More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Derrick Coleman is part of this week's guessing game.

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Welcome to November ...

The Bruins entered October undefeated and fans here and elsewhere were lamenting why we weren't ranked while poring over the schedule, trying to decide if a trip to San Diego for a bowl game was possible or would we have to settle for El Paso, Texas.

October was an 0-5 disaster, capped by an Orange and Black beating in Corvallis on Halloween night. But Bruins fans are nothing if not resilient -- if you weren't resilient you'd be in an institution by now -- and the second half of the Oregon State game gave the half full segment of the Blue and Gold club something to build on as Kevin Prince discovered Nelson Rosario and Rosario discovered those things on the end of his arms called hands.

The questions I have is:

Has it come to this?

Are we reduced to clinging to "great fourth quarters against Oregon State" as a sign the the team has turned another corner?

Or is the corner we turned just another sign that we're going around in circles?

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More photos » by STEPHEN BRASHEAR - AP

Jake is ready to show off his "blazing speed"

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Well the drama around whether or not Jake Locker will get the start tomorrow afternoon is officially over. Steve Sarkasian officially announced yesterday that Locker will be starting tomorrow. Per report in the Seattle Times not only does Locker look ready to go but he has been displaying his "trademark blazing speed" during practices leading up tomorrow game:

Maybe it was watching Jake Locker sprinting out of the pocket and darting across the Dempsey Indoor field that convinced Steve Sarkisian.

Or maybe it was the way Locker bounced between drills while high-fiving teammates and chest-bumping assistants when Sarkisian knew his quarterback, who had been hampered by a right deep thigh bruise, was ready to go Saturday at UCLA.

"He ran really well," Sarkisian said. "I was really, really impressed. He was a little sore earlier today from yesterday's practice, but he looked good today. I expect him to play." [...]

"I wanted to see him run full speed," Sarkisian said. "I wanted to see him really open up and go full speed, and he was able to do that."

Locker, who wore a protective sleeve around his right calf, displayed his trademark blazing speed and agility while taking the majority of the snaps with the No. 1 offense. He showed no ill effects from the injury suffered Oct. 24 against Oregon.

"It's great to have your starting quarterback," Sarkisian said. "Just from an execution standpoint, being in the huddle, all the things that he brings. There are some obvious leadership skills that he brings that I know the team feeds off of."

None of this should be a surprise to anyone. The question is how will the Bruin defense come out and attack Locker tomorrow. They are not going to be able to stop him by playing the basic 4-3 look they have been showing the whole season. Locker will just sit back and pick apart the Bruin defense or blast through any open spaces. The Bruin defense must mix it up tomorrow to get Locker off rhythm early and get him uncomfortable.

Locker is an amazing athlete and one of the best QB prospects in the country. However, when he gets pressure or at least feels it in terms of having to put the entire Husky offense on his back he can make mistakes. We will have to force the issue with our defense tomorrow and not wait to react and adjust like we have been painfully doing all season.

Meanwhile, speaking of forcing the issue, the special teams might have an opportunity against the Huskies tomorrow. The Huskies have been struggling on special teams:

Steve Sarkisian didn't try to sugarcoat the problem.

In his opening comments to the media after Oregon's 43-19 win over the Huskies Oct. 24, Sarkisian said that the Ducks "destroyed us on special teams."

The Huskies had a punt blocked for a touchdown, gave up a first down on a fake field goal that led to an Oregon touchdown and allowed a two-point conversion during a critical stretch that turned the game.

Well UCLA knows a thing or two about breakdown of special teams against Oregon. But apparently Huskies have been having problems in that department throughout the season:

Indeed, UW's problems on special teams have extended deeper than just the Oregon game. A week after the landmark win against USC, the Huskies allowed the opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown at Stanford. And the Huskies had a flurry of special-teams issues in the third quarter against Arizona that helped dig a hole that only a miracle interception could rescue.

