Promise of excitement ...

by Nestor on Dec 15, 2005 8:21 AM PST in Football Comment 4 comments

Let's quickly go back to talent excuse and asinine comparisons to Howland who took over a UCLA basketball program with its worst record in more than 40 years. Check out the release from the UCLA site showing Dorrell took over an 8 win football team, which was ... uhm not exactly lacking in talent. Again, this is from UCLA's official site in 2003 (emphasis mine):

There is a new excitement surrounding UCLA football. Former wide receiver Karl Dorrell (1982-86) has returned to Westwood as the Bruins' head coach and optimism is high.

UCLA returns 14 starters from last season's 8-5 team - seven on offense and seven on defense - to form the nucleus of Dorrell's first Bruin team. On offense, the returnees include split end Craig Bragg, an All-America candidate who led the Bruins with 55 receptions a year ago; flanker Tab Perry, an honors candidate who averaged a Pac-10 best 19.9 yards per reception; tailback Tyler Ebell, who earned second-team Freshman All-America honors while rushing for 994 yards; fullback Manuel White, the team's second-leading rusher; guard Eyoseph Efseaff, a second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference performer; tackle Steven Vieira, a Pac-10 honorable mention selection at guard last season; and center Mike McCloskey, a second-team Freshman All-American. On defense, the returnees include tackle Rodney Leisle, a 2002 pre-season All-American before suffering a broken foot; end Dave Ball, who made 11 quarterback sacks en route to second-team All-Pac-10 honors; linebackers Brandon Chillar, an All-America candidate, and first-team Freshman All-American Spencer Havner; cornerback Matt Ware, a 2001 first-team Freshman All-American; and safeties Ben Emanuel, who tied for the team lead in interceptions, and first-team Freshman All-American Jarrad Page.

Other key returnees include sophomore quarterbacks Drew Olson, who started the final five games of the year, and Matt Moore, who helped rally the team to a victory in the SEGA Sports Las Vegas Bowl; wide receivers Junior Taylor and Ryan Smith; tailback Akil Harris; fullbacks J.D. Groves and Pat Norton; offensive linemen Ed Blanton, Paul Mociler and Shane Lehmann; defensive linemen Ryan Boschetti, who started five games a year ago, Mat Ball and Asi Faoa; linebackers Dennis Link and Justin London; and defensive backs Matt Clark, Marcus Cassel, Keith Short, Kevin Brant and Glenn Ohaeri.

So much for that excitement as we are all getting FIRED UP FOR THE SUN BOWL!!! It took him 3 years to win 8 games again. And of course you are going to hear the inevitable nonsense of Toledo leaving KD with bad apples as he had to clean up the "underbelly" of this program. Dorrell had all of the starters mentioned above except for Tab Perry (well he did "forget" about having Manny White in his first game as a head coach). Perry left due to academics, but came back for his senior season. Ebell transferred, but we got a better deal in Maurice. Also, one note on Ebell and his buddy Matt Ware. I know from a personal friend of mine who was one of the recruiting hosts in the athletics department, one of the reasons which contributed Ware leaving early was based on how badly (he perceived at least) the coaches treated Ebell.

Anyways the facts are Dorrell always had the talent to succeed at UCLA. He just hasn't delivered after 3 seasons in Westwood. Of course he is coming back for one more year based on this "9 win" season. But if he doesn't come up with 9 (total) wins next season and beat SC (according to the majority who are voting on the poll on BruinsNation), he will need to hit the road. GO BRUINS.

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KD

For the sake of Bruin football, I'd like to see KD succeed but I'm not willing to bet my life savings on it. I wouldn't have hired him then, I wouldn't hire him now. It's nice and all that he's one of us, but we need a coach with a proven track record of winning and recruiting. KD should have learned on the job as an assistant, not a head coach. But KD is our head coach and that's the situation we're in. We just have to deal with it until either KD brings home a national title or DG cuts the rope. But Bruin intuition tells me otherwise: DG will not be cutting the rope anytime soon and KD will not be bringing a national title to Westwood any time soon, if ever.

I can see KD staying another couple years coaching at UCLA. The only way that DG would fire KD is we have enough alumni and boosters calling for KD's head. That's not going to happen with 9 win seasons, no matter how shammy those 8 or 9 wins may be. Perhaps being half responsible for a 10-game losing streak to the Trojans will do him in. We'll see.

by ucla2k3 on Dec 15, 2005 12:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Completely Agree

KD is going nowhere (in both senses of that phrase)
He won't ever take the team to the Rose Bowl, (nevermind a BCS championship) and he won't get fired for at least two more seasons.

He won nine (ten?) games this year.
He could go 7-5 next year, lose again to USC, and not be fired.
He will be the coach for the 2007 season.
2008 depends on what happens next year.
But (barring off-field incidents) he won't get canned without two bad seasons.

Offhand, I think maybe he's fired after the 2007 season for his record-setting fifth consecutive rivalry loss.

by McCloskey on Dec 15, 2005 1:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

KD has shown very little so far

KD didn't win with talented players his first year. The next two years, the offense improved, but the defense is the laughing stock of major D1 football. Our defensive talent should be at least 70-80 in D1 rankings. I really haven't seen much coaching improvement or innovation short of the fake punt vs. Cal.

Good coaches should be getting better year by year with the ability to motivate players to maximum performance in big games. With an undefeated season on the line KD laid a big egg in Tuscon, then with three weeks to prepare, KD delivered UCLA on a platter to the Trojies. I mean has a matchup between #1 vs. #11 or 12 ever delivered such a lackluster performance. If we lose to NW, DG must admit his mistake and fire KD and hire Butch Davis while we still have so semblance of a program. Otherwise we will look on the Toledo years as the "good ole days".

by drillerdoc on Dec 15, 2005 3:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs