New Coach, Same Chianti Dan, Same Old Bruins Fall to Illinois 20-14.
by Patroclus on Dec 31, 2011 4:33 PM PST
in Football
Email
Print
Well folks, the 2011 UCLA Football season is now officially over with this afternoon's 20-14 loss to Illinois in the Fight Hunger Bowl, wrapping up UCLA's first ever 6-8 season. With Mike Johnson in total control of the Offense - and the team - this afternoon, we did see some changes in the offensive playcalling. The Bruins did not exclusively use the Pistol formation, and we saw Kevin Prince attempt several longer passes. Sadly the result may have been the worst offensive performance of an already bad season, with that unit totaling just 220 yards (84 of which came in the final drive) and 14 points, 7 of those coming in the final minute when the game was all but over. Coming into the game, this was expected to be a low-scoring matchup, and the Illini Defense lived up to that promise, sacking Kevin Prince 5 times, pressuring him on several other occasions and shutting down the Bruin run game. When KP was able to get the ball away, the receivers were not on their game, dropping passes throughout the contest.
For the game, Kevin Prince was 13-28 passing for 201 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns and a crucial 3rd quarter pick-6. And that was the bright point of the UCLA offensive performance, with the Illini holding the Bruins to just 19 yards rushing on 30 carries. Johnathan Franklin ran for 28 yards - most of that coming on one carry, while Derrick Coleman ended his UCLA career with 40 yards on 8 carries. He did reasonably well against the Illinois front 7, and I would have preferred to see him get more carries this afternoon. Nelson Rosario and Joseph Fauria led the team in receiving - 3/70/1 and 5/36 respectively - While Taylor Embree caught the Bruins first TD for his only catch, and the final touch of his time in Westwood.
The first half definitely lived up to the low-scoring, no offense promise of the Bruins and Illini. The respective offenses certainly did not look to have showed up to the ballpark for kickoff, as the Bruins gained 39 yards in the 1st quarter; Illinois did a little better with 84 yards, but with 2 punts, an interception and a failed 4th down conversion ending those possessions. UCLA started the 2nd quarter with a couple of nice plays on offense, capped by Taylor Embree's TD, but the offense did nothing for the remainder of the half - in 7 first half possessions, the Bruins scored on Embree's TD, punted 5 times and fumbled on their last drive inside their own 30 yard line, setting Illinois up for their first score, a 35 yard FG to end the half.
The second half started with Illinois taking possession, but doing little with the ball, punting after getting one first down on that opening drive. UCLA was initially able to drive down field, highlighted with a long completion to Josh Smith, but after stalling in the redzone, the Bruin drive ended with a missed 35 yard FG. After getting the ball back, Illinois drove down field before missing their own field goal. But the Bruins bailed out the Illini for that failure, with Kevin Prince quickly throwing the pick-6 that would give Illinois the lead for good. That defensive TD woke up the Illini offense, with drives resulting in a field goal and a touchdown in their following 2 possessions. Meanwhile, the Bruins continued to punt - the 3 UCLA possessions following that interception resulted in 12 plays for just 10 yards and 3 punts - until finally putting together a drive in the final 3 minutes that led to Rosario's last second TD. The Bruins tried and failed to pull off the onside kick, and that was the ballgame. On the bright side, we only committed 3 - 5 yard - penalties for the game.
While the offense did not play to impress, the defense held their own into the 2nd half. Not counting the 1st half ending field goal set up by a turnover, the Bruin defense did not allow Illinois to score until early in the 4th quarter. While the game effectively was ended by that 4th quarter FG and a touchdown on the next Illini possession, Jordan Zumwalt, Eric Kendricks and Tevin McDonald showed the nation the talent that Rick Neuheisel and Joe Tresey elected not to put on the field enough this season. Their play put on display just some of the younger talent that Coach Mora will have at his disposal in 2012 - and providing support for the high standards that we will be holding the football program to next fall.
With this game in the rear view mirror, it is time for the Jim Mora era in Westwood. Best of luck to him in the final weeks of recruiting and in building up his coaching staff (without Chianti Dan forcing some hires, unlike the last time). This is your postgame thread.
