Utah. Rice. Washington. Stanford. Arizona.
It isn’t exactly a lineup of world-beaters that the Bruins
planned on facing through their first five games. The UCLA football
team was hoping to go 5-0 through those games, heading into the
tougher middle of the season against teams such as Oregon and Notre
Dame with some momentum and confidence.
Already, those hopes are gone.
After essentially demolishing Utah, probably the most highly
thought of team of the preseason five, the 2-1 Bruins struggled
against lowly Rice before pulling out a 26-16 victory, and then
lost to Washington, 29-19. Washington, for the record, went 2-9
last year and barely eked out a victory over San Jose State this
season.
The game against the Utes, which the Bruins won 31-10, marked
the emergence of new starting quarterback Ben Olson, who threw for
three touchdowns. Hopes were high after the Bruins dominated in
nearly every facet of the game, aside from special teams and
running offense. A Bruin defense that had given up over 230 yards
rushing per game last year was stingy in both its run and pass
defense, limiting the Utes to 287 total yards of offense behind the
coaching of new defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.
That near perfection was short-lived.
Against Rice, the offense struggled against the strange 3-3-5
defensive scheme of the Owls, committing four turnovers.
Quarterback Ben Olson had his first mediocre game, completing 13
passes for just 124 yards with two touchdowns and an
interception.
The defense dominated once again, and it was barely enough to
knock off a team the Bruins beat 63-21 a year ago. Running back
Chris Markey and the offensive line excelled in the running game,
as the UCLA running backs combined for 277 yards on the ground.
After the game, many Bruins spoke of the dangers of overlooking
weaker opponents.
“We took them kind of lightly,” wide receiver
Brandon Breazell said,
Last Saturday, UCLA lost to Washington after having a 16-0 lead
in the first half. The Bruins grew complacent after jumping out to
an early lead, running out the clock at the end of the first half
and letting the Huskies back into the game.
The defense once again was the bright spot for the team ““
a surprising trend for UCLA, which was one of the worst teams in
the nation defensively last year.
The offensive play-calling and the continued disturbingly
mediocre play of Ben Olson were the culprits in this game. Olson
threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, and generally looked
hurried and uncomfortable in the pocket. Offensive coordinator Jim
Svoboda did not have an effective game plan for the red-zone
opportunities against the Huskies. At one point in the third
quarter, he called a running play on third and 10 in
Washington’s red zone, and then proceeded to send in the
field goal unit when Kahlil Bell’s carry netted only five
yards.
The Bruins know they will need to improve their offensive
efficiency if they are going to be a factor in the Pac-10 race this
year ““ a stark difference from last year, when the defense
was the weak point and it was the offense that kept the team in
games.