PASADENA “”mdash; History has a tendency to repeat itself, and
UCLA is in prime position to replicate 2001’s infamous
collapse.
With their third straight loss ““ this time, a 31-13
drubbing at the hands of Oregon in front of 56,083 at the Rose Bowl
““ the Bruins drop into a fourth-place tie in the Pac-10.
UCLA, which just three weeks ago was talking Rose Bowl, now would
be fortunate to make a bowl game at all.
“We know that losing these games doesn’t help,
especially losing this way,” wide receiver Craig Bragg said.
“But the last thing we can worry about right now is where our
bowl standing is. We’ve got to take care of things on the
field first.”
The 2001 team started 6-0, but lost its next four en route to a
bowl-less season. Likewise, this year’s team started Pac-10
play with five straight wins, but has since lost three straight,
with only a visit to No. 2 USC remaining.
The similarities are striking, but the Bruins claim they are not
in the midst of another flop.
“On the outside, it looks that way,” free safety Ben
Emanuel said. “But this year’s entirely different.
People said we quit in 2001. This year, we’re trying and
playing hard. We’re just not getting it done.”
They certainly weren’t on Saturday.
Quarterback Drew Olson, who made his first start since the Cal
game on Oct. 18, threw an interception that was returned for a
touchdown on UCLA’s third play, setting the tone for a
disastrous first quarter. Oregon tallied three touchdowns in the
game’s first 12 minutes, the last of which came on Kenny
Washington’s 97-yard kickoff return.
By the end of the first half, UCLA trailed 31-6 ““ a
deficit from which its woeful offense could not hope to
recover.
“They put all those points on us so quickly, and we
couldn’t find a way to do things consistently,” UCLA
coach Karl Dorrell said. “What a bad day this was right from
the beginning.”
The UCLA offense once again struggled. For the third straight
game, the Bruins had more total offensive yards than their
opponent, yet still could not convert those yards into touchdowns.
UCLA crossed the Oregon 30-yard line seven times, but came away
with just one touchdown, a meaningless fourth-quarter score which
came long after the outcome had been decided.
Olson’s return to the starting lineup was largely
forgettable. He frequently had to scramble, was sacked six times,
and, despite throwing the ball 49 times, had only 249 passing
yards.
“It felt like they were always all over me,” Olson
said. “They run kind of a confusing scheme, but nothing that
we should have been stopped by. It was just really frustrating to
get so close to the end zone, but come away with only field
goals.”
The game did signal the return of UCLA’s first-team
defense, and they held the Ducks to just 228 total yards. But
another second-half shutout didn’t help the UCLA defense to
deflect criticism of the team’s shaky special teams or inept
offense.
The Bruins clearly have much to worry about. If Washington
upsets Washington State next week, that would make seven Pac-10
bowl-eligible teams competing for six bowl game spots, essentially
handing UCLA’s postseason fate to a bowl committee. The
Bruins’ bowl hopes ““ covered in roses just two weeks
ago ““ have become hopes for any bowl at all. And any momentum
that UCLA hoped to carry into the Coliseum next week is now
gone.
“It would have been nice to have this win under our belts
going against USC,” said Bragg, who finished with 10 catches
for 115 yards. “But we’ve got to put this one behind
us. We’re just thinking about USC right now.”
UCLA had a perfect record at home going into its Rose Bowl
finale, but this last loss will be the final game in Pasadena for
Bruin seniors.
“It was a little emotional,” senior defensive tackle
Rodney Leisle said. “I won’t forget this one.
It’s just a bad way to go out.”