Everywhere you turn, expectations seem to be low for this UCLA
football team.
The media picked the Bruins to finish eighth in the Pac-10,
while expectations around campus are considerably lower than they
have been in the past.
As Bruin fans glance at the schedule, they see five wins.
Probably no more, hopefully no less.
In the midst of such overwhelming success for USC, hopes for the
other football program in Los Angeles are down.
Unless, of course, you talk to people who are actually in the
program.
“Other people don’t believe in us because
they’re not out here and they haven’t done the stuff
we’ve done,” junior safety Jarrad Page said. “I
think we just need to create the feeling out here on the (practice)
field and then just take that onto the field on Saturdays.
We’ll be fine.”
Talk to player after player, and you’ll get the same
assurances.
Despite the question marks on defense, the fact that the
supposedly improved offense is unproven, and the underdog status
attached to the Bruins, there’s the distinct feeling in the
UCLA football program that this year will be very different from
last year.
“It just helps motivate us that we’re the underdog
and that people don’t really have any faith,” junior
quarterback Drew Olson said. “All that matters to us is that
everybody on this field believes in us. That’s what’s
going to carry us.”
But there’s still the fact that last year was not a good
year for UCLA. It wasn’t good by any stretch of the
imagination.
Though the Bruins were 6-2 at one point, situated comfortably
atop the Pac-10 standings, things quickly turned sour. UCLA lost
five in a row to end the season, a streak capped by an uninspired
loss to Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Classic.
According to coach Karl Dorrell, last year’s unimpressive
finish explains the predictions for his team this season.
“It’s all about what have you done lately,”
Dorrell said. “And we ended things about as bad as you can
end things (last year). So you’re probably going to begin
that way the next year. So I was not shocked.
“Remember, we still haven’t done anything. While we
think we’re going to be this type of team, we still have to
go out and prove it. We have to prove we’re as good as we
claim we’re going to be.”
While everyone claims they will be better than last year,
they’re also careful not to make predictions about what the
team’s record may be. Instead, many Bruins continue to focus
on the same themes ““ team, family, commitment, hard work.
“This year is more of a team feeling,” sophomore
tailback Maurice Drew said. “This year we’re all coming
together, and everyone’s starting to fight for each other and
protect one another. If we do that, we’ll go a long
way.”
But no matter what players and coaches say about improvement and
growth, UCLA will likely be the underdog in six of its 11 games.
But that’s just fine with them.
“I like being the underdog,” senior receiver Tab
Perry said. “It just adds more fuel to the fire. When
everyone says you don’t have a shot, you really have nothing
to lose. Teams like that are the teams you have to watch out
for.”
Then again, what are outside expectations anyway?
“I’ll leave all the predictions up to the newspapers
and the magazine writers,” junior tackle Ed Blanton said.
“They seem to know everything.
“The only people that don’t expect anything out of
this team aren’t on the team.”
It’s the same theme over and over again. The squad has
been working hard; players that were detracting from the team last
year have moved on; everyone is getting along, and they are eager
to prove that UCLA is capable of a resurgence, sooner rather than
later.
“This team ““ if it will really learn to trust each
other, really learn to talk to each other on a daily basis, and
respect each other all the time ““ this team can go wherever
it wants to go,” first-year offensive coordinator and
offensive line coach Tom Cable said.
“But they have to keep doing that. If for one day we stop
doing that, we take big steps backward. We’re not there.
We’re not even close to there. But we’re headed in the
right direction.”