A couple of years ago, when this football game was scheduled, it
probably looked pretty good for UCLA.
On the outside, it’s a nice little nonconference lull,
coming after a bye week, sandwiched in between two important Pac-10
games.
But now that it’s here, this Saturday’s game against
San Diego State at the Rose Bowl could be scary for the Bruins, and
they’re certainly not looking past it.
“They’re a legit team,” junior quarterback
Drew Olson said. “They’re good. San Diego State maybe
hasn’t been so good in the past, but they’re a
different program now.”
The Aztecs (2-1) gave No. 18 Michigan all it could handle before
falling 24-21 in Ann Arbor and have won their other two games
rather handily. San Diego State boasts an aggressive blitzing
defense, and UCLA (2-1, 1-0 Pac-10) seems to realize this game
isn’t one it can just cross off and put a W next to.
Complicating matters further, the Bruins played their first
conference game two weeks ago, a thrilling 37-31 win at Washington,
and they now have to play this game before getting back to the
Pac-10.
“It is a concern,” coach Karl Dorrell said.
“You had your first conference win, you feel good about that,
and now you go to a nonconference game like San Diego State and you
don’t want to lose your focus.
“As a coach, you’re always concerned about whether
there will be a letdown. But I don’t think so.”
But a nonconference letdown isn’t the only thing Dorrell
has to worry about. After the bye week, when the team had a chance
to get healthy, injuries and a suspension surfaced instead.
Leading Bruin receiver Craig Bragg will not play because of a
separated shoulder; starting inside linebacker Justin London should
see only limited time at best, and it’s doubtful that back-up
defensive tackle Kenneth Lombard will play at all. Add to those
injuries the fact that starting defensive tackle C.J. Niusulu is
suspended for the game for violating athletic department policy,
and the Bruins have some legitimate problems.
This game isn’t being taken lightly.
“(San Diego State) is a dangerous football team,”
Dorrell said. “They’re dangerous for us, and given our
situation where we’re not at full strength, we’re going
to have to play with what we have.”
But fortunately for Dorrell, what he has now has been quite
impressive thus far. The last time sophomore tailback Maurice Drew
stepped on a football field on a Saturday, all he did was rush for
322 yards and five touchdowns, both UCLA records. The Bruin
offensive line has been nothing short of spectacular, giving Olson
tons of time in the pocket and creating the holes to allow the
running game to average 296 yards per game.
This game, however, should be a stiff test for the Bruins’
dominant rushing attack. San Diego State has allowed only 93
rushing yards per game so far this season, and the longest run the
Aztecs have surrendered was only 20 yards.
“Their defense is one of their strong parts, and
we’re looking forward to the challenge,” tight end
Marcedes Lewis said.
On defense, San Diego State sends some kind of blitz on almost
every play, something UCLA has had to pay special attention to this
week in practice.
“We’ve been watching a lot of film because they
bring a lot of blitzes,” said Lewis, who is taking more pride
this season in his blocking. “Mentally, it’s been a
little stressful on us, but we’re going to take care of
everything and sharpen up. We’ll be ready by
Saturday.”
The Aztecs are led in tackles by the linebacking corps of Kirk
Morrison and Matt McCoy, who have 27 tackles apiece in three games.
As a team, San Diego State has eight interceptions.
“For us offensively, this is the best defense we’ve
played by far,” Olson said. “Them and ‘SC will
probably be the best defenses we’ll face all year.”
On offense, the Aztecs don’t appear to be quite as
dangerous, especially with the state of their offensive line. After
starting left tackle Mike Kracalik and starting left guard Brandyn
Dombrowski went down last week against Nevada, San Diego State will
start this game with five offensive linemen who didn’t play a
single game last year.
Lynell Hamilton, the Aztecs’ leading rusher from a season
ago, is also out for the season rehabilitating a broken ankle.
Because there isn’t much of a running game left, the
Bruins expect the Aztecs to take to the air, where they are led by
quarterback Matt Dlugolecki (257.3 ypg) and receiver Jeff Webb, who
has 23 receptions for 276 yards. That may take some focus off the
UCLA defensive line, which is allowing 284 rushing yards per
game.
But regardless of what the Aztecs have or don’t have, the
Bruins are sure about one thing.
“They don’t care who you are,” said defensive
tackle Eyoseph Efseaff, who will make his first career start on
defense Saturday. “They just come to play, and I like playing
against guys like that.”