GO BRUINS!
63 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Tough to be a Bruin
I had high hopes for the season for both Bball and Fball, Both are pathetically bad and had/have Good talent. Howland cannot control his players so they leave or he has to dismiss them. Neuheisel, like Howland was terrible with Personnel decisions. I think being a walk-on makes Neuheisel believe in the fairtytale of a mediocre guy being a winner.
Both lead to a lot of losing and sadness for Bruin Faithful. There is just some kind of cultural problem with UCLA athletics in our big revenue sports.
Hey guys, come on
Lay off Dan. We won a women’s volleyball national championship. He now needs a 10 year extension with that accomplishment of #108 and his brilliant, unique, outside-the-box hire in Mora to boost his confidence to bring in the next overachieving and inspiring hire that we know he’s capable of. As long as he has Terry Donahue and Sonny Vaccaro, he can’t go wrong! In Dan we trust!
You forgot his new, exciting and informative "blog" too
He’s really reconnecting with the fans huh? Just for all of the troubles of putting together that blog, he probably gave himself that Chianti trip.
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 31, 2011 5:11 PM PST up reply actions
He also has his new PR
Department and it’s great publicity stunts, like helicopter rides, ads in the LA Times talking about monopolies, 5 minute streams in BRO and Yahoo about the death of over the wall tradition, and creative ads marketing the program. What else am I missing? There so much excellence.
I thought of another "Krafty" pr stunt
Not feeding our players with meal allotments. Isn’t that ironic? The Kraft Hunger bowl and we don’t feed our athletes? “What’s that going on over in Westwood? There’s a stir. They’ve got my attention with all these stories and the coaches riding in choppers.” -Recruits and national media.
Don't forget the outstanding accomplishment
of being trailblazers this year. Coming soon to the UCLA Store and Chianti’s blog…
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
Hilarious tweet from Jon Gold
#UCLA Datone Jones and Johnathan Franklin will evaluate their options and decide on future plans next week.
What is this “future plan?” I hope they don’t view themselves as NFL material judging by their seasons.
by Bruins#1 on Dec 31, 2011 5:12 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Typing error
It would be nice if most of the wall jumpers on this team would go to the NFL….everyone is invited!!!!
The NFL could always use a fair catcher on punt returns
They’re really invaluable. Who needs a Devin Hester or a Patrick Peterson when you can FAIR CATCH!!!!
Dump Dan!
by bruinclassof10 on Dec 31, 2011 5:32 PM PST up reply actions
That's not one of Taylor Embree's dreams.
by Bruins#1 on Dec 31, 2011 5:38 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Dream Smasher
In today’s epic battle, Embree dropped another punt. Maybe if there were a brick wall between him and the endzone, he would have decided to make a move or two this season considering that it was his dream since freshman year.
lolol
we should’ve erected a wall at the end zones for all our players to hop over
Are we the first (and only) Div. 1A (FBS) football team to finish 6-8?
If so, another first for Dan Guerrero.
We should never have gone to the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Interim Coaches’ TV Commercials Galore Bowl.
Goodbye 2011
Can anyone think of a more embarrassing year to be a bruin fan? Thanks dan.
by 0725brui on Dec 31, 2011 5:17 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I can recall early 70's...
UCLA had an abysmal record…won 2 or 4 games or something like that. 2011 so long and good riddance!
Terrible season fo sho!
by GogetemBruins on Dec 31, 2011 6:24 PM PST up reply actions
Jim Mora to the rescue
Our pistol offense isnt exactly fit against one of the best run defenses in the nation. When we did pass the ball we got touchdowns. KP can somewhat throw the ball and he has pretty talented receivers to help him. Luckily, Mora hired Mazzone, which will bring the spread offense to UCLA.
LOL, and Taylor Embree muffed the punt return…thats for jumping the wall dreamer.
Datone Jones & Johnathan Franklin
should stick around and make their draft value go up.
this will be a real test for Mora… to convince them to stick around
let’s see what happens
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
what draft value?
