC’s runs), and a 3rd and 29 conversion later, and we stand for now at the top of our artificially divided conference division.
So, what is my take away from this game?
We have warriors on this team in DC, Baca, Maiava, Jeffe Locke (hell yah a punter!!), Eric Kendricks, and Tevin McDonald, to name a few.
We have an offense that needs absolute perfection to succeed, and that’s asking too much of the kids. This is College – players are less experienced and practice less, hence mistakes are inevitable.
We are going to have a few more good wins like this, but the dark side is that when mistakes are made, we’re gonna have a few more woefully brutal losses. These kids are winning despite Neuheisel’s schemes, not because of them.
Major disagreement, CPO
You said “Further, our defense is decent, but frankly the limts of the Pistol offense have placed a disproportionately heavy burden on our Defense to perform and perform well every game.”
Our defense has not been decent under any possible definition. I generally add “in my opinion” to pontifications of that sort, but there is no number that equates to a decent defense. We gave up 464 yards tonight, more than our avarage (453) or our mean (442, vs. Stanford.) But maybe you can prove me wrong. Show me that stats that say this defense is “decent.” Or if not stats, then some kind of evidence. I don’t see it anywhere.
I see the distinction, but
We gave up 333 yards against Cal. If we averaged giving up 333 yds a game, we would be 28th in total defense. We gave up 464 against ASU (and I assume you meant ASU, not Arizona), and 464 would put us at number 113.
I don’t think our defense is decent at all. It’s just a horrible, horrible set of numbers. Our defense is just flat embarrassing. At least in my opinion.
This is true
The feeling I get is that the only time we stop a team is when they mess up. We never seem to be making the play to make the stop. Yes, I know we’ve obviously made plays to stop teams, but my general feeling is still that we never “stop” anyone.
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 11:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Our defense
is not designed to limit yards. It’s purely bend and break. We have simply broken less recently.
Riding home from the Rose Bowl
And our fumbles and the horrible calls were much more gift wrapping than ASU’s missed field goals. That was a real win in adversity, with the 3rd-and-miles conversion our biggest play of the season. Great gutsy effort by our boys, ably led by Kevin Prince. Happy to celebrate the biggest conference win of the Neuheisel era.
by VeniceBruin on Nov 5, 2011 8:35 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
LSU wins..
frankly, deservedly so. They had the best all-round game, especially with the missed FGA by Bama
My two favorite teams are UCLA and whoever is playing $C.
Doubt that Bama falls out of the top 5
They’ll still be in the BCS championship mix, they’ll just need a bit of help.
I celebrate our win
But I refuse to accept the mediocrity of CRNs body of work.
by DrJay32 on Nov 5, 2011 8:44 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
short and sweet
can we all just agree to this sentiment? asu is a decent team, our players did awesome, but we won despite ricky coaching not to lose again
I dont agree with the gift wrapped comment
We survived multiple horrendous calls by the refs and managed to pull this game out in the end. We converted a 2nd and 32 (or there abouts) after a very questionable PI call, then survived multiple bad calls on the final drive, and kept the sun devils out of field goal range (not for all kickers, but for their kicker, which is what matters) A win over a ranked team is always cause for celebration, especially when you became a fan in 2007 as a freshman and this is all of Bruin football youve actually experienced Great win against a good team. And if theyre overrated… well theyre still a team with lots of talent, with a winning record. Good win Bruins
Sort of gives it away...
…when he says he’s only been a fan since 2007. Poor kid has only experienced the suck.
Don’t worry bruinfan11, one day you’ll realize that THIS is NOT how UCLA football is supposed to be.
They can't be THAT horrible on the road
Weren’t they leading in Autzen in the second half?
I want regime change too, but I think that saying that we lucked out may be a bit dismissive of a gutsy come-from-behind win. And given the SPTR’s, ASU would have lucked out on a win a lot more than we did.
And don’t forget that the only reason that ASU missed the field goal after the fumble is that our defense stood up and got a three-and-out where it counted.
CRN’s body of work may not deserve a reprieve just based on this, but this was a thrilling game and our guys won it. We should be happy just for one week that our team—for one week—didn’t look quite as bad as what we’ve come to expect.
