Count it as a lesson learned.
After being thoroughly demolished two weeks ago by USC 40-3,
Colorado came into the Rose Bowl and surprised UCLA, 31-17.
Likewise, Oregon State, after being shut out 22-0 by USC, will
be looking to take its anger out on the Bruins. This time, however,
UCLA is saying that it’s learned from its mistakes and will
be ready for the Beavers (3-1, 0-1 Pac-10) in Corvallis.
“We saw what happened during the Colorado game,”
UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said. “It’ll be a hostile
environment. They’re coming off a loss, so they’ll be
burned up a little bit. We have to match their
intensity.”
Prior to last week’s letdown, the Beavers looked
impressive early in the season. The sophomore tandem of quarterback
Derek Anderson and running back Steven Jackson has carried the
Beaver offense, and their receiving corps ““ a sore spot last
season ““ has returned to become one of the Pac-10’s
best. Jackson, who already has three 100-yard games this season,
will be of particular concern to the Bruins, who gave up 325
rushing yards to Colorado.
“They want to run the ball right at you,” defensive
end Rusty Williams said. “That’s their motto. They can
point the finger right at us (the defensive line) because
we’re going to win or lose the game.”
It is the Beaver offensive line, however, that bothers Oregon
State head coach Dennis Erickson. Both left tackles have gone down
to injury. As a result, left guard Mike Kuykendall returns to left
tackle, where he played his freshman and sophomore years, and
junior David Lose will move from backup right guard to starting
left guard.
“That’s the situation we’re in,”
Erickson told the Corvallis Gazette-Times. “Those things
happen ““ it’s part of the game. Our players will
rally.”
The foundation of the Beaver team has been its defense, which
statistically ranks among the best in the nation. Oregon State is
currently ranked second in the Pac-10 in total defense, and it has
a trio of potential All-Pac-10 performers in cornerback Dennis
Weathersby, linebacker Richard Seigler and defensive tackle Eric
Manning.
The Bruins bounced back from their only loss of the season with
a 43-7 smashing of San Diego State. It was a much-needed confidence
boost for the Bruins entering Pac-10 play, as UCLA established its
aerial attack and played a solid defensive game against the
nation’s top passing team. Quarterback Cory Paus found tight
end Mike Seidman for 134 yards ““ the first time any receiver
this season has surpassed the 100-yard mark in a game.
Nevertheless, the main issue for UCLA during the week has been
the likely absence of right tackle Mike Saffer and his would-be
replacement, redshirt freshman Ed Blanton.
A lesson the Bruins can take from last year is that league games
matter most. After winning their first six games, the Bruins lost
four straight conference games and fell out of bowl contention.
“There is now a sense of urgency,” Toledo said.
“These games now count. If you win these, you get a chance to
win the conference championship. We’ve proven in the past
that if you win your non-league games, it doesn’t really
matter unless you win your league games.”
UCLA’s quest for a conference championship starts in a
game that will test whether UCLA has learned its lesson from the
Colorado game ““ that on any given day, any team can win.
“I’m sure that Oregon State watched the Colorado
film,” Williams said. “We didn’t handle it very
well. We learned from that and practiced harder to get ready.
It’s on us now.”