UCLA seeks upset of 25th-ranked Fresno State
Sports Network | September 24, 2008
Pasadena, CA (Sports Network) - The 25th-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs hit the road, but remain in the Golden State this weekend as they challenge the Bruins of UCLA in a non-conference clash at the Rose Bowl.
This is the final game of the non-league slate for both teams, with the Bulldogs ready to host both Hawaii and Idaho in Western Athletic Conference action in the coming weeks. Last weekend, Fresno State had to play into double-overtime against the Toledo Rockets on the road and narrowly captured a 55-54 decision in Ohio. "In my 143 games as head coach, I've never been more proud of a team or a group of players as I am tonight," head coach Pat Hill responded after the wild affair. "That was a big-time win. We got Toledo's best shot, and last week we got Wisconsin's best shot and we got Rutgers' best shot." Not ones to take the easy road, the Bulldogs defeated the Scarlet Knights on the road in the opener before bowing to the Badgers at home by just three points (13-10).
As for the Bruins, they began the 2008 campaign with a stunning 27-24 overtime victory against then-ranked Tennessee. Unfortunately, the excitement for UCLA was short lived because 12 days later the team was soundly crushed by BYU, 59-0, marking the worst loss for the team since before the Great Depression. More recently the Bruins, who are scheduled to meet Washington State at home next weekend, were handed a 31-10 setback by fellow Pac-10 Conference member Arizona last weekend.
FSU defeated the Bruins in the Silicon Valley Bowl back in 2003 by a score of 17-9, marking the only win in seven tries for the Bulldogs against the Pac-10 Conference member.
In a seesaw battle on the road, the Bulldogs scored a touchdown in the first half for the first time this season versus Toledo, certainly a positive sign for a team that has struggled to put points on the board at times. Quarterback Tom Brandstater stepped up his efforts by going 22-of-28 for 231 yards and four touchdowns and more importantly, no interceptions. Brandstater was also credited with one of the team's two rushing TDs, the other going to Anthony Harding.
Although he tends to play it safe for the most part, Brandstater has done well not to make mistakes so far, tossing just a single interception in 79 pass attempts. Spreading the ball around to 11 different receivers has also allowed the signal-caller to keep defenses guessing and enabled him to convert better than 60 percent of his attempts for 224 ypg. Expected to be an all-conference performer this year, Bear Pascoe may lead the program with his 11 catches thus far, but he has generated just 87 yards and is one of five players to have reeled in a touchdown pass.
For as important as the offense was for the Bulldogs last weekend, the star of the show with Toledo had to be Nico Herron who deflected the two-point conversion attempt by the Rockets in the second overtime session to preserve the one-point win. For as strong as the defense has been for the Bulldogs so far this season and in recent years, the effort didn't stand up to standards and yet the head coach didn't seem to mind at all. The Bulldogs were torched for almost 600 yards by Toledo, giving up 297 yards on the ground alone.
Because of the lopsided effort by both teams, Fresno State is now ranked fourth in the conference and 100th in the country in terms of total defense, allowing an average of 423.7 ypg. Part of the problem is that the squad is not getting enough of a push at the line of scrimmage and is now second-to-last in the WAC and 111th nationally in sacks with just 0.67 per game.
Quarterback Kevin Craft continued to suffer through the growing pains of being the one to lead the UCLA offense. Last week he converted 15-of-31 passes, but earned just 81 yards through the air and failed to get the team into the end zone by way of the pass. With three sacks Craft also brought down the team's rushing total to a mere 115 yards on 28 attempts. On the positive side, the signal-caller did not throw an interception, which is always a good sign, but in this case not enough to keep the team out of the loss column yet again.
Even though the one touchdown of the game for the Bruins occurred on defense, the team is still being credited with 12.3 ppg which is last in the conference and 114th in the nation entering this week. The rushing offense has been miserable, posting a meager 51 ypg to rank last in the Pac-10 again and 117th in the country. "Offensively, we can't gain any measure of consistency for the last two games," noted UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. "It's obviously a major concern and one we'll have to continue to address as we go forward."
Were it not for a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Korey Bosworth in the first quarter against Arizona, the Bruins would have been held to just a field goal. Trying to find a silver lining to UCLA games has been tough the last few weeks, but at least Bret Lockett can be proud of the fact that he led his teammates in total tackles with 12, while Reggie Carter logged a tackle for loss and was credited with a forced fumble. "Defensively, we've done some very good things, and then we give up a big play," is the only way coach Neuheisel could describe the unit's effort versus Arizona after the game.
Perhaps the most telling stat for the defense to this point in the season is how many points they've surrendered in the second quarter alone. Through three games the program has allowed an incredible 63 points in the second frame, which is 26 more points than the Bruins themselves have scored altogether. Part of that has been because of Craft and his untimely turnovers, but there is still enough blame to go around for the defense. Averaging just a single sack per contest, UCLA is eighth in the league and tied for 98th in the country in that department.
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