The numbers N put up at the top of this thread speak for themselves
We’re the only team that’s more inept that they are on the road, besides WSU, which is inept no matter where they play.
Do you have any facts that counter the stats I presented above
About ASU being a horrible road team or you hear just to spout off?
I think it's hard to call a team "horrible" on the road
when they beat a conference opponent by three touchdowns on the road and have had a second-half lead in Autzen.
Not that a 1-3 record is sparkling, mind you. But saying a team is “horrible” on the road implies that any team that plays them at home should just walk over them. Oregon and Utah (which is amazingly above 500 after this week) certainly wouldn’t say that.
Not saying by any means that this is a signature win. That would be ridiculous. The main frustration, honestly, is that we’ve obviously seen a higher level of play the past couple of weeks than what we saw the rest of the season, and it shouldn’t have taken some BTB t-shirts and a humiliating loss on national TV to have done whatever it is that has obtained the results we’re seeing. Mainly, if this game occurs in the first four or five weeks of the season, we don’t win it. Not even close.
According to their record
They have been a horrible road team under Erickson. If you want to live in an alternate reality in denial of it to makes yourselves giddy over a meaningless point go for it. But don’t limp that denial here.
by Nestor on Nov 6, 2011 5:23 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Correction
It’s now TWO weeks we’ve looked better than we’ve come to expect. Enjoy the victory, and keep the faith, Hekaergos!
Nope
Never said that.
I’m using this week as the bar. Lots of football to go . . .
What we've come to expect
should have lots of bars getting heavy use!
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
It seems like there definitely a mismatch in attitude between the fans
One one side, theres the camp that wishes to celebrate this win as a defining win over a quality ranked opponent
and on the other there’s the camp that see’s this win as an anomaly where a usually decent team chose not to show up to the rose bowl today, allowing us to get away with a win.
I’m a little conflicted myself as to how I should feel, but I think we can all agree on the following points:
The kids showed effort tonight, they wanted it and they did just enough tonight to come out with a W. Something that everyone should feel good about.
ASU didn’t play up to their maximum potential tonight. Hence our win tonight wasn’t as convincing as it would’ve been.
I personally don’t think the culture of mediocrity, from this game, has changed all that much. From the overall perspective on things, more needs to be seen before we can really make a comment on whether or not the team has grown from the Arizona loss and really decided to move to a higher level of play. However, to completely dismiss tonights efforts as if ASU handed us a bunch of turnovers, is also not fair.
As of tonight I’m still in favor of removing DG, but whether or not CRN can stay… that’ll depend on the rest of this season. This game definitely made me walk away with mixed feelings
Gam, I think you're being too lenient on our coach
He has a 20-26 record. If we win next week, he will move up a notch on the all time list of coaches. Right now, he is still the worst since 1919. A win next week and he’s only the worst since WWII.
Look at any of the numbers you want. It is next to impossible to find any numbers that warrant his retention beyond tomorrow morning, let alone next year. I like him, and would be more than happy to change my mind if you can show me some reasons. I don’t see htem.
Oh lol
in no way am I speaking for Rick, I’ve been too disappointed in the past couple of years where every “turn around the corner” seems to run into another brick wall. But I’d rather not argue that point, since a lot of other BN’ers would think otherwise. I am however trying to sell a little cheer and joy lol
There's another camp... mine.
I’m celebrating the W. period. Not a defining win, not a W over “great” team, just a W. period.
I'm happy we won
But I rang the bell during the bench clearing brawl in the desert. As they say, you can’t “un-ring” a bell. Rick is a good Bruin, but he’s no longer my teams football coach.
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:14 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
The team is more than CRN
Don’t forget, there are lots of players and fans who want a winning team.
Bruins Forever
i understand that
I applaud the win tonight and appreciate the effort of our guys.
My comment was in response to waiting to see how the season plays out to pass judgment on neuheisel. Again, I turned the page right before halftime in Tucson…
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:27 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Me too
The whole mess is just further complicated by the player-coach relationship. As a player the thought of your coach fired will still place a burden on the kids. As a coach, the thought of being fired regardless means they lose the kids confidence – AKA Arizona
Pretty funny
how a W against a horrendous Cal team and a team that gets as penalized as us and who is overated has completely wiped out the Tucson debacle and Neu’s tenure thus far.
