Nothing like reading the papers on a Sunday morning after a huge win. It's been a while. Yes, I am still somewhat hungover this morning, and it will take a while to put together my thoughts on what last night meant for our season, and the mindset of our football program and the Nation. Of course right now, I can't help but feel euphoric, but at the same time as someone whose got his heart broken so many times by this football program, I totally realize this could all go down the drain by a shitty loss to Washington State next weekend. One thing is for sure, we are back on the national stage for the first time since that 6-0 start in 2001:
PASADENA - For three years UCLA dealt with the negative as it was battered by opponents, scoffed at by pundits and trashed even by themselves.
Even when UCLA insisted it was different now, that the mindset had changed and the once Grinched-sized heart had grown three sizes too big, there was the near-stumble against Washington to cloud the Bruins' vision.
However, after a sublime five-touchdown effort by tailback Maurice Drew and a second-straight, last-minute comeback engineered by quarterback Drew Olson lifted No. 20 UCLA past No. 10 California 47-40 Saturday in front of 84,811 at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins find themselves back on the national stage, one of nine undefeated Division I-A teams remaining.
Drew had a sublime performance all right. We'd think he is back in the national spotlight as one of the Heisman contender as well. Lonnie White has more on the Drew-Blue comeback:
Even when UCLA insisted it was different now, that the mindset had changed and the once Grinched-sized heart had grown three sizes too big, there was the near-stumble against Washington to cloud the Bruins' vision.
However, after a sublime five-touchdown effort by tailback Maurice Drew and a second-straight, last-minute comeback engineered by quarterback Drew Olson lifted No. 20 UCLA past No. 10 California 47-40 Saturday in front of 84,811 at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins find themselves back on the national stage, one of nine undefeated Division I-A teams remaining.
UCLA's Maurice Drew might not be the biggest running back around, but when it comes to making big plays to carry a team, he can match up with anyone.
Drew proved that Saturday by matching his school record with a five-touchdown effort to carry the No. 20 Bruins to a dramatic, come-from-behind, 47-40 victory over No. 10 California before UCLA's largest home crowd of the season, 84,811 at the Rose Bowl.
Drew had 299 all-purpose yards, scored three rushing touchdowns, reached the end zone on an 81-yard punt return and caught a pass for the go-ahead score for the Bruins, who improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference.
Again, those are stats of a Heisman contender.Drew proved that Saturday by matching his school record with a five-touchdown effort to carry the No. 20 Bruins to a dramatic, come-from-behind, 47-40 victory over No. 10 California before UCLA's largest home crowd of the season, 84,811 at the Rose Bowl.
Drew had 299 all-purpose yards, scored three rushing touchdowns, reached the end zone on an 81-yard punt return and caught a pass for the go-ahead score for the Bruins, who improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference.
Photo:AP (via CNNSI)
Drew had an incredible night, so did his QB, who for the second weekend in a row had another gutcheck game, showing remarkable poise and calm down the stretch. More from White on the DO comeback:
On UCLA's game-deciding drive, Olson kept the Bruins poised and made the type of throws UCLA fans have grown to expect this season in completing three of five passes for 76 yards.
His two biggest completions came on a 38-yarder to sophomore Marcus Everett, who made a highlight grab between two Cal defensive backs, and a 28-yarder to Drew, who turned a swing pass into a touchdown to give UCLA a 41-40 lead with 1:35 left.
"He never flinched," UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable said about Olson, who completed 17 of 33 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. "I thought this game was another big step for Drew. When we got behind at the end, he just made some great plays."
Said Everett, who had a team-high six catches for 95 yards: "Drew was so calm out there. He just kept telling us, 'Let's just go out there and do this and give all we can for the next two minutes and we'll win this'. And, we did."
Props to DO and also props to his head coach. Yes, Dorrell and his coaching staff showed guts. We have to give them their due, specially on the fake punt call on our 40 yard line, with less than 10 mins left in the fourth quarter:
His two biggest completions came on a 38-yarder to sophomore Marcus Everett, who made a highlight grab between two Cal defensive backs, and a 28-yarder to Drew, who turned a swing pass into a touchdown to give UCLA a 41-40 lead with 1:35 left.
"He never flinched," UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable said about Olson, who completed 17 of 33 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. "I thought this game was another big step for Drew. When we got behind at the end, he just made some great plays."
