PASASDENA “”mdash; So much for a quarterback controversy.
While UCLA coach Karl Dorrell did not name the starter for next
week’s game against USC, Drew Olson’s performance in
Saturday’s loss to Oregon did not prove much. In fact, some
might say it doesn’t matter which of the Bruins’
sophomore quarterbacks is named the starter.
Olson’s 29 for 49 performance hardly solidified his hold
on the starting job he won last week after Matt Moore’s poor
showing at Washington State.
Simply put, neither quarterback has separated himself from the
other, with both contributing less-than-stellar performances during
the Bruins’ three-game skid.
“I don’t like to make decisions like that after
emotional losses,” Dorrell said about naming a starting
quarterback for next week. “I will re-assess the issues, and
the decision won’t be made until Sunday night.”
As far as not making emotional decisions, Dorrell seems to have
learned from past mistakes. Three weeks ago, after the
Bruins’ loss at Stanford, in the post-game press conference,
Dorrell was hazy about Moore’s status as the starter.
While he reaffirmed his confidence in Moore the following
Monday, it was Moore’s performance that week in Pullman that
cost him his starting job.
Saturday, Olson was sacked six times and seemed to constantly be
on the run. While he took quite a beating in the fourth quarter,
with the Bruins out of contention, Dorrell did not pull him. Olson
led the Bruins to their lone touchdown in the final minutes of the
game, putting together a 65-yard drive with several sharp passes to
junior wide receiver Craig Bragg.
“(Olson was) good and bad,” Dorrell said. “He
tried to make some plays downfield, but he also got in trouble when
he tried to break out of the pocket and got a couple of sacks we
didn’t need to have happen. That’s been our play at
that position all season long, and we continue to have the same
issues.”
Olson did rack up 249 yards, along with an interception on
UCLA’s third play of the game that resulted in an Oregon
touchdown ““ and set the tone for the
afternoon. Olson’s 49 attempts were the second most in
UCLA history. While the Bruins were pitiful when it came to moving
the ball, they out-gained the Ducks by 99 yards. Bragg led all
receivers, finishing with 10 catches for 115 yards.
Earlier in the week, Olson had expressed surprise at being named
the starter, saying that he was still a little rusty. But after the
loss, he made no excuses, accepting his share of the blame.
“I am frustrated as hell,” he said. “When the
offense doesn’t work, it’s on the quarterback. There is
no loss of confidence, it is just execution.”
Most players said that whether Dorrell goes with Olson or Moore
this week, the team will need to correct deficiencies that have
hindered it all season if it is to have a chance against USC.
“I mean I don’t know if I could answer (whether
Olson did anything that Moore could not have done),” senior
wide receiver Ryan Smith said. “We stunk ““ same old
stuff. We are not getting it done when we need to.”
Olson did say that finding a rhythm against Oregon would have
been a very useful thing to apply against USC.
“I don’t know about next week. I don’t know
what the coaches will do,” Olson said about the starting
quarterback decision. “Shoot, I just want to go out there and
do my best. I’m frustrated today.”
Throughout the season, many have speculated that UCLA’s
West Coast offense is too complicated for the Bruins ““ a
charge that the players consistently deny. However, it goes without
saying that the system is quite different from the offense that
former coach Bob Toledo implemented. Last season it was bombs away,
on every play, every game. This year, the playbook calls for
slants, quick outs, and a lot of patience.
“It is a tough offense, requiring us to focus,”
Olson said. “But that is no excuse. It’s not too
tough.”
Senior running back Akil Harris said that the rest of the
offensive unit is equally comfortable with either quarterback.
“Mentally, it’s not an issue for us as far as who is
playing quarterback. It is how the quarterbacks handle it,”
Harris said. “I don’t put blame on one person.
It’s what we do as unit.”
Psychologically, it may not matter for the Bruins when it comes
to who is starting at quarterback. The problem is that it
hasn’t mattered on the field either.