The beat writers are trying hard to come up with a compelling story line for today's insignificant football game (from the Bruin pov). OC Register's Kuwada writes how Bruins are fighting to be "bowl eligible"!
The game is important for UCLA as well, since the Bruins (5-4, 4-3) need to beat the Ducks or No. 11 USC in their final game to be bowl eligible.
Meanwhile, Dohn is filling his DN spaces these days with John Tesh like profile pieces. He did two of them this week. One on Eric Scott, the convicted criminal who continues to serve on Dorrell's staff without explanation on how he got through the UCLA job application process without getting flagged. Then he has another feel good stories on Craig Sheppard, the back up RB who will get lot of action today.And Chris Foster is waxing poetic about senior day:
Dorrell's first senior class will trot onto the Rose Bowl field one last time to play Oregon today with a chance to reminisce and maybe even stoke the embers of long-shot hopes of earning an encore appearance at their home field on Jan. 1.
But as the 25 UCLA seniors come out of the tunnel, questions about their legacy will echo through the Arroyo Seco:
Can the Bruins defy logic and snag a share of the Pacific 10 Conference title? Will they at least win one of their last two games to become bowl eligible? Will Dorrell exit along with his first senior class?
"We have 25 seniors and this is the last time we will ever play at the Rose Bowl," senior linebacker Christian Taylor said. "At this point, I really don't care whether we get bowl-eligible or not. I want to go out on a good note at home on Senior Day."
None of these guys though have touched on the obvious storyline: the Doofus' last home game as the UCLA football "coach." None of them wrote a single piece on how this will most likely mark the end of one of the worst coaches in the history of UCLA football at the Rose Bowl. That is of course the only story line that currently matters with UCLA football.But as the 25 UCLA seniors come out of the tunnel, questions about their legacy will echo through the Arroyo Seco:
Can the Bruins defy logic and snag a share of the Pacific 10 Conference title? Will they at least win one of their last two games to become bowl eligible? Will Dorrell exit along with his first senior class?
"We have 25 seniors and this is the last time we will ever play at the Rose Bowl," senior linebacker Christian Taylor said. "At this point, I really don't care whether we get bowl-eligible or not. I want to go out on a good note at home on Senior Day."
We appreciate the individual contributions so many of the seniors made under the shoddy leadership of Karl Dorrell. Yet those of us who follow this program closely know all too well that none of their contributions have ever resulted in any kind of meaningful team accomplishment, that measures up to the history of UCLA football. For their sake we hope they will get a little taste of true leadership and teaching when it comes to their athletic careers (if they go on to the next level), which they didn't receive during their four/five mediocre years at Karl Dorrell's football program. That is all I can think of and wish them on this Saturday, which should mark Karl Dorrell's last game as the UCLA head football coach at the Rose Bowl.
GO BRUINS.