What looked like a mere tuneup before the season now seems like
a game the Bruins (1-2) need to win to gain any semblance of
momentum and confidence heading into Pac-10 play. And the Aztecs,
who are 3-1 and stayed within a field goal of defending national
champion Ohio State, don’t appear to be rolling over for
anybody.
“This isn’t your typical San Diego State
team,” UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell said. “They are
very good and will be a tremendous challenge for us.”
Indeed, while the Bruin defense has drawn raves, the Aztecs have
put together a solid defense of their own and are currently ranked
No. 2 in the nation in total defense. Additionally, San Diego State
did not allow any offensive touchdowns to its Division I opponents,
Ohio State and Texas-El Paso.
“Their defense shut down Ohio State’s
offense,” Dorrell said. “They’ve got a disruptive
front against the running game, and they’ve done a great
job.”
Even more surprising than the Aztec defense may be the startling
offensive transformation. San Diego State head coach Tom Craft was
nicknamed “Air Craft” for his tendency to throw the
football. But a year after ranking fifth in the nation with 330
passing yards per game, the Aztec offense has turned to the ground
game behind freshman sensation Lynell Hamilton, who is ranked No. 9
in the nation with 127 rushing yards per game.
Part of the reason for the transformation is that senior
quarterback Adam Hall has been out since the Aztecs’ first
game of the season with an ankle injury. Starting in his place will
be Matt Dlugolecki, a former UCLA commit who then signed with
Illinois before transferring to San Diego State.
Still, the Bruins may be looking introspectively, less concerned
with the Aztecs and more concerned with fixing internal problems.
Even more of a concern is that a loss at the Rose Bowl would result
in UCLA needing to win five Pac-10 games just merely to remain bowl
eligible. Even so, although the talent gap has closed since last
year’s 43-7 rout over San Diego State, even Craft admits that
UCLA is the more talented team.
“You look at what happened last year and in the past
history (of the series); the games have not been close,”
Craft said. “We’re going to put this game into
perspective for us and do the best we can. We’re just looking
to close the gap because there was a considerable gap between us
and UCLA last year.”
The Bruins will probably again rally around their defense, which
Craft compared to that of Ohio State. Nevertheless, the spotlight
will stay on the special teams, whose punt coverage gave up three
touchdowns last week to Oklahoma, and the offense, which showed
signs of coming around against the vaunted Sooner defense.
And while UCLA hopes to bring all three elements together to
play the elusive “complete game” against a team that it
has yet to lose to in 18 all-time games, this is a San Diego State
team that sees the matchup as a measuring stick for its own rising
program.
“Every game this year is a statement game,” San
Diego State cornerback Jeff Shoate told the Daily Aztec.
“We’re trying to prove a lot to everyone around the
country, no matter who we face. And when you lose to a team (like
we did last year), you always want to get them back.”
All of which makes what seemed like a tuneup entering the season
into a near must-win for UCLA.