It is a rare close loss that doesn’t leave the loser
asking, “What if?” In the case of last year’s
USC-UCLA game, the what-ifs were plentiful.
What if Reggie Bush hadn’t been whistled down on his
fumble?
What if the Bruins were able to come out strong defensively?
But most important of all, what if Maurice Drew had been fully
healthy?
With a final score of 29-24 in favor of the Trojans and
Drew’s final stat line of two carries for a loss of five
yards, the game may very well have hinged on Drew’s ability
to play.
Now, fully healthy, Drew will have the opportunity he’s
been yearning for since last December. He will be facing off
against the Trojans, trying to match the output of their two-headed
running monster in Reggie Bush and LenDale White.
If the opinions of Drew’s teammates are any indication,
the Trojans will have their hands full trying to match him.
“Maurice is a better overall runner than both of those
guys,” senior linebacker Spencer Havner said. “He has
the speed of Reggie, but likes the power play inside like White.
He’s just a better back.”
In last year’s game, the Bruins combined for a total of 17
yards rushing on 25 attempts against USC’s stout defensive
line led by now-graduated senior Mike Patterson. Last year the
Trojans led the Pac-10 in rushing defense, giving up a miniscule
79.4 rushing yards per game.
This year, they are second, giving up 116.3 yards per game. With
the combination of a weaker run defense for USC and a healthy
Maurice Drew for UCLA, the Bruins will be hard-pressed to run as
weakly as they did last year.
“We missed him a lot last year,” quarterback Drew
Olson said. “He’s a guy like Reggie is. He’s a
game-changer.”
In recent games, Drew has been limited by both a knee problem
and injuries along the offensive line that have kept him from
performing with his usual explosiveness.
The three weeks between the game against Arizona State and the
upcoming game against USC have proven fortuitous in that regard, as
Drew has had time to fully recover.
Even with his recent nagging injury, he has had a season that
vaulted him into Heisman conversations at one point.
Drew has 19 all-purpose touchdowns, three of which came on
punt-returns. He presents quite a challenge for a Trojan team that
has had issues all season on special teams coverage, ranking
seventh in the Pac-10 in kickoff coverage and last in punting.
“We kicked the ball too far on Maurice (last year),”
USC coach Pete Carroll said. “We really have to control the
punts so he doesn’t have a chance in the open field. Once he
is out there, there is no one that can stop him.”
In last year’s game, senior wide receiver Craig Bragg
returned a Trojan punt 96 yards for a touchdown. Drew is
statistically a better punt returner than Bragg was, averaging 29.1
yards per punt.
Though Drew has had considerable success returning punts, UCLA
coach Karl Dorrell has been hesitant to use Drew on kickoff
returns, preferring to have him fully ready for first down.
For USC, however, Dorrell has not ruled it out.
“It’s something we may consider,” Dorrell
said. “We have what we want at kickoff returner, but Maurice
is ready to do both. There may be a chance that can
happen.”
If the Bruins are able to pull off the upset, it remains to be
seen whether Drew will play a critical role, but he will at least
have the opportunity to be a game-breaker. To Drew, last
year’s game will remain a what if, but a what if he’d
rather not dwell on.
“It just feels good to be able to go out there and make
plays,” Drew said. “I really don’t know (what
would have happened if I had been healthy last year). One person
can’t change a game.”
As far as his coaches are concerned, that might not be so
true.
When it comes to players as able to make big plays as Drew,
it’s hard for them not to change the games they are a part
of.
“Any time we have a healthy Maurice Drew, it always gives
us a great opportunity for success,” said running backs coach
Eric Bieniemy. “Any time he has the opportunity to touch the
ball, great things happen for us.”
With that in mind, the Bruins hope a healthy Maurice Drew will
tip the balance from last year’s close loss to an upset win
at the Coliseum.
With reports by Sagar Parikh, Bruin Sports senior staff.