When people look at the reasons for the Bruins’ surprising
7-0 start this season, the first thing most will point to are the
Bruins’ gaudy offensive numbers. Averaging 44.5 points per
game, the Bruins rank fifth in the nation in scoring offense, and
second in the Pac-10. But the number that people will ignore, or
possibly just disregard, is the Bruins’ turnover ratio, which
has led to the team’s numerous scoring opportunities.
“That’s the key for this offense,” senior
quarterback Drew Olson said. “Obviously, turnovers are
something we focus on a tremendous amount. It’s just a big
focal point every week.” The Bruins’ plus-10 turnover
margin is the best in the conference (third in the nation), and the
Bruins have committed only four turnovers the entire season. A big
part of that has been Olson, who has thrown for 21 touchdowns and
only three interceptions. The Bruins’ total of three
interceptions is the second-lowest in the nation. Olson’s
pass-efficiency rating is an indication of the limited mistakes and
excellent passing completion Olson has shown. “Drew is on
fire right now,” tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “He is
making all the right decisions, and that has helped out our
offense.” Running back Maurice Drew, meanwhile, has yet to
commit a turnover this season. That comes a season after the Bruins
lost 12 fumbles and had a total of 25 turnovers, which ranked
second to last in the Pac-10. On Monday, Drew talked about how the
Bruins had committed numerous turnovers at the beginning of fall
camp, but committed fewer each day. Then the defensive coaches
started to criticize the defense for not causing any turnovers.
“It has been a complete change from day one,” Drew
said. “It was a point of emphasis in fall camp, and
we’ve improved from there.” A big help for the Bruin
offense is the number of turnovers the defense has caused. Through
seven games, the Bruins have forced nine fumbles, which is first in
the Pac-10. That number is alarming considering the defense has
allowed over 430 yards of offense a game, ranking 98th in the
nation. “We know we’re a good defense, but not one of
the top in the nation,” linebacker Spencer Havner said.
“Our goal is to have the type of offense that the Bruin teams
had in the late ’90s ““ merely hold the team down enough
and cause enough turnovers for our offense to score.” On
Saturday, the Bruins face Stanford, a team which is ranked second,
behind UCLA, in turnover ratio. According to coach Karl Dorrell,
they are the type of team that could present a tough challenge for
the Bruins.
PLAYERS AWARDED: Olson and kicker Justin Medlock were named
co-Pac-10 Players of the Week for their performances in the
Bruins’ 51-28 victory over Oregon State last weekend. In the
game, Olson threw a school-record six touchdown passes for 262
yards. Medlock, meanwhile, connected on all three field-goal
attempts, at 27, 37 and 47 yards. Six out of 10 of his kickoffs
went into the end zone for touchbacks. The kick of 47 yards was the
fifth-longest for Medlock this season. Also named a Pac-10 Player
of the Week was nose tackle Babatunde Oshinowo of Stanford, who
recorded nine tackles and three sacks in Stanford’s 45-35
victory over Arizona State on Saturday.