THIS is why UCLA FB is what it is. THIS is why the Morgan Center doesn’t make any changes. Just give them enough to keep them content.
A good chunk of UCLA "fans" have always been shortsighted
These were the Lavinstas who held on to every mirage win thinking the corner was turned;
There were the Blindos during KD era who were jumping up and down over true moral victory against Southern Cal; and NOW …
We are going to have “Neubs” telling us how it feels good after beating up mediocre teams at home.
These are the people who clap harder when they go see the Chancellor and hear him talk about “great win” over Cal.
Just curious...
What do you think came first, the fans being short sighted and forgiving the horrible past or the athletic department allowing it and selling it for so long that has made fans use to it? With our now decade+ of mediocrity and irrelevance, for many fans these records are all they know, and any chance to just be above average may look golden to them…
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't see anybody here or elsewhere ...
saying that this “wiped out the Tuscon debacle.” Do you have proof of that? It doesn’t for me. I’m happy with this W. Period. If anyone happens to be happy about THIS win, can you make the leap and infer that someone is saying this “wiped out the Tuscon debacle.”? That’s just a weird thing to say.
Fine
let me clarify. Not only is it here but also on other boards where people aren’t just celebrating a win (in context of course) but they’re making it out to be something more. In addition, people are now willing to forget/forgive Neu’s 4 years, Tucson debacle, etc. as long as he wins out. Nobody has said those words but those sentiments are clearly out there.
The Neubs/Dorrelistas are all coming out of the woodwork. AND if they get their way, nobody should ever have expectations for UCLA FB to be a national player. They’re creating the atmosphere for us to continue to be mediocre at best.
hmmm... okay I can't argue with what you feel
If you feel “Nobody has said those words but those sentiments are clearly out there.” then that’s what you feel and that’s fair enough. I just haven’t seen that or felt that myself.
The win tonight felt good.
But there is a good chance we are looking back at this game as the best game of the season. That is unacceptable; it wasn’t THAT good of a win.
The only way I am Ok with Rick keeping the job is to win out. (PAC-10 and Rose Bowl Champs) Doubtful that happens, I am most afraid of winning out the the regular season, getting boat-raced against Oregon / Stanford, and having Guerrero/Block think it was good enough.
agreed
we should be gunning for the pac 12 championship, not hoping to participate
Unfortunately...
I think what’s going to happen is that we’ll stumble to a 6-7 win season and everything (i.e. Guerrero & Neuheisel) will stay the same.
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree
With the wholesale regime change that’s being solicited across, basically, the entire bruin-universe. The eradication of mediocrity from our football program. The holding of ourselves, and our alma mater, to much higher standards (certainly higher than this win). Really, Unless we’re playing like Oregon / Stanford have this season, I’m also not content with our level of competition.
BUT I think the issue a lot of people are taking issue with here is the dismissal of effort and encouragement.
Let’s pretend highly excited and jubilant UCLA football players gets back to the dorms tonight, signs on BN excitedly to see what the fans are thinking and see’s headlines like “UCLA is gift-wrapped a win”. As a player that’s demoralizing, and a slap to the face of their efforts.
We are here to speak our minds and be frank
Not here to serve up sugar to make people feel good about our average programs. The drive by trolls who are coming here to whine about our content is not paying us to make them feel good and serve up BS to keep them out of touch with reality.
So we don’t appreciate it when people come here and tell us what to write or not to write. We haven’t care for 6+ years since we lifted off. We are not going to care now. If people don’t like it, then tough or they will be shown the door.
I understand
disrespecting the mods in the mods house is pretty ill-advised. Like you’ve said, no one is paying the mods and I’m pretty sure I can speak for a good majority of us that we really appreciate the time and efforts that everyone at BN took to bring us this community in which to discuss Bruins athletics.
but aren’t people just voicing their opinions? Who determines whether or not this was a great win? It’s one thing to say this win should save Rick’s job (which I disagree with) and another to say that this was a tough fought-for win (arguable, right?)
Voicing opinions based on fact is fine
However, attacks on moderators and lecturing us on what we should or should not write will not be acceptable. The rules are clear on that.