3.5 sacks and 100 fumbles is now NFL material
by Bruins#1 on Dec 31, 2011 5:26 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
ergo, they should stick around for another year
they might make it a lot better, pump up their stat’s…etc
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
No Mora Prince
The first order of business for the man who is now Coach, is to declare the QB position officially open. Three years of Kevin Prince being the #1 guy – despite all the talk about his grittiness – reveals that he is not the answer. Not fast enough to safely run the pistol, arm not strong enough to accurately, consistently throw the deep ball. Not enough of a leader to will the team to enough victories, to overcome or improvise. Yeah, I know BN frowns on calling out players, but over the last 3 years I’ve seen enough (we all have), and some things just have to be said. Somebody else at #1 QB for 2012.
The Mad Bruin
We Really Missed the Ineligible or Suspended Players
and they really let their team mates down.
Prince was playing hurt. I would have played Chrissman — he deserved it — but I guess Johnson didn’t have confidence in him. Had Brehaut been available, I think he would have played.
And, I can’t blame Downey — first start against an All American — tough job. Shouldn’t have happened.
I truly hope Mora instills discipline so that our student/athletes thrive in all of their responsibilities on and off the field.
sjh
My point exactly
66 we have been hearing- far too often – about Prince and his injuries. Grateful for his effort. Yet it is time to look elsewhere for a QB to lead this team. IMO, Brehaut has never been given a fair shot at the job, but he also hasn’t made the best of the opportunities he has received. Hope he gets a fair shot this Spring, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of Hundley at the top of the depth chart. Prince is Paus 2.0. More grit, better attitude but the same mediocre on field results.
The Mad Bruin
Was exactly what I expected.
Saw a lot of flashes from the guys that will be the future of the program next year and moving forward.
Evans and Fauria both looked good, Shaq’s injury aside.
Keenan Graham, Owa, Jordan Zumalt, Kendricks, McDonald all made an impact.
I thought Price, Dalton Hilliard and Hester all played well. But the scheme was beaten when it needed to work.
There is so much talent on this roster.
"I have one word for you...Be careful."
-Jose Guillen
Here are the facts as I see them, for what it is worth
If D. Jones and J. Franklin were the leaders they think they are, or hope to be, they should of squashed all that bullcrap about going to the NFL and said the following, “We expect to change the culture here at UCLA and know we are nowhere near ready to play on Sundays, therefore, we want to put all our support behind Coach Mora and let everyone know right off the bat that we will bring UCLA back…….we aren’t going anywhere”. Instead, we get a crappy season with a horrible effort today, and we have talk about going to the NFL? Really? 3 flippin sacks for D. Jones and he thinks that qualifies him to play in the league? J. Franklin can’t hold onto the ball against average college talent in the Pac-12. How is he going to hold onto the ball against the likes of Ray Lewis! He will piss his pants going through an NFL hole.
If I were Mora I would instantly get my young defensive studs (Owa, Zumwalt, Kendricks, etc) and tell them to take control of the defense and be ready to compete, cause no jobs are safe. I would then go to Prince and Hundley (certainly not Brehaut) and tell them they are competing and get the guys together in the offseason and work because all jobs are open. This is something CRN would never do but I have a feeling that Mora learned alot today and over the course of two weeks and realizes he has alot of work to do and to start with………he needs to clean up the apathetic work ethic, feelings of entitlement, and laziness.
Then and only then we will change the culure of UCLA football. That is just a start. Go Get’em CJM
I coulndn't agree more
Muircoach, these are good kids but the sense of entitlement they exude is beyond comprehension. It’s almost like these kids get over to this beautiful campus and just melt into a hollywood persona. True we had a couple of stellar classes recruiting, but with the exception of XSF none of the other bigs have panned out. I’m with you 100% in that the young guns who have huge upside need to prove their metal and start leading this program by example. We landed a bevvy of skill players but have been unable to evaluate what they are as college players becuase of QB and line problems (both sides). We can have a #1 class filled with skill players but if our bigs don’t perform at a high level we will never be successful. I keep hearing expectations of 8-10 wins out of next years team and wonder how this will be attained. Hundley may be an upgrade (unknown) but if we don’t get better line play how can we possibly expect any better results from this team.
