Thursday ... so it's gotta be party night in Westwood. Lot to be excited about right now if you are Bruin student who cares about our sports teams. Let's hope all of you who are reading this from your dorm rooms, houses on Gayley Ave, or your apts. on Landfair/Kelton have made your plans already to drive up the 101. Let's get to the news. Football notes this morning provide updates on what is going on in the Bruin trenches. At OL coaches are feeling good about Meyer stepping up (if he needs to) for 50-50 McCloskey. But the defensive side is still a huge concern, as Kerr is apparently running out of bodies:
The trouble is, Kerr is running out of bodies, and that is a problem for a defense ranked last in the Pacific-10 Conference against the run. A two-week reprieve could come as No. 8 UCLA visits Stanford and then heads to Arizona on Nov. 5, the second-worst and worst rushing teams in the league, respectively, but it doesn't make Kerr's job easier.
"I'm sure (Stanford) is feeling like this is the one week they can probably run it," Kerr said. "It's getting more and more difficult (with the injuries), but every team has to go through it. It's been difficult because you'd like to get some continuity. You'd like to get some growth in your players game-by-game, but when they're in-and-out, not only in games but in practices, it makes it a little tougher."
UCLA is allowing 222.7 rushing yards per game and Stanford is averaging 110.2 yards per game on the ground, and the lack of bodies could force Kerr to employ a 3-4 defense rather than his usual 4-3 on some occasions.
More on this from Kuwada at the OC . I understand Kerr's issues but we are still facing the worst rushing offense in the Pac-10."I'm sure (Stanford) is feeling like this is the one week they can probably run it," Kerr said. "It's getting more and more difficult (with the injuries), but every team has to go through it. It's been difficult because you'd like to get some continuity. You'd like to get some growth in your players game-by-game, but when they're in-and-out, not only in games but in practices, it makes it a little tougher."
UCLA is allowing 222.7 rushing yards per game and Stanford is averaging 110.2 yards per game on the ground, and the lack of bodies could force Kerr to employ a 3-4 defense rather than his usual 4-3 on some occasions.
Back to our offense. Dohn has a profile on one of our 2 Live Drews :
Drew is fourth nationally in all-purpose yards at 185.8 per game, and second in scoring at 13.71 points per game. He leads the Pac-10 with a career-high 16 touchdowns, six of which are at least 43 yards.
Drew leads UCLA with 636 yards rushing, already has set a school-record with 401 punt-return yards, and is averaging 16.1 yards per catch. He needs to average 101.2 all-purpose yards in the last five games (including a bowl) to break Theotis Brown's single-season school record of 1,804. Combine that with UCLA's rise in the national polls, and Drew is an uncomfortable subject of Heisman talk.
"I just don't like it at all," Drew said. "It singles you out. I want to be with the team. I haven't worked any harder than the (rest) of the guys are working for me."
Drew also is 159 yards shy of Gaston Green's school-record 4,283 all-purpose yards, needs 21 touchdowns to break Skip Hicks' career mark of 55 and needs 1,538 rushing yards to topple Green's career mark.
And Drew, who wants to organize a football players-only 400-meter relay squad in the spring to compete in track and field, said he will have a chance to do it because he has no plans of leaving early for the NFL.
Uhm, can you imagine if MJD comes back next year and pairs up with the other Olson in the backfield? Well ... guess what ... if that happens, HP is gonna have to revise this list. Good times.Drew leads UCLA with 636 yards rushing, already has set a school-record with 401 punt-return yards, and is averaging 16.1 yards per catch. He needs to average 101.2 all-purpose yards in the last five games (including a bowl) to break Theotis Brown's single-season school record of 1,804. Combine that with UCLA's rise in the national polls, and Drew is an uncomfortable subject of Heisman talk.
"I just don't like it at all," Drew said. "It singles you out. I want to be with the team. I haven't worked any harder than the (rest) of the guys are working for me."
Drew also is 159 yards shy of Gaston Green's school-record 4,283 all-purpose yards, needs 21 touchdowns to break Skip Hicks' career mark of 55 and needs 1,538 rushing yards to topple Green's career mark.
And Drew, who wants to organize a football players-only 400-meter relay squad in the spring to compete in track and field, said he will have a chance to do it because he has no plans of leaving early for the NFL.
Speaking of good times, Howland's crew had a little exhibition yesterday afternoon at Pauley in front of few hundred students. And the review is good. I will write more on hoops when I get a chance. I got my Blue Ribbon Yearbook yesterday in the mail. So did A. Thanks Chris! Guys, I kid you not ... I will try to excerpt couple of paras. from the UCLA preview of this book later this week or may be this weekend. It is good. And it will set you up for a basketball season, which could be ... well I am not going to get my hopes up yet.
Anyways, back to thinking about Stanford. GO BRUINS.