Hopefully our guys can extend their woes for at least one more Saturday tomorrow afternoon. More after the jump.

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JetSki is looking to replicate the performance in his last appearance at the Rose Bowl. Photo Credit: Telemachus

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Let's start today's roundup with a focus on our offense. We have talked a lot about Kevin Prince and our passing game getting it going in the fourth quarter of Oregon State game. While we are all anxious to see whether or not Prince can pick up where he left off, we hope the ground game gets back in the groove after having a big day against Cal two weekend ago at the Rose Bowl. For Norm Chow's offense to really get going in Westwood, we will desperately need balance. So far this season we haven't had a game during which both the running and passing game are clicking on all cylinders.

Bruin offense will get that opportunity against the Huskies, who are bringing a defense that is second worst in the conference in stopping the rush and 7th in pass defense. JetSki and his team-mates know that they need to show more consistency. From the Daily News:

"Definitely we need to establish the run; it tires down the (opposing) team, it opens up the pass, it makes the holes a lot bigger in the third and fourth quarter," Franklin said. "Just moving the ball positively is always a good thing, whether it's a long run, short run, whatever."

The problem with the running game hasn't been the long runs.

Last season, behind a shoddy offensive line, the Bruins had just two long runs, one for 44 yards by leading rusher Kahlil Bell and a 40-yard gain by then-freshman Derrick Coleman.

UCLA has four long bursts this year, with Franklin's 74-yard dash against the Bears being the benchmark.

What hurts the Bruins are the difficult short gains, articularly the inability to convert the crucial third-and-short.
"We just have to produce more," senior fullback Chane Moline said. "When our number is called, we have to put confidence in our coaches to call more, especially on third downs and fourth and inches. We can definitely improve on it week to week."

The running game has been an emphasis in practice throughout the week, with coaches trying to get the team to be more physical. 

As Neuheisel noted in the same piece it will take a total team effort for our offense to kick start the running game on Saturday:

"Part of it is because of the good defenses we're playing, part is because we've been behind in games and haven't had as many opportunities to run the ball," Neuheisel said. "But also, we have to face the facts that we have to block better and set up the run better. It's a total team effort to correct the running game."

In terms of blocking keep a close eye on our recievers. I don't believe they have given us a consistent effort this season in that department. I am hoping this area will get better in our last four games.

The best thing that can happen for our offense on Saturday is if Prince and co. can come out and get a get in a rhythm early. I think that will soften up the defense, allowing Chow to try stretching them out with the speed of JetSki, Knox and Thigpen. The hopeful part of me thinks that we will be able to pick up where we left off on Sat. We will have to wait and see. More after the jump.

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Let's start our Humpday roundup with the latest on Jake Locker. Before yesterday's practice Steve Sarkasian called Jake Locker "a game time decision." After practice he didn't change that outlook although he did mentioned Locked looked lot better yesterday than earlier in the week. From Bob Condotta in the Seattle Times:

Sarkisian said that Locker "looked better today than yesterday'' and that he is "optimistic'' that Locker will be able to play Saturday against UCLA.

However, he said again no decision has been made and that he will need to see how Locker makes it through the week.

Locker took part in practice today and Sarkisian said Locker was able to handle what the team asked him to do, but he noted that "we didn't ask him to move around a whole lot.''

He said a key will be "how he looks tomorrow.'' He said again that "I don't want to put him out there and cause further injury down the road.''

He said Locker is in rehab sessions three times a day.

"We're very optimistic,'' Sarkisian said. "He's getting better every day.''

Guess the reporters will frett over Locker's status for another day or two. At this point though we can not only expect Locker to play this Saturday, we can safely assume that Locker will be attacking the Bruin defense with everything he has under his arsenal. Rick Neuhiesel is certainly expecting Locker to play:

As has every coach UW has faced this season, Neuheisel heaped praise on UW QB Jake Locker and said he fully expects Locker to play despite having a deep thigh bruise.