We won, despite ourselves tonight
We won despite numerous drive killing and big play negating penalties.
We won despite, bland, Donahuesque, run, run pass play calling.
We won despite poor officiating.
We won despite costly turnovers.
We won despite, a defense that really can’t stop people consistently.
But we won. On a cold night when we needed to win to control our destiny, we held on to do just enough to win.
I was there and it was exciting.
I’m going to enjoy it until we lay an egg in Utah in a classic trap game.
Good night, Nation!
WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THIS MIGHT BE CRN'S 13-9?
Look at any of the numbers you want. It is next to impossible to find any numbers that warrant his retention beyond tomorrow morning, let alone next year. I like him, and would be more than happy to change my mind if you can show me some reasons. I don’t see htem. [sic]
by Fox 71 on Nov 5, 2011 8:59 PM PDT
I am inclined to agree with Fox’s and Nestor’s opinion about this “victory”. Not to disparage the effort and I certainly do not pray for UCLA to lose, but this prolongs a firing that should have been done at the end of last year with that abysmal loss to USC.
Jeff Locke ...
is having a great season.
He dropped at least three or maybe four punts inside the 10 last week against Cal and he did it at least twice again tonight.
Just wanted to mention that. The kid is having a great year.
by Achilles on Nov 5, 2011 9:37 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
+1
He is our best PNTL tool. Call conservative plays and rely on our punter to pin them deep. I agree, though, we was amazing tonight.
He's going to play on Sundays ...
IMO.
Not only can he kick long when he has to, not only is he great at dropping them inside the ten, not only can he kick off for you … he’s a lefty to boot and I was just reading how lefty punters give teams an advantage because of the spin they put on the ball.
He played with a separated shoulder tonight.
And he’s the holder.
Punting is winning!
But yeah, he is doing great. Our kickers tend to be the best players on our teams, huh?
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Anyone looked over
at the house of sparky and see what they’re writing? lolol
no
I can only imagine. Tell us…
by DoubleTroubleBruin on Nov 5, 2011 9:50 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
House of Sparky
“Some things, now matter how much effort is put into changing them, never change. Such is the case with Arizona State’s self-destructive tendencies…
The kick was terrible, falling short and wide right.
UCLA is now in first place in the South division, and ASU now needs some help to make it to what was once thought a certainty-the Pac-12 title game. "
comments
what does this mean for the Erickson tenure?
I’m not sure how much time he has left or who might be able to come in and make a difference. I’m tired of having talented teams that show no discipline.
I feel for Garoutte but holy crap man. Get your act together.
Loved the excitement at the Rose Bowl tonight
The difference in reactions to this game might be between those who were there and those who weren’t. We were rocking tonight and the crowd was on its feet a good part of the 4th quarter.
I lost my voice and my ears were ringing on the way back home :)
I’ve been waiting for the Rose Bowl to be like this.
+1
Welcome to what the 80’s and part of the 90’s felt like.
The Mad Bruin
+1
Really happy for my Freshman keed. Had a great time there tonight, I think.
The Mad Bruin
Is that sort of like the difference between
Those that asked Block the tough questions in SD this week, and those suckers that fell for the cheap “who saw the Cal game” pop?
by Tydides on Nov 5, 2011 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
"F**k it, Dude, let's go Bowling"
The hip ones among you will get the reference. I’m taking the night off from blasting the hierarchy. Yeah, we still need a new Pope, but I think i like 5-4 with 3 to play – 2 of which oughta be “for sure” wins, and all three do-able. Tevin Mc Donald is the real deal. And, tonight at least, Nelson Rosario reminded me more of JJ Stokes than BPD.
The Mad Bruin
Just sittin' here, enjoyin' my coffee
’nuff said
(I can get you a toe, though)
The Mad Bruin
Is there a Ralphs around here?
“It is our most, moderately priced receptacle”
The Mad Bruin
Oh, the usual. We bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.
^^ answer to what reality based UCLA fans have been driven to during last 10 years of football.
"Is this your homework, Larry?"
And a good day to you too, sir!
The Mad Bruin
How's the smut business, Jackie?