Said Everett, who had a team-high six catches for 95 yards: "Drew was so calm out there. He just kept telling us, 'Let's just go out there and do this and give all we can for the next two minutes and we'll win this'. And, we did."
Dorrell got in the good graces with his call in the fourth quarter. The Bruins faced fourth-and-two at their own 40 with 9:16 remaining. Dorrell sent the punt team out, and the fans booed. Then Michael Pitre took the snap, handed off to Jarrad Page, and Page took off 38 yards, with a 10-yard personal foul penalty tacked on at the end. That led to a quarterback sneak that brought the Bruins within five points.
"You have to make yourself looking like you weren't thinking about it all along," Dorrell said. "That's how the process works. As a matter of fact it worked pretty well, because our fans were booing."
Speaking of booing, the DO had the perfect take on the whole issue after last night big win (from Dohn's article):
"You have to make yourself looking like you weren't thinking about it all along," Dorrell said. "That's how the process works. As a matter of fact it worked pretty well, because our fans were booing."
"It's nice to run off the field and have your fans cheer for you," Olson said. "We haven't given them much to cheer about the last couple of years, so it's good to see them out there cheering for us, and to give them something to be excited about."
It's been a while we have had this much to be excited about. But at the same we have to keep in mind we have been on this road before only to see everything crash and burn down the stretch of a 12-14 week college football season.Regardless, last night was huge. As mentioned up top, we are back on the national radar And, during the coming week, we may bee seeing analysis like this one from Matthew Zamek of CFN, who has more on Drew's game winning TD, and the not so preposterous notion of Bruins being 10-0 heading into December 3rd:
On a play that looked incredibly reminiscent of the San Francisco 49ers during their Steve Young salad days in the 1990s, Dorrell and offensive coordinator Tom Cable had UCLA quarterback Drew Olson--who once again proved to be up to the task as a fourth-quarter field general in Westwood--sprint to his right side at a severe angle, not too far from the line of scrimmage. Given the wide sprint-out (as opposed to a deep rollout), Olson had a clearer, shorter, and more available angle from which to hit Drew in the flat. Upon receiving the short pass, Drew promptly turned on the afterburners to outrace Cal's defense down the sideline, gliding inside the pylon before any Golden Bear defender could touch him. It was the latest and most significant display of drive-thru speed for a man who is announced as Maurice Drew, but whose extra name on the back of his jersey suggests that the young stud, inspired by the loving memory of his late grandfather, is Jones-ing for success with a little extra intensity this season. That extra fire in Jones-Drew's belly lifted him and his teammates to a breathtaking victory that makes Los Angeles-area football the hottest property in college football.
Austin, Blacksburg, State College, Tallahassee, Tuscaloosa and Athens might all have one really good team, but the Left Coast metropolis has two of them. And if Karl Dorrell's boys do what they should be able to do in their next four games, UCLA will find itself 9-0 heading into a showdown with Arizona State on Nov. 20. Win that, and look out: an undefeated UCLA team will collide with USC in an armageddon-like battle on Dec. 3. The City of Angels will become the site of a college football apocalypse, with UCLA rising up to claim a share of the LA football stage. It's surely premature to talk about late November right now, but the mere fact this giddy possibility exists in Westwood is a credit to a program, and even more particularly to the long, hard labor of Karl Dorrell, whose guts had more than a little to do with the outcome of this game.
We can't wait. We are off to a great start. But once the euphoria wears of, the Nation needs to remind itself ... we have been here before, and all this won't mean much, if we don't put together a complete (9/10) win season, and get our payback on December 3rd. We have scores to settle.Austin, Blacksburg, State College, Tallahassee, Tuscaloosa and Athens might all have one really good team, but the Left Coast metropolis has two of them. And if Karl Dorrell's boys do what they should be able to do in their next four games, UCLA will find itself 9-0 heading into a showdown with Arizona State on Nov. 20. Win that, and look out: an undefeated UCLA team will collide with USC in an armageddon-like battle on Dec. 3. The City of Angels will become the site of a college football apocalypse, with UCLA rising up to claim a share of the LA football stage. It's surely premature to talk about late November right now, but the mere fact this giddy possibility exists in Westwood is a credit to a program, and even more particularly to the long, hard labor of Karl Dorrell, whose guts had more than a little to do with the outcome of this game.
GO BRUINS.