I know. I know. You are all fired up for the bowl game today!!
The seniors are super excited!! This is their last game and then some of them are playing for their "coach" - DeWayne Walker.
The DyNoMite fans are jacked because they get to see how their latest boy wonder (Dorrell being the last one) perform in an `audition' game.
Never mind how absurd and stupid it would be on the part of UCLA brass to decide whether or not to retain Walker in the program based on one game (just like we heard before the last game of the regular season, which was pimped as the make or break game for Dorrell despite the fact his body of work had already proved him to be one of the worst coaches in college football), you can bet the shameless Walker campaign will kick into the stratosphere, should UCLA beat up on a BYU program it has dominated in recent years. Here is a little taste oh how Walker supporters will blowup a meaningless win in an inconsequential bowl game from Dohn:
Obviously the notion of hiring Walker as HC based on this just one game is beyond absurd (but then again this idea is being pushed by the same idiots who tried to make a meaningless game against Southern Cal as the deciding game on whether or not to fire Dorrell). Anyway, in our view what happens in Vegas, should stay on Vegas. Walker should ot be serving as the head coach of UCLA football beyond today's one night stand in the Sin City. Anyway let's talk a little bit about the game.
Once again if you have forgotten already UCLA is 7-1 against BYU. The last time we lost to the Cougars it was in 1983 (at the Rose Bowl).
I know the excuses we are hearing already is that Ben Olson is banged up and we don't have Kahlil Bell. Yet we have an athletic talent like Osaar Rasshan waiting in the wings. I imagine is all pumped up because of the magical, mystical powers of DyNoMite Walker, who I am sure is ready to let the offense lose under Jay Norvell, now that the problem from this year's team (according to Walker shills it was just Karl Dorrell) has been removed from the program. In fact per Foster the Real Deal (another nick name courtesy of Walker fans) have already talked to called out both of his QBs
:
"We talked philosophies and about just being quarterback and leadership, all those kind of things," Walker said. "We're not questioning anything. That's one thing I learned, you never question a player because everybody's [pain] threshold is different. We just had a little man-to-man talk."
Walker said he had a "similar conversation" with Osaar Rasshan, who will start if Olson cannot play.
After motivational meetings like those how can you not expect them to step up? Anyway, it seems OR will likely get the start today:
"We're going to take it to the end, but I would say if we were playing the game today, Osaar would be in there," Walker said at Friday's news conference. "But we'll take it through tomorrow. I want to give Ben all the time he needs.'
I am expecting our offense to be lot more productive under the bestest and awesomest leadership of DeWayne, who I am sure have made sure to remove all the shackles off Dorrell. So I expect OR to fly around the Cougars this pm. And then we should have a decent running attack as Markey should be all healed up, who will be backed up by Moline.
More on the matchup between BYU defense and our `cured' offense under Walker (now that KD is gone!) here is Sportsline.com::
LB Bryan Kehl and DE Jan Jorgensen had yet to establish themselves as the disrupters on the defense the last time the Cougars played the Bruins. Jorgensen has come into his own as one of the premier defensive linemen in the conference. If he can apply pressure while BYU plays the bend-but-don't-break strategy in the secondary, UCLA will be hard-pressed to match the 27-point effort of its first game. If the Cougars can't get pressure with their front four, the Bruins may be able to take advantage of their athletic ability at the receiver position.
Well talent at receiver position should not be an issue since we should Brandon Breazell who is all fired up to play his last game at UCLA, and Dominique Johnson, who sort of had a semi break out season (showing signs of his ability) despite being shackled by the Dorrellian offense. I expect these guys to step up and dominate this weekend no matter who is at QB. Not to mention if OR gets in the game, I expect him to wreck havoc with the BYU defense with his athletic ability, which he should be able to use to keep the BYU defense on their heels.
Meanwhile, BYY offense has been on a roll since we saw them last time at the Rose Bowl earlier this season. From the same link:
The Cougars figure to be a much stronger unit than they were when they faced the Bruins way back in Week 2 of the season. QB Max Hall was making only the second start of his career, and RB Harvey Unga had yet to establish himself as the featured back. Now that both are playing with the benefit of a season's worth of experience, expect them to better exploit the UCLA defense. They still have a tendency to turn the ball over and must play a cleaner game than the three-turnover game BYU had in Los Angeles in September.
Both Unga and Hall have had great seasons as they are listed among the key players to watch
:
RB Harvey Unga has rushed for 1,211 yards and 13 TDs this season and could have a huge impact in the rematch against the Bruins. He's also third on the team with 41 receptions for 629 yards and four scores and will give the Cougars a dimension they didn't know they had the first time the teams met.
QB Max Hall could be the MWC Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 3,617 yards this season. He had 24 TDs and just 12 interception, and he developed the ability to engineer drives at critical times for the Cougars down the stretch, including an 80-yarder in just less than a minute for the game-winning touchdown against Utah on Nov. 24.
FS Kellen Fowler started the season as a fourth-stringer but has kept the BYU defense from falling off after injuries depleted the position. In the Las Vegas Bowl, Fowler will go up against as athletically gifted wide receivers as he has seen all season.
DE Jan Jorgensen has turned in a monster sophomore season, recording 12 sacks and 18 tackles for losses. For the year, he's risen to third on the team with 73 tackles and will be key in slowing UCLA's offense.
Well I am not worried about our defense's ability to handle the BYU offense because after all we have Walker.
If you need to read up more on BYU check my notes from earlier in the season here and here. Obviously things are little different this time around. However, I come from the school of thought that since we beat them last time by 10 points despite being handicapped by having a cardboard cutout posing as a `head coach' on the sidelines, we should be able to win this game going away, if I were to take all the players at their word, who talked all week about how excited they are to play in this bowl game and for Walker.
So Bruins should beat up on the Cougars, and then we should all expect DG to introduce someone besides Walker or CHOKER as the next football coach at UCLA.
GO BRUINS.