There was no sugarcoating it this week in practice. Players and
the coaching staff admitted it.
No. 20 UCLA escaped last weekend against Washington. And if
anything, it was yet another test for the Bruins.
However, this Saturday’s showdown against No. 9 Cal proves
to be the biggest test of the season.
“The Oklahoma game was a big test. We passed. Washington
was a big one mentally. Even though it was a close game, we passed.
We need this one,” junior running back Maurice Drew said.
“We’re trying to win the Pac-10 this year. A win will
let us get one more step closer to our goal.”
While offensive coordinator Tom Cable called last
weekend’s win over the Huskies as a great lesson in which the
team “learned we had the intestinal fortitude to find a way,
when we probably shouldn’t have,” the game against the
Bears holds more weight and meaning.
With undefeated records on the line, UCLA (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) has
its most challenging task of the young season Saturday, bringing
down a Cal team (5-0, 2-0) in search of a 6-0 record, which would
be the Bears’ best start to a season since 1950.
The Golden Bears are riding a 12-game regular-season winning
streak, which is third longest in the nation, alongside USC (26)
and Virginia Tech (13).
Drew, on the ramifications of what a win over the Bears means:
“Everything.”
Aside from this being a rivalry match and getting revenge for
last year’s lost, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell wants to continue
the momentum the team has built so far this season.
“We realize the importance of this game as my progress as
a coach, and for our team,” Dorrell said. “We had a
hiccup last week, and (we) coaches didn’t do our job, so
it’s definitely an opportunity for us.”
Because of implications of the game against Cal, a few members
of the football team met early this week over dinner. Senior
linebacker Spencer Havner challenged his teammates to strive for
the best week of practice they’ve had this season after
coming off their worst performance of the year last weekend. They
responded.
“We probably had our best practice so far this
season,” Havner said. “On the heels of the game we
don’t want anything to slip by.”
A major factor in Saturday’s game will be UCLA’s run
defense, which has been virtually nonexistent. Ranked 91st in the
nation, the Bruins give up nearly 180 yards on the ground. A
victory over the Bears will depend largely on whether the Bruins
can stop Cal’s Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch, who
spearhead the seventh-best rushing attack in the nation at 259.4
yards per game.
“The No. 1 thing is to stop the run, and it’s going
to be a big chip on mine and Spencer’s shoulders,” said
senior linebacker Justin London, who recorded a career-high 11
tackles in the win over Cal two years ago. “We’re going
to go out there and take it on.”
Undoubtedly, putting points on the board will be a tall task for
the Bruins. Despite losing eight starters on its 2004 defense, Cal
leads the Pac-10 in three defensive categories: opposing
quarterback’s passing efficiency (92.11), total defense
(288.6 yards per game) and scoring (10.6 points per game).
“They are the best team we’ve played so far this
year,” senior quarterback Drew Olson said. “The defense
they are presenting us will be more difficult than any defense
we’ve seen this season.”
Cal has the second-best rushing defense in the conference in
Cal, which gives up 92 yards a game, and puts eight in the box.
Combine that with UCLA’s recently struggling run offense,
and the Bruins will have to stay patient and persistent this
weekend.
“They know we’re going to run the ball, and we know
they are going to run the ball as well,” Drew said.
“Our defense is going to try to stop their run, and theirs is
going to try to do the same to us.
“We know it’s going to be a tough, tough
game.”
UCLA won’t sugarcoat that.
With reports from Sagar Parikh and Seth Fast Glass, Bruin
Sports senior staff.