By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – From the moment the players took the field on
Saturday, a silent game of chess was already in progress between
the coaches on the sidelines.
Dennis Franchione and the Alabama Crimson Tide had the Bruins in
check before the football game even started. The battle of the
minds between coaches started over a week before gametime because
Franchione refused to announce his starting quarterback.
This posed a huge problem for UCLA defensive coordinator Phil
Snow and his defense because the Alabama quarterbacks, Andrew Zow
and Tyler Watts, are like night and day. The defense had to prepare
for Zow, a stereotypical pocket passer, and Watts, who would be the
focus of an option-based offense.
"Coach Snow worked hard to prepare us for the option, or
anything else that they might throw at us," Bruin cornerback Ricky
Manning said. "When it came down to it, adjusting to the game was
easier than a week’s worth of practice."
Franchione kept his secret until the players took the field,
naming both quarterbacks as possible starters during the line-up
announcement at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Fortunately for UCLA, head coach Bob Toledo had an equal and
opposite reaction to every attack made by Alabama and
Franchione.
When the Alabama offense took the field with Watts at the helm,
Snow implemented his defensive scheme designed to halt the option
attack. The UCLA players responded, swarming toward the ball and
assaulting the consistency of the option.
Bruin senior linebacker Ryan Nece led the Bruin defensive attack
with nine tackles, and was instrumental in making on-the-field
adjustments by reading the offensive formations.
"We studied last year’s offense at TCU to get a feel of
Franchione’s offense, and it was complicated," Nece said. "We had
to make a lot of mental adjustments in the game and on the field.
But the adjustments were a lot easier to make because we were so
well prepared."
The persistent Crimson Tide and Franchione began to mix up
option schemes through the middle of the second quarter and into
the second half, attempting to negate Toledo’s blocking moves in
the 100-yard-long chess board.
In the beginning of the game, Alabama ran a wide-option play in
which the quarterback runs to the sidelines and pitches to the
running back when he is out of room or about to be tackled.
When the Bruins started figuring out the wide-option play, the
Crimson Tide started to use the draw and an inside-out option play,
in which Watts would run a short distance in a given direction and
then pitch to a streaking running back who would be going toward
the inside or outside of the quarterback. Straight running plays
were also used to confuse the Bruin defense.
Despite the changes, UCLA contained Alabama’s rushing attack
throughout the game with it’s willingness to adjust, holding the
Crimson Tide rushing attack to a meager 3.5 yards per carry with a
long of only 15 yards.
UCLA won the game 20-17 on the field, but the real battle took
place on the sidelines. Throughout the week and into the game, both
coaches lost many pawns. But in the end, Toledo’s skill pieces
proved too powerful for Alabama and Toledo took Franchione’s
king.
"I thought our coaching staff did a nice job of game planning,
did a nice job of communicating at half time and adjusting," Toledo
said. "Most importantly, I thought our players responded to those
adjustments in an excellent fashion."
Checkmate Toledo.