Sorry, Jeff Bridges is a Bruin, too, y’all
The Mad Bruin
I think Utah has a bunch of
German Nihilists on their roster, too. With or without marmots . . .
The Mad Bruin
In other news, Oregon is torching the Huskies
Sark’s 5-2 team not looking so hot after piling up "W"s against Eastern Washington and Hawaii.
Well, but let's not forget . . .
Sark is the “Spawn of Satan (Cheatey Petey)”
The Mad Bruin
Ok it's gettin weird in here
Still I enjoyed myself tonight. For Rick it might be his lovely parting gift. If he wins the next three he’s comin back. Guerror will have all the cover he needs. I’d love to win the next three.. Does that mean Tresey’s still here? See this is the definition of ambivalent.
I mean
I will take a look if we get to the Rose Bowl … but it’s clear how much of an underachievement this season has been.
That's IT!
These guys are “the achievers!”
The Mad Bruin
"and proud we are . . .
. . . of all of them"
The Mad Bruin
I can't forget how painfully bad those first seven games were
It is ridiculous that people think that those games should no longer be considered in evaluating the season. The fact of the matter is that we are incredibly fortunate to have a shot at the title game due to being in the division with the two conference newcomers and one team that’s ineligible for all postseason play. However, the opportunity does exist, and the result of “winning out” is winning the Rose Bowl, and that’s an outcome that I would consider a success in any given year.
Yup
How quickly people forget. I want us to win but the product on the field is still mediocre. We’re still bad and people who think that beating Utah at their house is going to be a walk in the park are delusional. History has shown us that we’re likely going get blown out and Neu’s road record is not good.
You have no idea how impressed I am that a technophobe like yourself knows what GTFO stands for
Soon you’ll be tweeting nasty comments @DoughnutDan.
…One of us…
…One of us…
I'm way to manly to "tweet"
I might bark or something like that, but no tweeting for me.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Just finished watching the game on the DVR
This game was a great example about how players with heart can overcome poor coaching. I give a ton of credit to Prince, Coleman, Locke, McDonald, Carroll and (I never thought I’d say this) Rosario for playing to win despite coaches who play to lose. Good job, boys.
I really hoped I would never see Lavin 2.0 but that’s what we’ve got, folks. Horrible losses followed by “miraculous” wins against overrated teams that still allow for the possibility of post-season “success” – we’ve all seen it before and all it does is fracture a fanbase.
Let’s stay united, Bruin fans. Regime change is still the answer.
or Bryan Bennett
but then again…he’d be sitting on the bench or we would have zero clue on how to use him
Quaterbacks are over-rated for the pistol offense
Just like point guards were over-rated for Lavo’s 1-4 offense (as argued by Lavinistas back in day).
Nick Montana wouldn't develop as well at UCLA anyway
Good chance Brehaut becomes a star anywhere else
Troy is burning
by bruinbasketball on Nov 5, 2011 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Who needs a good arm
If all you’re going to do is run-run-pass anyway?
I'm stunned - WWL Gameday gave one of our guys a helmet sticker!?
Derrick Coleman got a helmet sticker from Lou Holtz. We actually sort of kind of exist!
"It's not who you are underneath. It's what you DO that defines you."
by Meriones on Nov 5, 2011 10:30 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Sports Center, Highlight express?
I’ve been watching everything trying to get a recap since my DVR failed on me for the second week straight.
It's a little chippy on here tonight!
I find it telling that a win could create such animus. I see it clearly as fear among some that Rick will survive to coach another year. Based on the administration’s track record, that is an all too reasonable fear.
For me, I like Rick – I believe his heart is in the right place – but I don’t believe he can coach this program to prominence. A season – seasons – of stupid penalties, turnovers, bad or no match-up based schemes, lack of adjustments – and then in Arizona, a total loss of composure on national t.v., unforgivable – these are clear indicators of an under or poorly coached team. It’s indisputable. It is, as others have said, Lavinesque. Gifted athletes overcoming poor coaching. But to me, the difference between this football program and Lavin’s basketball squad is that I never thought Lavin gave a damn about UCLA – I do believe Rick bleeds Blue and Gold. I feel badly for him – but I feel worse for our football program.
If UCLA is ever to matter again in the national college football scene, regime change is of the essence. Tonight’s result – a hard fought win over a decent opponent – doesn’t change that.
