When UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell was hired as the
Bruins’ head coach in December 2002, critics raged as the
Bruins hired a relatively unknown commodity with no previous
head-coaching experience.
Inside the Bruin program and its allegiance of fans, however,
there was no worry.
All the UCLA fans needed to know on that December afternoon was
that there were nearly as many former Bruin players and coaches at
that press conference as there were media personnel.
Karl Dorrell didn’t come to UCLA as a quick fix, or as a
step to another job; he came to build a program ingrained in Bruin
tradition similar to the one Dorrell’s former coach, and
UCLA’s all-time win leader, Terry Donahue, had begun to build
26 years earlier.
In the first two years of that process, Dorrell experienced
growing pains, compiling a mediocre 12-13 record.
Dorrell says that people will only look at his record, but what
Dorrell looks at are the number of alumni at his practices, and the
number of suspensions or violations he has had in the program
during his tenure.
“I’m a grassroots coach. I realize that people
expect victories right away, but there is much more that goes into
building a program,” Dorrell said. “I came here to
build a mentality, and people are only starting to see
that.”
Now, nearly two and a half years after that press conference,
Dorrell is at the point where he can come through on the promise he
gave three years ago. He is at the point, being 4-0 and No. 20 (AP)
in the nation, where so many of his peers and predecessors have
made the leap from being pretenders to contenders before.
“I realize what this game means for my progress as a
coach, and my players,” Dorrell said. “We obviously
have that chance to take the next step, and the opportunity is
there for the taking.”
All Dorrell has to do is look across the field on Saturday, and
he’ll see coach Jeff Tedford, a coach who took on a
struggling 1-10 California team four years ago and rebuilt the
program into one of the top powers in the Pac-10.
Tedford, similar to Dorrell, experienced only moderate success
in his debut season with a 7-5 record.
In his next two seasons, however, Tedford’s Bears
exploded, compiling an 8-6 and 10-2 record, making appearances in
the Insight.com and Holiday Bowl.
Dorrell understands the great coaching job Tedford has done, but
he is quick to point out the unique challenges that his own program
has faced.
“Obviously, there are many success stories out there (in
reference to Cal’s turnaround),” Dorrell said.
“But not many programs have had to go through the things our
program has faced.”
In Dorrell’s first two seasons, the Bruins lost over 15
players through either suspension or people leaving the team on
their own accord. It is a fact that has left the Bruins in the
situation they are now, with only nine seniors in the starting
lineup.
Despite the uphill battle to plug in players at a furious pace,
Dorrell has not been fazed. Or at least he hasn’t let on.
“If you look at where our team is right now, we have a
bunch of freshmen and sophomores,” Dorrell said. “Once
you see those sophomores become juniors and seniors, you’ll
see the real progress of our team.”
While they possess a young team, UCLA’s strength appears
to be the experienced players it has at the skilled positions.
Among the veteran playmakers are senior quarterback Drew Olson,
senior tight end Marcedes Lewis, junior running back Maurice Drew
and All Pac-10 senior linebacker Spencer Havner.
More importantly, the Bruins are off to their best start since
2001, and in coach Dorrell’s third season with the Bruins,
there is a sense of urgency to win now more than ever. In the past,
he has stressed the need to look at the big picture, to see how the
program is growing as a whole, but now Dorrell has started to
acknowledge the opportunity at his footsteps.
“It seems that people really look at that third year as
the magic number,” Dorrell said. “We do have that
urgency to win now, but at the same time, it’s not do or die
if we don’t win on Saturday.”
As for the significance of a game that could potentially vault
his team even further up the national rankings, Dorrell can just
look at the defining games that each of his Pac-10 counterparts
have been able to win.
Coach Tedford, for example, first made his mark in his second
season with a victory over then No. 1 USC. The Bears had a
surprising 7-5 season that year before, but much of the football
media still held reservation. However, since defeating the Trojans
in triple overtime in September 2003, the Bears have never looked
back, compiling a 20-5 record.
Across town at USC, there is an all too familiar success
story.
Many people forget that the Trojans went 6-6 in Pete
Carroll’s first season, and did not land on the national
radar until late in 2002. That was when Carroll led the Trojans to
victories over UCLA and Notre Dame for the first time since 1981.
Since the two victories, the Trojans have a combined 31-1
record.
Dorrell, for one, realizes the road his opponents have left
before him.
“Those are pretty hefty achievements to compare to,”
Dorrell said. “Everyone would love to win right away, but it
takes some programs longer than others. We feel that our program is
on the right path.”
For Dorrell and his Bruins, the level of USC is more on their
mind than anyone else primarily because the Trojans are their
biggest rival and compete against them in the middle of the biggest
recruiting hotbed in the nation.
For Drew Olson, it’s something that is constantly on his
mind.
“Of course, USC is always going to be there,” Olson
said. “But it’s different now than before, UCLA is
looked at now more favorably than any time since I’ve been
here.”
Dorrell, meanwhile, takes the firm stance that UCLA is right
where it wants to be.
“If you asked me two or three years ago if people would
have thought that UCLA would be a top place to go, I would have
said no,” Dorrell said. “The situation is different
now; we’re considered an up and coming team, and people want
to come here.”
On Saturday, the Bruins have a chance to capitalize on the
momentum they’ve built.
They’re hosting their first top-10 team at home, besides
USC, since 2002 against Washington State.
The players, along with coach Dorrell, understand what this game
means to the program.
“Its all about bringing excitement back to our program,
and setting a new standard for UCLA football,” Drew Olson
said. “This is an exciting time, and we know what a game like
Cal means.”
“Its a big game, we all realize that. They’re a
top-10 ranked team, and it’s a place we’d eventually
like to be,” Dorrell said. “The biggest thing for us is
to keep with our improvement in our program, and keep building as a
team.”
For one day, Dorrell has the chance to put the Trojans out of
the mind of Southern California fans, and live up to the promises
he made at that conference room nearly two and a half years
ago.