This could make their season or irrevocably break it.
A win against No. 10 Cal this weekend for the UCLA football team
stays the critics at least one week. It shows that this is not a
demoralized team embarking on another late season collapse. It
shows that Karl Dorrell can win when his back is against the
wall.
A loss, especially one of the blowout variety, shows the
opposite.
It shows that this team is not ready to be a consistent threat
in the Pac-10. It shows that late season collapses are the norm and
not the exception.
At 4-4, the Bruins are on the brink of rising above or falling
below .500. And the coming game may be their toughest task of the
season, regardless of the context.
The Bears (7-1) are a dominant offensive team with a swarming
defense. Without their opening loss to Tennessee, the Bears would
be in the national title race right now. They are undefeated in the
Pac-10 through five games, and they blew out Oregon.
They have Marshawn Lynch, who is arguably the best running back
in the league. They have DeSean Jackson, one of the best receivers
in the league. And at quarterback, they have Nate Longshore, the
leader in passing efficiency in the Pac-10. This could be the
truest test of the season for the Bruins.
“They have a lot of weapons,” Bruin linebacker
Christian Taylor said. “You can’t just say, they
can’t throw the ball, we’re going to stop the run. You
can’t say they can’t run the ball, we’re going to
stop the pass. You can’t do that with them ““ they can
do both.”
So the Bruins are in a position where they have to stop the most
complete offense they have faced all year, with a defense that was
worn down in its last game, giving up 37 points to Washington
State.
It will not be easy.
“How do you stop both (the running game and the passing
game)?” Taylor said. “Do you give a little on both and
stop both of them, or do you shut one down and give up the other
one? You have to stop them on something, and we’re going to
work on doing both.”
Even if the defense does manage to stop both, there is no
guarantee the UCLA offense will be able to generate anything,
either on the ground or in the air. Quarterback Pat Cowan has
struggled, going 0-3 in his three games as a starter.
Perhaps more importantly, the Bruins’ running game has
been nearly non-existent recently. Against Washington State,
starter Chris Markey managed just 22 yards on eight carries before
being pulled in favor of Derrick Williams and Chane Moline, who had
more success. The Bruins cannot afford to get so little yardage out
of their starting running back.
“We’ve got to execute against them,” Markey
said. “We have to execute to a T. We can’t make too
many mistakes against a team like this. We can’t score one or
two touchdowns in the Pac-10 and expect to win games, so
we’re going to have to put points up as an
offense.”
In the last three games, the Bruins have not been able to score
more than 20 points each game, a lot of which can be attributed to
better opposition.
UCLA has had three straight games against good teams, losing to
Oregon, Notre Dame and Washington State in consecutive weeks.
Considering the way the last few weeks have gone, if the Bruins
fail to break 20 points, they will be in dire straits.
“There isn’t any number (we’re aiming for as
an offense),” wide receiver Junior Taylor said. “We
have got to help our defense. We’ve got to make sure we score
more. We have to make sure we score just one more point than the
other team.”
Last year, the Bruins bested the Bears in a classic 47-40
shootout at the Rose Bowl. If the Bears’ score gets into the
40s this year, it will likely mean nothing good for the Bruins.
However, a shootout like last year’s would make at least one
player happy.
“That was an exciting game,” Junior Taylor said.
“Hopefully it’s another game like that ““ high
scoring, back and forth, nonstop till the last play.
“But we don’t know if it’s going to be like
that, or if it’s going to be 7-3.”