It's a cocktail of emotions for sure
Which is to be expected when your coach is a dead man walking. All I know is that when the clock struck zero the predominant emotion was relief. Relief that we didn’t inexplicably snatch yet another defeat from the jaws of victory. Relief that for once we were actually competitive in an important game. I want Rick to be able to leave on a high note. He has always taken the high road, which is something I can’t say for his predecessor, and as you mentioned, it is clear and obvious that he loves the school. I want this to be a clean break, so that I can still think fondly of Rick. I don’t believe his failures as a coach are completely his fault. That’s the reason I think we need to go hard after DG, because with him in place, he’ll find a way to ensure that our next coach, whoever he is, is set up for failure.
Great Point
I do believe it’s killing Rick that UCLA has floundered under his leadership. You hit it on the head – Lavin never gave a damn.
Celebrating at Rose Bowl while concerned
On radio this early morning, besides the continual hype for game of the new century, #1 vs. #2 ad nauseum (uh, 9-6 in OT?); I heard this one quote about the Pac 12 – “likely to be Oregon or Stanford versus ASU in the Pac 12 championship game”. Stanford’s game against Beavers was mentioned , but not one mention of our game. A foregone conclusion. That is the “tone” we are dealing with as fans of the program, which is why 1 or 2 good wins doesn’t change the view of what must done to return the program to its rightful place. I will say it was an exciting game, with our “bend but don’t break every time” defense, our sloppy ball handling (not just the lost fumbles), truly atrocious officiating that was offset by bad ASU kicking game. Thumbs up to our players especially on offense, once again Prince, OLine, Coleman and Rosario were solid. Dave V. on KLAC gave Harkey a thumbs up but he had two painful holding calls.
Dave V. must be related, cause Harkey messed up without even dropping the ball.
Harkey is too experienced to make the childish mistakes he makes. But that’s okay for him, cause he probably doesn’t expect to get drafted anyway. He should be playing his best ball and he’s not. Fauria is still not thrown to enough either.
My quick and random thoughts on the game
I’m happy for the players. Winning in dramatic fashion like that is exciting for them, I’m sure.
I think the offense is looking a little better. But really, it’s hard not to improve on our offense. We can still get in to all sorts of problems if we don’t get good yardage on first down. That third and forever conversion was very surprising.
Prince has played pretty well the last two games. Coleman is still awesome to me. I’m shocked he had a fumble tonight.
The defense is still pretty bad and ASU has no kicker.
I’m guessing Guerrero and Block were just sitting in their fat cat chairs up in the press box thinking how smart they are.
by SonOfWestwood93 on Nov 5, 2011 11:29 PM PDT reply actions
Guerrero is an arrogant hack
He’s cancelled two appointments with me at the last minute. Unprofessional at best, disrespectful or contemptuous at worst. yes it’s personal. he’s dead to me and I hope he’s fired. but he won’t be. Because Block and his team don’t think the football team is a priority. HIs pride in the medical school is well placed, but using that success as a justification to diminish the importance of the football program is elitist crap. I’m guessing he’s the kid that never got picked to play in the pick up football games at lunch in grade school and this is his passive-aggressive way of getting even… He doesn’t care, and Guerrero is the perfect hack to execute his weak ass ‘vision’ of athletics at UCLA. Go fencing team!
As somebody who attended UCLA from ’79 to ’84, and never missed a home game, and saw the beginning of a run of perennial nationally ranked teams, this run of mediocrity is sickening to me, and my resentment toward Block, Guerrero and the rest of them runs deep.
Just got back home from my team's game at Pomona-Pitzer. 52-7. Big win for us.
Glad to see that the Bruins pulled out a W, but judging by the numbers it shouldn’t have been one.
Big day for Coleman. Still don’t know how he isn’t starting.
I’m definitely in the pro-Brehaut camp, but it is really nice to see Prince confident and putting together a complete game finally.
Rosario had a big game too, and has a legitimate shot at a 1000 yard season. Who had our last 1000 yard receiving season? It has to have been around 10 seasons.
This definitely is not a game that should change any opinion on the direction of the program.