I personally don’t care about the star rating of the kids we land, I just want kids who will win the one on one battles regardless of their position or rating. People watch our games and say we’re soft, well I can’t blame them. We lose more battles than we win and play without discipline, not exactly a winning formula. The coaching change we all hope will clean up the discipline issue but we still have to win the individual battles on the field, can we really expect that. This group has not demonstrated the physicality in the trenches need to take over games. Yes I’m 100% behind a regime change for the extraneous issues we all know, but we can’t say we have the talent to win 9-10 games next year in one breath and say we can’t be succesful because of pvc goal post’s in the next breath. These issues we are all aware of detract from our ability to land the best players which if we’re honest we don’t currently possess. Sure we can play better, no doubt but I guess what I’m trying to say is we should keep the pressure on for change but also be reasonable in our expectations. Needless to say, I’ll take 8 wins and be very happy with progress next year.
It is not our job
To figure out how this team can win 9 games. Chianti Dan conducted a sham search and then hired Mora paying him well over 2 milllion a year for 5 yrs. He will need to deliver with a big first season with a fairly easy schedule. There will be no lowering of expectations here on BN.
by Nestor on Jan 1, 2012 5:50 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
9-10 wins is a measure of our weak schedule and current talent
The facilities issue is what we’ll need to continue to sustain any measure of success. It’s not the contradictory idea you seem to believe it is. You might be happy with 8 wins. We’ll be busy sharpening our knives.
Self Correction
I think the expectation is to win every game. I would feel good about an 8 win season where we were effective on both sides of the ball, cleaned up the penalties, were prepared to play each week, and showed signs the program was headed the right direction. If this were to occur I would feel better about the coaching staff and would support a second year. DG who has to go regardless.
Keep the knives sharp though, as stated many times this staff is definitely on a short leash. While they are on a short honeymoon keep practicing on Guerrerro!
Well I’m glad the season is over.. Can’t wait for basketball to end now..
by Big Bully on Dec 31, 2011 6:42 PM PST via mobile reply actions
I wouldn't even open up the QB position for competition this spring
I appreciate the toughness and grit that Kevin Prince has shown and I thank him for some terrific efforts (Tennessee two years ago comes to mind) as UCLA quarterback, but he simply isn’t a starting D1 quarterback.
On his game-losing interception (and yes, there is more blame than that to go around) I was screaming at Prince before the ball even left his hand. You cannot even THINK about making that throw…not with the pre-snap positioning of the DB and not with KPs “arm strength”. That throw should have been ruled out before he even received the snap.
Of course this is on our coaches, but Prince made a freshman mistake in what should be his last start at UCLA. Just give the job to Hundley from the beginning and give him the max number of reps we can.
I can only hope that
spring practice will confirm Hundley as the next coming and we can give him every snap from here on out. The inconsistency of the QB position only trails that of the DL. Pitiful, work hard Hundley we’re counting on you. I’m hoping there is a way to get these kids Mazzone’s playbook once they get off the plane tonight so they can start studying and clear their minds of the poison they’ve been swallowing these past two years.
Yuppers
Why did we recruit Hundley if he isn’t getting the spot right off the bat? Why did we red shirt him if he isn’t getting the top spot?
Why is Dan Guerrero still in Morgan Hall? Because Block doesn’t care…
Happy New Year Bruins!!!!
"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"
~ John Wooden
Agreed
It was on the coaches…and it looked like KP didn’t get a good hold on the ball right off the snap.
If Hundley cannot win the starting job
we are in for another dissappointing season in 2012. We will only go as far as our QB will take us and this year, we had a 6-8 quarterback. I would rather take our lumps next year with Hundley and get him the reps and experience he needs to lead us in 2013 and beyond. I have seen enough of the both of our QB’s this year.
deja vu
everyone who has watched prince has seen that pick 6 before. he has made that mistake in at least 3 games we have watched. hes not a big time qb
by Strathmore&Gayley on Jan 1, 2012 2:03 PM PST up reply actions
Tough day!