"I'm sure he will be in the game, and what a fabulous player he is,'' Neuheisel said. "He's a truly remarkable guy. I know there are a lot of QBs who get the accolades and because of the programs they are in. But I don't think there's a finer quarterback in the country. I would be shocked if very many would be picked ahead of Locker if he were available.''

Neuheisel as he has been whenever Washington has come up was gracious in his remarks:

"I always have a feeling when we play Washington,'' he said. "I have great memories there. There's no animosity there, if that's what you're asking. I just remember the good times that I had while I was there.'' [...]

As for what he's seen of the Huskies, Neuheisel said that "Sark (Steve Sarkisian) is off to agreat start and they've had a couple of signature-type performances, and it's fun to see Husky Stadium jumping around again.I watched bits and pieces of the USC game and when the camera starts shaking you start harkening back to some very fond memories.''

I wonder when the reporters will get tired of asking him about the same old questions on playing Washington. I am assuming we will have to endure it for at least another year or two. Hopefully in couple of years the reporters will spend their weekly conference calls asking him questions on the actual game and their strategies around it, then the off field drama that has been hashed over millions of times. More notes on the game after the jump.

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Photo Credit: Official Site

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Let's start with a very quick housekeeping note again. As noted last night things look a little different here on BN (and all around SBN) starting this am. Basically what you are seeing today is SBN's tech gurus doing a little "visual refresh" of our communities, which includes a refresh of the current visual design across all blogs. It's part of SBN's unending  efforts to make posts more readable and push text higher above the fold, and a first step in a project to improve load time. I think you guys will enjoy BN's cleaner look. Definitely would love to hear what you guys think about this new tweaks. Chime in the fanshot thread posted last night or here in this comment thread.

The timing on this "visiaul refresh" of BN works out well because now I can segway into the topic of the much anticipated throwback jerseys UCLA is going to bust out this Saturday. From the official site:

THROWBACK JERSEYS -- For Saturday's Homecoming Game against the Huskies, the Bruins will wear "throwback" jerseys similar to the UCLA jerseys worn in 1967, when Gary Beban won the Heisman Trophy. The Bruins will also wear gold helmets without the UCLA logo and black shoes in the style of the 1967 team. Facsimilie jerseys with Beban's No. 16, are on sale at the UCLA Store and online.

I am assuming some of you have already stocked up on those number 16s. Moving on to the game notes Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times posted another update on Jake Locker. It looks like as of right now Locker is a go:

Jake Locker basically split the reps at QB with Ronnie Fouch --- appeared to be about the normal division --- working with the No. 1 offense. Frankly, if you didn't know Locker was hurt you wouldn't have known he was hurt from watching this workout. The caveats to that are that it was a no-contact practice --- the team was in just helmets and shoulder pads and sweats/shorts --- and he didn't do any real running, just throwing and handing off.

But considering this is Monday, seemed like the kind of start to the week for a guy who will play on Saturday, though as noted earlier, some of this is also seeing how his leg reacts each day to work the day before. Keith Price worked with the scout team as Locker and Fouch handled all the duties with the main offense, as is the norm.

While the Bruin defense no doubt will work on their game prep with Locker on their minds, as Jon Gold notes they will also have to work on improving themselves:

Neuheisel realizes, though, the Bruins need to focus on improving themselves this week, instead of looking just at Locker. For the fifth consecutive week - all losses - the UCLA defense often found itself out of position and scrambling to right its wrongs, but to no avail.

"We've played some pretty darn good offenses, but yes we have to play better on defense," Neuheisel said. "I don't know that you can point at one thing. Assignments, tackling, just being where we need to be and making plays when they're there to be made."

The Bruins have faced a tough slate of opponents, attempting to shut down one star after the next.