A 20-26 career record is not okay after 4 years. Even if this team were to somehow win out, the career record would be 25-26 through 4 seasons. If you bring back a man who has been literally the definition of mediocre, what message does that send about an athletic standard?
I don’t get why there is any argument on this.
Any UCLA fan should celebrate this victory, it is a good win.
Any UCLA fan should also be intelligent enough to realize that finally beating a team that will finish with a record over .500 for the first time in upwards of 4 years is not something to hang your hat on.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
by IE Angel on Nov 5, 2011 11:52 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Congrats on your win tonight!
Good results all around!
greg in denver, U.C.L.A. guy for life - BruinsNation.com
You are not alone, mwright84
Guerrero knows how to play his bureaucrat’s game with people he wouldn’t care because your last name, mine and others are not Gelson, Geffen etc.
Go ahead, ignore us then. He will find out sooner or later that it’s the fan base that counts.
We Won, that's the bottom line!
Great night at the Rose Bowl, everyone stayed till the end but where was the Den? I was not happy that we didn’t have full student section BUT analyze all you want but we Won! and we played hard and yes I gave up a couple of times but WE WON! and that’s that, enjoy the night, and then we get ready for next week, one game at a time, forget everything else for tonight and enjoy, it feels good!
My niece is a Senior at ASU
but I’m not gonna do the ha-ha, we won, you lost deal with her. No point in it.
Unnecessarily close game
but hey, we’ll take what we can get.
Unfortunately, I think if Rick goes out and wins the rest of the games (next 2 SHOULD be simple, but $C might be tough), and heads off to a bowl, Dan Guerrero will use that an as excuse to keep him around. Hell, he might even keep Rick if it’s just the 2 wins against Colorado and Utah. And of course, we’re not even sure that those games are going to be very automatic for us either.
That’s basically my biggest fear. That finishing strong with the last 3 (or 4) games will allow our foolish athletics director to hold onto Rick. But as Bruin fan, I don’t want our players to lose either!
Is there some way we can win out the rest of the season WITHOUT keeping Rick and staff?
I believe the right answer should have been to fire him after the Arizona game…then this predicament wouldn’t matter.
Look we won the game. Be happy.
It’s happenings like this why coaches should never be fired mid-season anyways. Skippy can end up winning the rest of the season and a Rose Bowl (who knows, just saying). Or he may drop games to Utah and Colorado, which will ensure his firing.
If CRN loses to U$C again, Guererro will have no choice, but to let him go!
You can’t lose to SC every year.
You just Can’t.
Pass rush
I was at the game today and noticed something completely missing (yet again) – a pass rush. Check the box score, Osweiler got sacked once. He was hardly hurried. We complain about no TOs, well we certainly aren’t going to force any mistakes without a pass rush.
I’m happy about the win, biggest one in years (sad to say), but I am afraid it’s fool’s gold. Hope I am wrong.
The pattern looks like it's going to continue
We should beat the two new teams (which made our conference a super-power.) We should lose again to just$c*. That will make us 7-6.
2008 – 4-8
2009 – 7-6
2010 – 4-8
2011 – 7-6
That’s enough of that pattern for me. Our coach has a generated a body of work which does not warrant retention. Here’s a task for those of you who still think our coach should be brought back. Find me a coach who got retained for a fifth year who has these numbers:
A 20-26 record.
Margins of victory of a field goal or less in 5 of this 20 wins, or a touchdown or less in 6 of the 20.
Margins of defeat of two touchdowns or more in 20 of the 26 losses. (That’s a staggering number.)
20% of his wins against WSU. (In those 4 years, WSU is 8-38 and 3-30 in conference.)
Blow-out losses at home by more than two TDs in 8 games (including a nice 35-0 loss to Stanford last year.)
With the win against ASU, it looks like a total of two wins in four years against teams who finished over .500.
Two more numbers: Zero and 59. Those were the numbers the last time we played in Utah. Our next game is in Utah, against a team who did something we couldn’t do (they beat AZ at home).
Or to put it another way, until Guerrerror is replaced, we will be in the same rut we’ve been in for the last decade.
Lest we forget
We are not an elite football program. We are not even a good football program. Until we can compete and beat anyone – why should any Bruin settle for anything less???
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