It’s as much an annual rite of winter in Westwood as final
exams, the first rainfall, or the pre-Christmas shopping rush.
While other teams prepare for bowl games, UCLA plays the blame
game.
Near the end of each football season, the Bruins tally up their
losses and then decide how many jobs should be forfeited in
punitive damages.
Two years ago it was former UCLA coach Bob Toledo who was
canned. Last season offensive coordinator Steve Axman got the axe.
Given the failures of the Bruin defense this season, you can bet
the scapegoat will come from that side of the ball this time
around.
Too bad it’s not that simple. Too bad a single coaching
change won’t instantly fix the problems that have plagued
UCLA for five consecutive mediocre seasons. Too bad there’s
not a coach on the market who’s capable of hoisting the
program into the upper echelon of college football right away.
The truth, as you might expect, is that there are no quick
fixes.
That’s why whenever the UCLA players and coaches try to
anoint one victory as a launching point for the program, we should
always be skeptical. Remember when crushing Washington last season
was going to be a foundation for the future? Or the Stanford
victory last week?
Rather than making knee-jerk reactions after one resounding
victory or one horrific defeat, UCLA needs to take a wait-and-see
policy and accept that its simply not a very good team right
now.
Of course, the Bruins seemed convinced they were a good team
before losing to Washington State on Saturday. But hey, they did
win one whole game in a row, so who could blame them?
“We have to work and realize that when you’re
becoming a good football team, you take nothing for granted,”
offensive coordinator Tom Cable said. “Every game is big.
Every team in this league is good. I don’t care who they are.
Just because you win a game and get a shutout, you can’t get
full of yourself, because when you do, this is what happens to
you.”
That’s exactly what is wrong with the UCLA football
program right now ““ its trigger-happy mentality.
One convincing 21-0 victory at home against Stanford, and
suddenly the Bruins are inviting Holiday Bowl representatives to
the Rose Bowl. One ugly loss a week later, and now we’re all
absolutely convinced UCLA will be home for the holidays.
That’s just not how it works.
Clearly the Bruins have backed themselves into a corner this
season after losing to Washington State. UCLA hasn’t won at
Oregon since 1997, and it hasn’t beaten USC in five long
years, either.
“It definitely is tough at this part of the
schedule,” senior wideout Craig Bragg said. “But if we
beat Oregon we’re bowl-eligible, and we play a little
longer.”
Right now there are precious few reasons to believe UCLA can win
another game this season, but if the Bruins do happen to beat
Oregon, let’s not make the same mistake again.
Repeat after me: One victory does not make a program ““
even if a bowl berth is at stake.
So how will we know when UCLA is no longer a mediocre program?
When we no longer even have to ask that question.
Until then, let’s learn from the last two weeks and not
pass judgment so quickly.
Eisenberg’s column runs every Monday during football
season. E-mail him at jeisenberg@media.ucla.edu.