Most have been in the running game though, where UCLA has failed to contain Stanford's Toby Gerhart, Oregon's LaMichael James, Cal's Jahvid Best and Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers. But what concerns Neuheisel has been the failure to shut down opportunistic pass offenses, who have taken advantage of freshman cornerback Sheldon Price's inexperience and slight build.

"Until we stop them, we're going to have to face the facts there," Neuheisel said. "Sheldon's going to have to continue to improve and we'll have to try to create competition there. We're going to play the guy who plays the best in practice. We're not down on Sheldon, he's a young player trying to help the team and he's playing hard. ... But we certainly understand we have to play better and not give up the easy yards."

So this gives me an opportunity to ask a question I haven't really zeroed in on enough the last few weeks (or especially since the Cal game). Does anyone have an idea re. why our CBs given so much cushion to opposing WRs? Sometimes when I am watching out defense on television I can't even see our corners. They are off the screen and playing almost 7-8 yards off the opposing receiver. This is not happening just with Sheldon Price. This has been happening even with ATV (who was giving up chunks of yardage in the Cal game). I would love to hear a cogent explanation for this tactic because it is just another one of those attributes that makes Bullough's defense appear very vanilla and always seem to keep them off balance. I don't think they are going to be able to get away by doing the same against Washington. Jake Locker -hurt or not - will take advantage of any open spaces he can find to run through and make huge plays. More after the jump.

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More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington quarterback Jake Locker walks off the field following a 37-30 loss to Notre Dame in overtime in an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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So apparently Jake Locker is "nursing" a thigh bruise per Ted Miller of WWL (HT bruin578):

Washington quarterback Jake Locker is nursing a deep thigh bruise that might sideline him for the Huskies' game at UCLA on Saturday.

Coach Steve Sarkisian said Locker was "day to day."

"We're not going to force him back onto the field if he's not healthy and ready to go," Sarkisian said. "I would anticipate that he would be but it remains day to day."

Locker, who suffered the thigh bruise in the first quarter against Oregon on Oct. 24, was limited during bye week practices. He said he felt "pretty good" on Monday.

"I should be ready to go," Locker said.

SeattlePI.com has more details on Locker's injury which reportedly has been limiting him at practices since their loss against Oregon Ducks:

Locker has been limited at practices since the loss and is experiencing bleeding and swelling that is significantly reducing his mobility.

That loss of mobility is playing into coach Steve Sarkisian's decision on Locker playing against the Bruins.

"I don't want to put a guy out there that's just a sitting duck," Sarkisian said.

And here is Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times:

Locker hedged a little saying he would "see how it progresses during the week'' but fully indicated he would play.

He was apparently a little limited in Sunday night's practice, the first since the team returned from a bye, but did more running around than last week, when he did little.

If Locker can't play, the starter would be backup Ronnie Fouch, who took most of the reps with the No. 1 offense last week. Sarkisian said if need be, he would play true frosh Keith Price, though ideally he would like to redshirt Price.

In other words don't get too excited. Jake is going to be ready and play on Saturday. More after the jump.

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USC's reign over the Pac-10 is over. Attribute it to whatever you want, outstanding recruit, great players, great coaching or favoritism and lack of regard for the rules, USC has dominated the Pac-10 for the last seven years. That is no more as it is highly, highly unlikely that USC wins the Pac-10 this year. It had to end eventually and Oregon ended it by dismantling the Trojans in Eugene. What's even more amazing is that USC is in a battle to finish second or third in the conference. There's a chance for a fourth place finish. The Pac-10 is a changin' folks, at least for one year.

Player of the Week: Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon- 19-31 passing for 222 yards and 164 more yards on the ground with a touchdown. The numbers are impressive, but the way he commanded the game and was in complete control was more impressive. A couple other players, Jacquizz Rodgers and Kevin Riley, put up worthy numbers as well, but Masoli gets the nod for leading his team to a victory in the biggest of games.

Stat of the Week: 613- It's been over 50 years since a team put up 613 yards on USC, but Oregon did it in their absolute destruction of USC.