The ONLY good thing about today was that since both the FB & men’s BB teams lost, at least we got all that collective pain in one day (actually a few hours) & not spread out over the entire weekend.
We've got our D-Coordinator and Special Team Coordinator!
John Pagano, Chargers linebackers coach and brother of Chuck Pagano (Ravens D-Coordinator), is going to be D-Coordinator
Jeff Ulbrich from the Seahawks is set to be Special Teams Coordinator
Wow - what a relief. Two household names from storied college programs.
I was worried about who we might hire. We got proven college coaches who have demonstrated over and over again the ability to get maximum performance out of young athletes who have only a limited amount of practice time at their disposal. These guys not only have a long resume involving x’s and o’s at the college level, they also have extensive recruiting experience. Of course, their recruiting experience can’t compare with that of the head coach, who was last involved in college football in 1984. To put that in perspective, in 1984, Fernando Valenzuela was the Dodger’s opening day pitcher, and his catcher was Mike Sciosia, who was just coming into his own as a regular catcher.
Right now, I call these two NFL retreads a collective strike one for the new coach.
Chianti Dan already has three major whiffs in hiring football coaches.
Uh
Mora has already hired a number of good recruiters and the NFL pedigrees of Pagano and Ulbrich may actually be an asset when trying to recruit certain players.
Ulbrich just retired from the NFL in 2009, so I don’t know how you call him a retread, while Pagano is a well-respected positions coach that has coached under some good D-coordinators like Ron Rivera and Wade Phillips.
Fox is Right
Especially on the DC. He has no experience coaching or scheming against college offenses.
Neither does Mora.
That’s going to be a problem.
sjh
Just back from a New Year's Eve party
and all the guys could say was how embarrassing the UCLA Med School was, and how I was really being brave I was an Econ major. The laughed and mocked me because of the lousy performance of the Germanic Languages Department.
I was so embarrassed I couldn’t believe it. One guy attended Tennessee, and all I could tell him was that I heard their Poli Sci department had a grading scandal involving some of the kids from the Women’s Glee Club.
[This message has been supplied by the Ministry of Truth, Dan Guerrerro and Gene Block, Co-Ministers.]
Is it just me, or is Rosario UCLA's all-time leader in MEANINGLESS TOUCHDOWNS?
4th quarter here, 4th quarter in Oregon… the guy seemingly can only catch the ball and pad his stats when we’re woefully behind and playing in garbage time, without any possible hope of catching up to a team with a multiple-touchdown lead against us in the 4th.
MIM
"It's not who you are underneath. It's what you DO that defines you."
Sooo...Happy New Year?
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon?
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone?
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine
That thou canst never once reflect
on Old long syne?
WANT TO CRY
The painful and pathetic 2011 football season is over. The players were not committed and they really didn’t care what they looked like on the football field or national TV. My hopes and expectations are high for the Mora era. So far, the recruiting numbers have been decent, but no talk or any signs of attempting to sign a top QB. We all know that we need a QB and the needs are high. We (UCLA) cannot be competitive in the PAC 12 with a poor QB. Hopefully Mora will come in and kick some @##$. We need some change and discipline in the locker room and on the field.
Has anyone heard of any QB’s in the mix for UCLA?
Has anyone heard of any QB’s in the mix for UCLA?
I heard that if we are REALLY fortunate that there MIGHT be a 5-star high school quarterback recruit on our roster next year.
But just to be safe, we need to hope that Kevin Prince doesn’t leave early for the NFL draft.
jesus
our guys should have worked on catching balls instead of “going over the wall”. Fauria and rosario dropped two touchdowns. either one of those would have won the game. Mora has a lot to do. If he can turn this team around he would have earned every cent of 12 million bucks.
by Strathmore&Gayley on Jan 1, 2012 10:34 AM PST reply actions
Epitome Of This Season...
Bouncing the center snap off the back in motion.
Our offense runs with all the precision of a fine Swiss watch—or maybe just a cheap knock-off.
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.
