When UCLA coach Karl Dorrell looked back at the tape from
Saturday’s 45-28 loss to No. 7 California, it became pretty
clear to the Bruin coach why his team lost the game. And he put it
on the line. “The difference in the game was the control of
the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Dorrell
said. “They had more ability to do that than we did.
That’s really the difference.” So it came down to the
trenches, where Cal was dominant. On offense, the Bruins
weren’t able to create much on the ground, finishing with
just 79 yards rushing. And things were worse with the defensive
line, a unit that has been the team’s primary defensive
liability all season. Cal gained 290 yards rushing, and the Bruins
recorded only one sack on the day. “They did the things they
needed to do to be effective running the football and protecting
(the quarterback), and they did that better than we did,”
Dorrell said. That seems to be a common theme with the Bruins of
late. After exploding in an incredible rushing performance against
Washington, a game that saw tailback Maurice Drew rush for 322
yards, the running game hasn’t been nearly as inspiring.
Though UCLA gained 205 yards rushing against San Diego State, Drew
and fellow tailback Manuel White struggled against Arizona and Cal.
“Our running game has not been the same the last couple
weeks,” Dorrell said. “We need to step it up.” On
the defensive side, Cal provided yet another reminder of how much
Bruin fans miss last season’s veteran defensive line. In last
year’s victory at the Rose Bowl, UCLA held Cal to 75 rushing
yards on 35 carries. This year, the tables have turned, as
UCLA’s line is young, inexperienced and struggling with
injuries. “That’s a veteran team,” UCLA defensive
coordinator Larry Kerr said of the Bears. “It was night and
day from when we played them last year and we were the veteran team
on defense and were able to control the game. Today we just
couldn’t control the game with our players.”
SET TO RETURN: Senior receiver Craig Bragg, who
has been suffering from a separated left shoulder, appears primed
to return to the field Saturday for the Bruins. Bragg, who ranks
second on UCLA’s all-time receptions list, won’t start
against the Sun Devils, but Dorrell said he will play.
“He’ll get some playing time, and we’ll ease his
way back into the fold,” Dorrell said. In three games this
season, Bragg had 12 receptions for 217 yards and two
touchdowns.
CORNERBACK CONTROVERSY?: Though starting right
cornerback Marcus Cassel was replaced by freshman Rodney Van in the
second half of Saturday’s game, Dorrell said Cassel has not
lost his starting position. “Cassel played well,”
Dorrell said. “They made a couple plays on us, and
that’s going to happen. You’re going to get beat. You
get back on your horse and you keep going.” Cassel, who
emerged as the starter at right corner during the preseason, was
exposed on several occasions in the first half against the Bears,
but a couple of mistakes aren’t going to compel Dorrell to
make rash changes. “He’s still starting,” Dorrell
said. “He didn’t lose his job. He has some things to
build and get better with going into this week.”
NOTES: Defensive line coach Don Johnson
testified yesterday in the case of a previous Carson High School
student accused of raping a UCLA student in December 2002 …
Junior defensive tackle C.J. Niusulu (ankle) is expected to play
Saturday, but he will not start … Junior quarterback Drew Olson
tied a school record by throwing for eight touchdowns in the last
two games … Next Saturday’s homecoming game against
Stanford will begin at 12:30 p.m. It will be televised on Fox
Sports Net.