Game of the Week: Oregon St. at Cal, 4 pm PST, FSN- Don't look now, but Cal is on a roll again and is once again a top 20 team, while Oregon St. is right there with Cal and USC at 3-2 in the conference.These are two good and evenly matched teams who have the conference's two best running backs. Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers alone make this a game to glue your eyes to.

Pac-10 Power Poll

1) Oregon Ducks, 7-1- I don't think there's much question as to who the conference's top team is anymore. Jeremiah Masoli is the conference's top QB, the Oregon defense is tops in the nation and no home crowd is as hostile as the fans who pack Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have gotten better each and every week and may be the first one-loss team in line for the national title game at this point. At Stanford this week is setting up as a classic let down game though. Last Week: 1

2) USC Trojans, 6-2- Yes, they were demolished by Oregon, but they got whipped by the conference's top team. They still have their share of talent and aren't in a bad place in the Pac-10. The defense isn't near what we've seen in recent years though and will need to improve to succeed no matter how much Matt Barkley grows. Playing at Arizona St. won't be a cakewalk either. Last Week: 2

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More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

So will Bullough bring the heat early on?

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Let's start this game week by accentuating the positive which is keeping the focus on Kevin Prince and UCLA offense. For the first time this season the UCLA offense has an opportunity to build on some genuine momentum. Sure the offense showed some signs of life against California at our last home game but that game ended on a sour note for Prince after the pick-6. Before the Cal game Prince probably had his best game in the season opener against San Diego State. However, even in that game he fizzled out in the second half. So Oregon State was really the first game in Prince's young career in which he finished strong and it would be a huge shot in the Bruin psyche if he can come out and pick up right where he left off in Corvallis.

Of course Rick Neuheisel and others know that Prince was helped out by the fact that the Beavers were playing prevent offense. Still he is hoping that Saturday's experience will help with Prince's confidence:

"I saw a quarterback sitting in the pocket, making throws down the field," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "He was composed despite the circumstances and was still able throw down the field. Whether deserved or not, the confidence will grow."

By that, Neuheisel said, he meant that sometimes teams will give up underneath completions while nursing a lead.

"Sometimes when you make a play, maybe the other team lets you make it by coming off coverage," Neuheisel said. "Whatever happens, you have the confidence to go out and do it. That's a huge benefit."

But Neuheisel said, "There was no accident. Oregon State was playing hard. Kevin made plays."

More from Jon Gold in the Daily News:

The biggest difference? Prince was willing to throw into coverage, essentially daring the Oregon State defense like he has not all year.

"The definition of `covered' is a vague one," Neuheisel said. "As you grow as a quarterback you realize, `That guy can't see this throw and I can put it in a position for my receive to make a play."'

After everything, it makes Neuheisel wonder how far along Prince would be if not for missing two games with a fractured jaw.
"It's gonna take some time, and you don't get to jump ahead of that time just because you're watching from a different vantage point," Neuheisel said. "Everybody needs to have practical experience before you can be proficient at something."

Well Prince and co are going to have a great opportunity to increase their confidence against a Washington Huskies team which has the 7th ranked passing defense in the conference (ranked 101st nationally). In terms of pass efficiency defense they are the second worst team in the conference.

The Huskies are coming into Pasadena following a bye week.  Per the notes on CBSSportsline.com, Sark's bunch gave up 416 yards against the Ducks (then again compared to what Petey's defense did those are solid numbers I guess) the last time they were on the field. That was the fifth straight game they had given up that many yards or more. Apparently the opponents have been marching up and down on the Huskies both with passing game and ground attacks as " the Huskies have allowed 250 or more rushing yards in three of the past six games, and 295 or more passing in three of the last four." In other words, the Bruin offense will have an opportunity to build on this past weekend's fourth quarter. Let's hope they are not waiting till the 4th to unleash their offense this time around. More after the jump.

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