TUCSON, Ariz.””mdash; There Bruce Davis sat, and it was the story of the season.
With thousands of Arizona fans rushing the field after the Wildcats’ 34-27 victory over the Bruins on Saturday, Davis sat alone, helmeted and in full uniform on the UCLA bench, once again left wondering how things had gone so wrong.
He and the Bruins lost again to an underwhelming opponent. They lost again on the road. They lost again when they were favored. They lost again when a win was necessary to keep pace in conference. They lost again when coach Karl Dorrell’s fate seemingly rested in their hands.
“Players play,” Davis said. “Coaches coach. Coach Dorrell hasn’t stepped out on that field one time this year. We lost games, not him. I don’t care if we have Mickey Mouse as our head coach ““ it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t be on him. It would not be on him. That is 100 percent on us.”
After the first quarter, the Bruins were never really in the game. They were down 14-13 at the end of that quarter, but the Wildcats scored 14 unanswered points that essentially put the game away. After that, it was not close until a late flurry by UCLA brought the final score closer.
But the Wildcats, like the other not-so-good teams UCLA has lost to this year, were better on Saturday.
The litany is getting longer, but it reads something like this: loss to previously winless Utah, loss to previously winless Notre Dame, loss to winless-in-conference Washington State; loss to Arizona, a team with a losing record and a coach on a very hot seat.
And the Bruins, who were in control of their own destiny in conference play entering Saturday’s game, are now left wondering if they will even win another game this year.
“I’m not even thinking about the Pac-10 championship right now,” linebacker Christian Taylor said.
“We gotta just play football and win a game. You talk about goals but you lose to these teams. You lose to Notre Dame and I don’t know if they’ve won since. You lose to Utah, you lost to Washington State, first win in the Pac-10. Now you lose to Arizona. It’s ridiculous.”
Ridiculous or not, these losses may get Dorrell fired. Last week, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying that he would be very interested in the way the season progressed after the Washington State loss. This loss to Arizona can only further raise the heat under Dorrell.
“I want to go out and leave this program to him,” Davis said. “I think (the talk of firing him) is silly. … What they’re saying about him ““ it’s ridiculous. Maybe it hasn’t gone our way, but that’s not on him.”
If the players are taking the blame, there is more than enough to go around. The Bruins managed very little in the passing game due to poor throws from Pat Cowan and backup Osaar Rasshan.
Receivers slipped, offensive linemen missed assignments, and running backs got tripped up and brought down on first contact.
On defense, cornerbacks and safeties were beaten deep and linebackers were beaten to the sidelines by running back Nicolas Grigsby, who ran for 124 yards on 20 carries. For much of the game, seemingly no one could tackle. Perhaps most importantly, defensive linemen did not generate consistent pressure and allowed Wildcats quarterback Willie Tuitama, who was 21-of-36 with three touchdowns, worlds of time to throw the ball.
And some players have had enough of the poor play and lack of focus.
“I just want to play football, and I’m just going to try to get as many guys around me who want to play football as well,” Taylor said. “We’ll find out (how many guys really want to play).
“You’re a competitor and that’s part of what the games are about ““ competing for a goal and competing for a prize. And I love that part too. But at the end of the day I would play if we weren’t playing for anything.”
With Arizona State losing to Oregon, the Bruins actually may still control their own destiny. They still have the opportunity, if they win the next three games, to go to the Rose Bowl. In the minds of the players, and especially the seniors, this is the make-or-break time.
“We’ve got three games left,” Davis said. “Three games left to prove ourselves. I’ve got three games left in my college career. Whatever happens at the end of the season will happen.
“Hopefully it goes in favor of coach Dorrell. But like I keep saying, he can’t do anything about us losing football games. If we don’t get it done, unfortunately that makes him look bad. But it’s on us.”