I am sitting here at the O'Hare Airport on my way home. Got a looong layover. Right now terminal B seems like packed with those ketchup and mustard clan of the evil empire, giddy on their way home to LA. It's early in the morning, yet are sounding like your prototypical obnoxious, arrogant Trojans, who must have jumped on Pom Pom Pete's (out of control, crime-ridden) bandwagon (Tennessee West) in last three years (Reggie Bush, OMG like he is the greatest running back ever!).
So here I am ... Bruins after another (back to back) improbable (given our post McNown era history) 21 points come from behind win, are a perfect 6-0 ... and actually with a reasonably realistic shot of being 10-0 going into December 3rd. Of course I am giddy inside. We exorcised some major demons last night up over at Hicksville, USA. We hadn't beaten those guys up there since 1993. And as the fourth quarter was winding down, and the DO was leading that huge rally heading into the overtime, I kept thinking about the Washington State game from 1997, when a failed 4th and goal conversion (Toledo forgot to put in Skip Hicks) kept us from having a double digit winning regular season and a BCS game, and I kept thinking about Tim Rosenbach, ruining Troy Aikman's perfect senior season in 1988. Those guys have been a major, fouling up number of seasons for years .... ruining one dream season after another. And, last night they had us all wrapped up all over again. But this time, it was our turn. While rest of the country was ooohing and aaahing over the lucky ball room dancer from cross town and his shady head coach, here in the Nation ... we were flying under the radar, racking up that improbable (yet another "character building") win, and now are finding ourselves dreaming all over again. (Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren/AP (via Yahoo Sports))
Yet I know better not to get my hopes up yet. I have not only been through Washington State games of 88 and 97, I also got to experience December 5, 1998. I don't need add anything more to that date, if you are member of this Nation, you know. And of course, I was also at the Stanford game four years ago, when our 6-0 start imploded at that parking lot in Paolo Alto (aka Stanford football stadium), setting the program into a nightmarish 1-4 tailspin, disgraced, sullied, and left in the dust after a shut out at the South Central.
And now, four years later - here we go again. Oregon State, Stanford, Arizona and Arizona State - four games in which we should be 4-0, setting up a 10-0 record going into thanksgiving week, and December 3rd. We have better talent than all of those four teams, and more importantly we have some intangibles going over us - yes we have a chip on our shoulders, as we are in need of erasing the bitter memories of Stanford (01) and Miami (98), that have left a dark unhealthy cloud cover of doubt, agony, and skepticism over the skies of Westwood.
We have a long way to go. Our offense is still getting off to very sluggish starts, leaving us in huge hole, and our defense ... what can I say ... feels like I am seeing reincarnation of and Edgarin James ... week in and week out, piling up footages over flailing Bruin defenders, which I am sure will be replayed over and over ESPN highlights, particularly during those NFL draft shows.
But after watching Drew Olson, perhaps evolve into something special in last three games, and seeing the talents of Maurice Drew, Marcedes Lewis, and the young guns in our WR crew shining through and the defense stiffening in key moments of the game, I keep thinking WHY NOT US?
Out defense showed in the second half yesterday ... it has enough talent to make those crucial stops, stiffen up, and bottle up the opposing running game. Kerr and his crew needs to find a way so they get the boys fired up coming out of the game and play that way from the first quarters, instead of looking that December 5, 1998 version of the UCLA defense falling and flailing all over the field. And the DO knows by now this his team, he can take over, and if he comes out focused from get go, his team-mates will follow.
We are now 3-4 wins away from Dorrell getting validation as the head coach of UCLA football. As, my stomach still churning and my mind still unsettled about next 9 weeks, I am thinking this morning WHY NOT US?
Of course given what has happened during last 7 weeks, it looks our pre-season expectation of winning 9 regular season games was nowhere close to being unreasonable, and given the talent on this team, there is nothing wrong with slightly upgrading that expectation to winning 4 more games through remaining of our regular season.
If we pull off a 10-0 record, and the ending of a certain insufferable streak on December 3rd, then I personally would have no objection to changing the name of "Hilgard Ave." to "Dorrell Drive." But I just keep having this sinking feeling all this is yet another cruel hoax for letting down the entire Nation. Here is to my fears being proven untrue and an avalanche of Blue and Gold storming over that coliseum turf on 12/3/2005. That will erase all the sick feelings we have been experiencing since December 5, 1998. Not to mention it will wipe off the insufferable, arrogant smirks off the faces of Pom, Pom and rest of his ketchup and mustard clan. Again here we go again we another over used cliché - Every Saturday is now a must win Saturday. If we get let down again ... all this will be for not. We can go 10-0. Let's hope Dorrell can come through. He needs to ... if he wants to end any questions and doubts in Westwood for a long time. At least this morning, while I am still on an emotional high, and perhaps not thinking with all the facts and pragmatism through sober analysis, I keep thinking:
WHY NOT US.
Go Bruins.
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