CORVALLIS, Ore. “”mdash; Anybody who is still wondering why Karl Dorrell has shown insufferable patience with his big lefty quarterback, or those who just have a soft spot for folk hero Pat Cowan, should take note of Ben Olson’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Breazell at Reser Stadium on Saturday night.
Sure, there were plenty of alluring plays made by the Bruins ““ and head-scratchers made by the Beavers ““ in a chaotic fourth quarter that somehow turned a low-scoring game into a UCLA blowout.
Two special-teams blunders by Oregon State assisted the visitors’ three touchdowns in less than three minutes of game play. That’s how it became 40-14 very suddenly.
Sandwiched between all that mayhem, however, was a beacon, a shining light that proves Olson’s the only quarterback Dorrell has at his disposal who can turn UCLA into a Pac-10 title contender.
On the heels of another botched kickoff return, Olson found a streaking Breazell up the middle of the field, and then threaded the needle in between the corner and the safety in the end zone. It was a perfect pass that few quarterbacks in the country could make.
The play couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. Olson was coming off two clunkers against BYU and Utah, and his non-concussion concussion forced him to watch Cowan beat Washington in the Rose Bowl last week. And his two touchdown passes to Breazell ““ the first one of the slip-screen, 69-yard-scamper variety ““ overshadowed his red-zone interception earlier in the game.
So what did Olson feel like after he saw his immaculate pass?
“I didn’t really see it, because I got hit right when I threw it.”
That’s a pity, considering that everyone else caught a glimpse of the Ben Olson Project.
“I was just trying to make a play,” Olson said. “I was just trying to step up in the pocket and make the pass, and Brandon did a great job.”
“I thought I wasn’t going to get the ball because the safety was right there,” said Breazell, who finished with two catches, both touchdowns, for 99 yards. “But Ben threw a perfect ball.”
The touchdown pass was unexpected, if only because Olson’s performance in the first three quarters was iffy at best.
The Beavers’ defense deserves a fair deal of credit for how tough they’ve played all year. They’ve been able to negate the running game and force opposing quarterbacks into third-and-long situations, and then come hard on the blitz.
The same happened to Olson, and he struggled early. Yet he finished with an encouraging stat line: 14 of 25 for 220 yards with two touchdowns and the one pick. So what was the difference from the first to the second half?
“Our effort,” Olson said. “We were just persistent in the second half. We wanted this game more than they did; that’s really what it comes down to.”
That’s an eye-opening statement, considering how many fans have come away with the impression that the less physically-gifted Cowan wants it more than Olson.
To say this game was big for Olson’s development as a bona fide leader of the team is a gross understatement.
He’s been under such heavy criticism that after he completed a nifty 19-yarder to wide receiver Joe Cowan in the third quarter, a lot of people had to be wondering why Olson couldn’t do that more often.
In the press box, an old Page 2 columnist from the L.A. Times defended Olson, wondering aloud how a guy could make a great play and still get criticized. Those who follow the UCLA program on a daily basis would at least know this: Greatness should be most measured in the fourth quarter. And Olson hasn’t been nearly great enough in the fourth quarter, especially on the road, so far in his tenure.
But the touchdown strike to Breazell just might tip the scale in his favor, if only because it gives him that much more confidence as Cal and Oregon loom on UCLA’s schedule.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. A road win over OSU is nice, but maybe we should withhold the coronation of Ben Olson for another week. And guess who agrees.
“We did make some mistakes, some penalties, and I threw that interception,” Olson said. “But if we can clean those things up, this could be a really explosive offense.”
Translation: Olson’s offense played well, but not great. Page 2 of the L.A. Times should take note.
E-mail de Jong at adejong@media.ucla.edu.