PALO ALTO “”mdash; Anyone remember 2001? The UCLA football team
does.
And after Saturday’s 21-14 loss at Stanford, the Bruins
will do anything to ensure that no tailspin occurs like it did in
2001, when the undefeated Bruins lost to the Cardinal and then went
1-3 on the rest of the season after starting the season 6-0.
Like the 2001 team, this bunch of Bruins (6-3, 4-1 Pac-10)
incurred its first Pac-10 loss in Palo Alto, this time against a
lowly Stanford (3-4, 1-4 Pac-10) team that many considered to be
barely a threat.
But although this loss severely damaged UCLA’s shot at a
conference championship, the Bruins insist it’s not the start
of a pattern.
“This is not going to be like the 2001 season,”
junior cornerback Matt Clark said. “This is a whole
(different) team. We are going to learn from our mistakes, and we
are going to move on. What’s done is done.”
In the cellar of the Pac-10, the Cardinal has the
conference’s worst offense statistically, averaging 295.3
yards per game, and the third-worst defense, giving up close to 400
yards each game.
Stanford was true to its statistics Saturday, gaining only 206
yards of total offense, while UCLA had 287 offensive yards.
However, despite outgaining the Cardinal, the Bruins made costly
errors that proved to be the difference in the game.
The Bruins mounted a fourth-quarter comeback after UCLA inserted
sophomore Drew Olson at quarterback in place of sophomore Matt
Moore, with the hopes of generating some offense.
Olson led the Bruins to a touchdown with 5:28 remaining but
could not bring the squad all the way back. UCLA got the ball back
with 1:58 remaining at its own 10 yard-line, but only managed two
first-downs before it was stopped on fourth down,sealing the
Cardinal victory.
That final drive was indicative of the entire game. The Bruins
were constantly forced to play the entire game with their backs to
the wall, mostly as a result of Stanford punter Eric Johnson, who
landed four punts inside the UCLA 20 yard-line.
“It is tough to start in poor field position,”
junior wide receiver Craig Bragg said. “When we are backed
up, the coaches don’t want to call the plays that they like.
Coordinators like to work with an open field.”
The second quarter set the tone. Tied at 7-7, UCLA seemed to
have momentum but quickly floundered. After freshman running back
Maurice Drew ran for a touchdown to cap a 95-yard scoring drive,
the Bruins turned away from him on their next three offensive
possessions, and he did not touch the ball for the rest of the
half.
Meanwhile, Stanford capitalized on a line-drive Chris Kluwe punt
when Luke Powell returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, making the
score 14-7 at halftime.
The line-drive punt did not allow the UCLA coverage unit to get
to its lanes, and the misstep was indicative of a poor day for the
Bruins’ special teams.
Stanford was forced to punt late in the third quarter, and UCLA
had a prime chance to make up the 14-7 deficit, but the Cardinal
caught a lucky break. The ball bounced off of UCLA sophomore Marcus
Cassel’s foot and was recovered by Stanford at the
Bruins’ eight yard-line. The Cardinal scored three plays
later, taking a commanding two-touchdown lead.
“(Cassel) could not see the ball and was blocking,”
coach Karl Dorrell said. “It hit his foot and was one of
those things that happens. Stanford had a great game plan and did
not make too many mistakes, and that was the difference.”
UCLA’s rushing game was spearheaded by Bay Area-native
Drew, who had 17 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns in front
of friends and family. However, the freshman also had a costly
fumble inside the Stanford 15-yard line halfway through the third
quarter with the Bruins trailing 14-7.
“I just got hit and tried to spin and then someone grabbed
my facemask,” Drew said. “I have to hold onto the ball;
that is my fault.”
Bragg led all receivers with six catches for 86 yards. After
going 19-of-31 for 145 yards, Moore was pulled in the fourth
quarter after being repeatedly bludgeoned by the Stanford pass
rush. Olson finished with 94 yards on five of 12 passing.
UCLA guarded against a letdown all week, and players pointed to
their own lack of execution in the loss.
“Nothing we saw from Stanford surprised us,” said
junior offensive guard Eyoseph Efseaff, who was part of an
offensive line that allowed eight sacks. “We did not execute,
and I am furious and heartbroken. I have got to give Stanford
credit; they outplayed us.”
When asked whether he thought Stanford was a good team that had
previously not been given credit for its abilities, senior
defensive end Dave Ball was succinct in his response.
“No,” said Ball, who tied the UCLA all-time sack
record of 26.5 when he corralled Stanford quarterback Chris Lewis
in the third quarter.
With a tough remaining schedule against No. 6 Washington State,
Oregon and No. 3 USC, the Bruins have to hope this letdown
doesn’t carry over into the coming weeks, or another meltdown
could be brewing.